Mark Giambruno
Encyclopedia
Mark Giambruno is a 3D artist, art director and writer. As an early employee of Mondo Media, he worked on many of their game projects and contract game cinematics. He also voiced the Lifty & Shifty characters for the popular internet show Happy Tree Friends
, a role he now shares at times with Kenn Navarro
. He is the author of two books on 3D graphics and has also done the English rewrite on over 40 US-licensed manga and light novels.
At the same time, he became involved in a number of writing projects, including the monthly Animata column for InterActivity magazine and books on 3D graphics. In the mid-nineties, he was attracted to the world of Japanese anime and manga, and amassed a large collection of books and DVDs. He even studied the language, and eventually started to work on adaptations of Japanese novels, manga and anime. While still at Mondo, he worked with anime legend Toshihiro Kawamoto of Cowboy Bebop
fame on some character designs for an unreleased internet minishow. He also worked for Super Techno Arts (publisher of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure anime series). He currently works for Region Free (Japanese artist referral and contract translation service) and does graphics and website work through his Binary Arts company.
JAPANESE MANGA/ANIME/NOVEL ADAPTATIONS
Happy Tree Friends
Happy Tree Friends is an American Flash cartoon and made by Mondo Mini Shows, created and developed by Aubrey Ankrum Rhode Montijo Kenn Navarro and Warren Graff. The show has become a popular Internet phenomenon and it's since debut and has also won a cult following.As indicated on the official...
, a role he now shares at times with Kenn Navarro
Kenn Navarro
Kenn Navarro is a Filipino American animator known for creating the popular internet cartoon Happy Tree Friends. He did a one-time role as a green derby-hated man from the Dick Figures episode "Kitty Amazing".-Happy Tree Friends:...
. He is the author of two books on 3D graphics and has also done the English rewrite on over 40 US-licensed manga and light novels.
Biography
Born in Placerville, CA, he grew up in Sacramento, CA before moving to the San Francisco Bay area for a number of years. In college, he majored in art and electronics, and began a career in computer graphics in 1990. After a few years doing presentation and web graphics, he transitioned into video games, and worked as artist, writer, art director, project manager or consultant on 21 different game titles, including The Incredibles: When Danger Calls, Mechwarrior 3, Zork: Nemesis and The Daedalus Encounter.At the same time, he became involved in a number of writing projects, including the monthly Animata column for InterActivity magazine and books on 3D graphics. In the mid-nineties, he was attracted to the world of Japanese anime and manga, and amassed a large collection of books and DVDs. He even studied the language, and eventually started to work on adaptations of Japanese novels, manga and anime. While still at Mondo, he worked with anime legend Toshihiro Kawamoto of Cowboy Bebop
Cowboy Bebop
is a critically acclaimed and award-winning 1998 Japanese anime series directed by Shinichirō Watanabe, written by Keiko Nobumoto, and produced by Sunrise. Its 26 episodes comprise a complete storyline: set in 2071, the series follows the adventures, misadventures and tragedies of five bounty...
fame on some character designs for an unreleased internet minishow. He also worked for Super Techno Arts (publisher of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure anime series). He currently works for Region Free (Japanese artist referral and contract translation service) and does graphics and website work through his Binary Arts company.
Selected Games
- Critical Path (creative director)
- The Daedalus EncounterThe Daedalus EncounterThe Daedalus Encounter is a computer game from 1995. It is an adventure/puzzle game from the short-lived subgenre of interactive movies. It was distributed by Virgin Interactive, and was released for the IBM PC compatible, Apple Macintosh, and 3DO.-Plot:...
(co-writer, art/animation director) - Zork: NemesisZork: NemesisZork Nemesis: The Forbidden Lands is a 1996 graphical adventure game developed by Zombie Studios and published/edited by Activision. It is the eleventh game in the Zork series, and the first such title not to appear under the Infocom label...
(3D modeler) - Blade Runner (3D modeler)
- Mechwarrior 3MechWarrior 3MechWarrior 3 is an entry in the MechWarrior series. It featured a new 3D accelerated graphics engine at the time of its release. The game contains over 20 missions, with access to 18 different mechs.-Plot:...
(cinematic art/animation director) - Hot Shots Golf 2 (3D modeler)
- Star Fleet Command 1 & 2 (art director/3D modeler)
- Zoombinis Island Odyssey (art/animation director)
- The IncrediblesThe IncrediblesThe Incredibles is a 2004 American computer-animated action-comedy superhero film about a family of superheroes who are forced to hide their powers. It was written and directed by Brad Bird, a former director and executive consultant of The Simpsons, and was produced by Pixar and distributed by...
: When Danger Calls (producer)
Written Works
3D GRAPHICS/GAMES- 3D Graphics & Animation: From Starting Up to Standing Out
- 3D Graphics & Animation: Second Edition (also published in Russian)
- The Official Guide to The Daedalus EncounterThe Daedalus EncounterThe Daedalus Encounter is a computer game from 1995. It is an adventure/puzzle game from the short-lived subgenre of interactive movies. It was distributed by Virgin Interactive, and was released for the IBM PC compatible, Apple Macintosh, and 3DO.-Plot:...
(also published in Japanese) - Animata (monthly column in InterActivity magazine)
JAPANESE MANGA/ANIME/NOVEL ADAPTATIONS
- Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan (manga vol. 1-6+)
- Hayate the Combat ButlerHayate the Combat Butleris a Japanese manga series, written and illustrated by Kenjiro Hata, about a boy who starts a new job as a butler and the events he experiences with his employer. Shogakukan have released 29 volumes in Japan. The English edition of the series has been licensed by Viz Media for distribution in North...
(manga vol. 1-18+) - Shakugan no ShanaShakugan no Shana, also known simply as Shana, is a Japanese light novel series written by Yashichiro Takahashi, with illustrations by Noizi Ito. The series includes 25 novels released between November 2002 and October 2011 published by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko imprint...
(manga vol. 2-3) - Shakugan no ShanaShakugan no Shana, also known simply as Shana, is a Japanese light novel series written by Yashichiro Takahashi, with illustrations by Noizi Ito. The series includes 25 novels released between November 2002 and October 2011 published by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko imprint...
: Fight Day! (novel 2) - Train_Man: Densha OtokoDensha Otokois a Japanese movie, television series, manga, novel, and other media, all based on the purportedly true story of a 23-year-old otaku who intervened when a drunk man started to harass several women on a train...
(manga vol. 1-3) - JoJo's Bizarre AdventureJoJo's Bizarre Adventureis a manga written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki. Every main character's name in each part can be read as JoJo. The manga, published by Shueisha, first ran in the magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1987 to 2002, before being transferred to the seinen magazine Ultra Jump in 2004. The current story...
(6-volume anime series) - Fullmetal AlchemistFullmetal Alchemist, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa. The world of Fullmetal Alchemist is styled after the European Industrial Revolution...
Anime Profiles (art book) - Rurouni KenshinRurouni Kenshin, also known as Rurouni Kenshin and Samurai X, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki. The fictional setting takes place during the early Meiji period in Japan. The story is about a fictional assassin named Himura Kenshin, from the Bakumatsu who becomes a wanderer to...
: Voyage to the Moon World (novel) - Under Cover (unpublished novel)
- Angel's Fang (unpublished novel)
External links
- Binary Arts (Official Website)
- Mark Giambruno at The Internet Movie Database
- Region Free Japan Artist Network
- AnimeStyle Pro