Yutaka Minowa
Encyclopedia
is a character designer and animation director who works almost exclusively with Madhouse
, one of the premiere Japanese animation companies. His work is most notably recognised in the Yoshiaki Kawajiri
movies he has designed characters for, among them Ninja Scroll
and Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
.
when he was presented with anime to study in school. After graduating from high school, he studied at a design college for two years before starting a small independent animation company, via which he did contract work. In 1990, he worked with Madhouse for the first time on the OVA series Record of Lodoss War
, and since that time, he has been a more or less permanent member of the studio, although he still finds time to do occasional key animation work on other productions. Despite not being an actual employee of the studio, he is today so associated with Madhouse that he is among their highest profile collaborators. Today, he is the head member of the Kawajiri Unit, the core group of animators who work almost exclusively with the famed director.
He considers himself to be an ordinary man who is influenced by everything around him. He is also passionate for art and has always liked the possibility of taking characters and bringing them to life on film. He is a big fan of comic creator Mike Mignola
, and of the American comic series Batman
and Fantastic Four
.
type seen commonly, and are more often are fighters who struggle to survive in a man's world. They feature butch haircuts, unusually broad shoulders, and large, expressive eyes that offer insight into the emotion hidden behind their tough exteriors. However, beautiful people of both genders also populate his designs. Distinguished by his curly hair (another design oddity for anime) and the smooth, straight lines of his face, Minowa's redesign of Yoshitaka Amano
's D in Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is an example.
Initially influenced by Yoshiaki Kawajiri's art style, since Ninja Scroll Minowa has become central in defining the look of Kawajiri anime. Although often not credited, in recent years Minowa has largely taken over the task of storyboarding from Kawajiri, working closely with the director to capture the look he wants.
Beyond working as a character designer, Minowa's position as an animation director (a task he is frequently assigned by Kawajiri) allows him to be very hands-on with the process. From drawing key animation poses that stress the extremes of the character's actions to correcting other animator's work to ensure all the drawings have a uniform feel, Minowa's duties often make him the center of the film's animation process, as expressed by his comments on his involvement in the Program section of The Animatrix
: "I typically have a lot more contact with the artists than the actual director of the film, which is a big challenge in my work."
Madhouse (company)
is a Japanese animation studio, founded in 1972 by ex–Mushi Pro animators including Masao Maruyama, Osamu Dezaki, Rintaro, and Yoshiaki Kawajiri. It has created and helped to produce many well known shows, starting with TV anime series Ace o Nerae! in 1973, and including western favourites Ninja...
, one of the premiere Japanese animation companies. His work is most notably recognised in the Yoshiaki Kawajiri
Yoshiaki Kawajiri
is a critically acclaimed writer and director of Japanese animation. He is the creator of titles such as Wicked City, Ninja Scroll, and Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust.-Career:...
movies he has designed characters for, among them Ninja Scroll
Ninja Scroll
is a 1993 Japanese animated action thriller film set in feudal Japan, written and directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri who was best known for his previous thriller Wicked City . The character designs were done by Yutaka Minowa. The movie is in homage to the Ninpōchō series, ninja novels by Futaro Yamada...
and Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
is a 2000 anime film written and directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri. The film is based on Hideyuki Kikuchi's Vampire Hunter D novels, D - Demon Deathchase.The film began production in 1997 and was completed with the intention of being shown in American theaters...
.
Biography
At a young age, Yutaka Minowa took an interest in animeAnime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
when he was presented with anime to study in school. After graduating from high school, he studied at a design college for two years before starting a small independent animation company, via which he did contract work. In 1990, he worked with Madhouse for the first time on the OVA series Record of Lodoss War
Record of Lodoss War
is a franchise of fantasy novels by Ryo Mizuno based around the work he originally created for a world called Forcelia for role-playing games . There have since been multiple manga, anime and computer game adaptations, several of which have been translated into English...
, and since that time, he has been a more or less permanent member of the studio, although he still finds time to do occasional key animation work on other productions. Despite not being an actual employee of the studio, he is today so associated with Madhouse that he is among their highest profile collaborators. Today, he is the head member of the Kawajiri Unit, the core group of animators who work almost exclusively with the famed director.
He considers himself to be an ordinary man who is influenced by everything around him. He is also passionate for art and has always liked the possibility of taking characters and bringing them to life on film. He is a big fan of comic creator Mike Mignola
Mike Mignola
Michael Joseph "Mike" Mignola is an American comic book artist and writer who created the comic book series Hellboy for Dark Horse Comics. He has worked for animation projects such as Atlantis: The Lost Empire and the adaptation of his one shot comic book, The Amazing Screw-On Head.-Career:Mignola...
, and of the American comic series Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
and Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
.
Style
Minowa's character designs are usually angular, lending them a decidedly different look from most other anime characters. His men often feature imposing chins, squared jaws, and muscular torsos. Female characters are typically not of the bishōjoBishojo
is a Japanese term used to refer to young and pretty girls, usually below university age. Bishōjo is not listed as a word in the prominent Japanese dictionary Kōjien...
type seen commonly, and are more often are fighters who struggle to survive in a man's world. They feature butch haircuts, unusually broad shoulders, and large, expressive eyes that offer insight into the emotion hidden behind their tough exteriors. However, beautiful people of both genders also populate his designs. Distinguished by his curly hair (another design oddity for anime) and the smooth, straight lines of his face, Minowa's redesign of Yoshitaka Amano
Yoshitaka Amano
is a Japanese artist. He began his career as an animator and has become known for his illustrations for the anime Vampire Hunter D and for his character designs, image illustrations and title logo designs for the Final Fantasy video game series developed by Square Enix . His influences include...
's D in Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is an example.
Initially influenced by Yoshiaki Kawajiri's art style, since Ninja Scroll Minowa has become central in defining the look of Kawajiri anime. Although often not credited, in recent years Minowa has largely taken over the task of storyboarding from Kawajiri, working closely with the director to capture the look he wants.
Beyond working as a character designer, Minowa's position as an animation director (a task he is frequently assigned by Kawajiri) allows him to be very hands-on with the process. From drawing key animation poses that stress the extremes of the character's actions to correcting other animator's work to ensure all the drawings have a uniform feel, Minowa's duties often make him the center of the film's animation process, as expressed by his comments on his involvement in the Program section of The Animatrix
The Animatrix
is a 2003 direct-to-video anthology film based on The Matrix trilogy. The film is a compilation of nine animated short films.-Production:Development of the Animatrix project began when the film series' writers and directors, the Wachowski brothers, were in Japan promoting the first Matrix film...
: "I typically have a lot more contact with the artists than the actual director of the film, which is a big challenge in my work."
List of works
- Ninja Scroll 2 movie (in development) - Character Designer
- Devil May Cry: The Animated SeriesDevil May Cry: The Animated Seriesis an anime series based on the video game series by Capcom. It debuted on the WOWOW TV network in Japan on June 14, 2007 and ran 12 episodes.The show was produced by the anime studio Madhouse and was directed by Shin Itagaki...
- Devil Designs - Highlander: The Search for Vengeance movie (2006) - Assistant Animation Director
- The Animatrix: Program short (2003) - Character Designer, Animation Director, Key Animator
- Osamu Tezuka's Metropolis movie (2001) - Key Animator
- Vampire Hunter D: BloodlustVampire Hunter D: Bloodlustis a 2000 anime film written and directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri. The film is based on Hideyuki Kikuchi's Vampire Hunter D novels, D - Demon Deathchase.The film began production in 1997 and was completed with the intention of being shown in American theaters...
movie (2000) - Character Designer, Animation Director - Escaflowne: The MovieEscaflowne (film)is an anime film produced by Sunrise and animated by Studio BONES. Directed by Kazuki Akane, the film is a re-telling of the twenty-six episode anime television series The Vision of Escaflowne...
movie (2000) - Key Animator - Cardcaptor Sakura Movie 2: The Sealed CardCardcaptor Sakura Movie 2: The Sealed Cardis the second anime film, sequel, and the finale to the anime television series adaptation of Clamp's Cardcaptor Sakura. The animation was produced by Madhouse, while it was directed by Morio Asaka and written by Nanase Ōkawa . It won the Feature Film Award at the 2000 Animation Kobe.. The film was...
movie (2000) - Key Animator - X movie (1996) - Assistant Animation Director
- Phantom Quest CorpPhantom Quest Corpis a comedy/horror anime produced by Madhouse. It was originally released as a four-episode original video animation in Japan between August 25, 1994 and February 25, 1995. An English-dubbed version was released in North America by Pioneer shortly thereafter...
OVA (1994) - Animator - Ninja ScrollNinja Scrollis a 1993 Japanese animated action thriller film set in feudal Japan, written and directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri who was best known for his previous thriller Wicked City . The character designs were done by Yutaka Minowa. The movie is in homage to the Ninpōchō series, ninja novels by Futaro Yamada...
movie (1993) - Character Designer, Animation Director - Record of Lodoss WarRecord of Lodoss Waris a franchise of fantasy novels by Ryo Mizuno based around the work he originally created for a world called Forcelia for role-playing games . There have since been multiple manga, anime and computer game adaptations, several of which have been translated into English...
OVA (1990) - Sub Character Designer (episodes 6-13) - Angel LinksAngel Linksis an anime television series produced by Sunrise Studio. It was originally aired across the Japanese WOWOW television network from April 7 to June 30, 1999. It is a spin-off of the manga Outlaw Star by Takehiko Itō...
TV - Design Consultant