Kunihiko Ikuhara
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese creative artist who has collaborated on several famous anime
and manga
series. He is best known for creating and directing Revolutionary Girl Utena
. Recently he has created a popular series called Mawaru Penguindrum.
. He studied graphic design
at the Komatsu City College, and joined Toei Animation
in Tokyo
after graduating. He served as assistant director to Junichi Sato
on Maple Town Monogatari, Akuma-kun
, Toushou!! Ramen-man and Mooretsu Atarou, and episode director on Kingyo Chuuihou! and Sailor Moon
.
manga
artist Chiho Saito
, animator Hasegawa Shinya (animation supervisor for Neon Genesis Evangelion), writer Enokido Youji, and producer Okuro Yuuichiro. Be-Papas collaborated to produce the anime and manga series Revolutionary Girl Utena
(Shōjo Kakumei Utena).
Ikuhara had much more creative control over the anime, which he directed, than he did over the manga, which was drawn by Chiho Saito. Notably, he also recruited composer J.A. Seazer, who provided the series' distinctive choral tracks. Ikuhara stated that he had always admired Seazer, who had enjoyed popularity in Japan's student movement during the 1960s, and felt that Seazer's work, with its themes of revolution and changing the world, was perfectly suited to Utena.
The series was a success, winning the "Best Television Series Award" and the "Kobe Award" at Animation Kobe '97. Be-Papas collaborated again in 1999 to produce a Revolutionary Girl Utena movie, Adolescence Mokushiroku ("Adolescence Apocalypse", released in English as "Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Movie"), with an accompanying manga, again drawn by Saito. Ikuhara also helped supervise the production of other Utena-related works, including a Sega Saturn
video game and a stage musical. Be-Papas disbanded after the release of the movie.
He supervised the production of the English dub of the Utena movie, checking the quality of the translation; he expressed strong distaste for the idea of his work being cut, censored, or changed to seem more "American."
After the conclusion of Utena, Ikuhara's only works in anime for a time were as the storyboard creater for the opening sequences of Nodame Cantabile
and yuri
anime Aoi Hana
, until his return to as series director for the show Mawaru-Penguindrum
, which begain airing in July 2011.
He is currently writing the manga Nokemono to Hanayome, illustrated by artist Asumiko Nakamura and published monthly in Japanese fashion magazine KERA
.
and similar events, given interviews to fans and reporters, and, along with Chiho Saito, provided commentary tracks for the DVD releases of Utena. He often dresses in brightly-colored clothes when socializing with fans. He has cosplay
ed as Sailor Mars on a few occasions.
When questioned about his work by fans, particularly about the more mystifying aspects of Utena, he tends to give humorous, odd, or evasive responses (for instance, asked about the significance of the stopwatch carried by the character Miki, he said that it contains the key to "all the mysteries of the world.") The implication is that he wishes to leave interpretation of his works open to the audience.
He has expressed interest in the possibility of collaborating on a project with David Lynch
someday. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature.php?id=65
Anime
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....
and manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series. He is best known for creating and directing Revolutionary Girl Utena
Revolutionary Girl Utena
is a manga by Chiho Saito and anime directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara. The manga serial began in the June 1996 issue of Ciao and the anime was first broadcast in 1997. The anime and manga were created simultaneously, but, despite some similarities, they progressed in different directions. A movie, was...
. Recently he has created a popular series called Mawaru Penguindrum.
Life
Ikuhara was born on December 21, 1964 in Komatsushima, Tokushima PrefectureTokushima Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on Shikoku island. The capital is the city of Tokushima.- Tokushima Prefecture and Myodo Prefecture :Long ago, Tokushima City belonged to a region known as Myōdō-gun...
. He studied graphic design
Graphic design
Graphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...
at the Komatsu City College, and joined Toei Animation
Toei Animation
Toei Animation Co., Ltd. is a Japanese animation studio owned by Toei Co., Ltd. The studio was founded in 1948 as Japan Animated Films . In 1956, Toei purchased the studio and it was reincorporated under its current name...
in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
after graduating. He served as assistant director to Junichi Sato
Junichi Sato
is an anime director.-TV anime:*Queen Millennia *Patalliro! *Bemubemu Hunter Kotengu Tenmaru...
on Maple Town Monogatari, Akuma-kun
Akuma-kun
is a manga series written and illustrated by Shigeru Mizuki. Several versions of the manga exist, one of which was adapted into a live-action TV show, and another into a TV anime.All media pretaining to the series was never released outside of Japan....
, Toushou!! Ramen-man and Mooretsu Atarou, and episode director on Kingyo Chuuihou! and Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon, known as , is a media franchise created by manga artist Naoko Takeuchi. Fred Patten credits Takeuchi with popularizing the concept of a team of magical girls, and Paul Gravett credits the series with "revitalizing" the magical-girl genre itself...
.
Sailor Moon
Ikuhara's most famous work with Toei was on the anime version of Sailor Moon. He served as director of many episodes over the course of the series' run, and took over the position of series director from Junichi Sato during the second season, Sailor Moon R. Additionally, Ikuhara served as the director of the first Sailor Moon theatrical movie, also called Sailor Moon R.Utena
Displeased over the lack of creative control granted to him, Ikuhara left Toei after the fourth season of Sailor Moon in 1996 to form his own creative group, Be-Papas, consisting of himself, the famous shōjoShojo
The term refers to manga marketed to a female audience roughly between the ages of 10-18. The name romanizes the Japanese 少女 , literally: "little female". Shōjo manga covers many subjects in a variety of narrative and graphic styles, from historical drama to science fiction — often with a strong...
manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
artist Chiho Saito
Chiho Saito
is a Japanese manga artist, most noted for the manga Revolutionary Girl Utena. In 1997, she received the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo for Kanon. She is part of the Be-Papas manga artist collective....
, animator Hasegawa Shinya (animation supervisor for Neon Genesis Evangelion), writer Enokido Youji, and producer Okuro Yuuichiro. Be-Papas collaborated to produce the anime and manga series Revolutionary Girl Utena
Revolutionary Girl Utena
is a manga by Chiho Saito and anime directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara. The manga serial began in the June 1996 issue of Ciao and the anime was first broadcast in 1997. The anime and manga were created simultaneously, but, despite some similarities, they progressed in different directions. A movie, was...
(Shōjo Kakumei Utena).
Ikuhara had much more creative control over the anime, which he directed, than he did over the manga, which was drawn by Chiho Saito. Notably, he also recruited composer J.A. Seazer, who provided the series' distinctive choral tracks. Ikuhara stated that he had always admired Seazer, who had enjoyed popularity in Japan's student movement during the 1960s, and felt that Seazer's work, with its themes of revolution and changing the world, was perfectly suited to Utena.
The series was a success, winning the "Best Television Series Award" and the "Kobe Award" at Animation Kobe '97. Be-Papas collaborated again in 1999 to produce a Revolutionary Girl Utena movie, Adolescence Mokushiroku ("Adolescence Apocalypse", released in English as "Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Movie"), with an accompanying manga, again drawn by Saito. Ikuhara also helped supervise the production of other Utena-related works, including a Sega Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
video game and a stage musical. Be-Papas disbanded after the release of the movie.
Post-Utena
Ikuhara's post-Utena works include the manga The World of S&M (released in English as The World Exists for Me), on which he collaborated with Chiho Saito; the novel Schell Bullet, which he co-wrote with Mamoru Nagano; and the Schell Bullet-based concept album Thanaphs 68. He enjoys the theatre and singing, and has sung on the Utena and Thanaphs 68 soundtracks.He supervised the production of the English dub of the Utena movie, checking the quality of the translation; he expressed strong distaste for the idea of his work being cut, censored, or changed to seem more "American."
After the conclusion of Utena, Ikuhara's only works in anime for a time were as the storyboard creater for the opening sequences of Nodame Cantabile
Nodame Cantabile
is a manga by Tomoko Ninomiya. It was serialized in Japan by Kodansha in the magazine Kiss from July 2001 to October 2009 and collected in 23 tankōbon volumes. A two-volume sequel, called Nodame Cantabile: Opera Chapter, which began serialization in the 10 December 2009 issue of Kiss, was released...
and yuri
Yuri
Yuri is a common first name in several languages, with alternately masculine and feminine denotations depending on the specific culture. In Russia, for example, Юрий is a common male given name meaning 'George', while in Japan it is a traditional female name meaning 'lily', and in Korea, it is also...
anime Aoi Hana
Aoi Hana
, also known as Sweet Blue Flowers, is a Japanese yuri manga series written and illustrated by Takako Shimura. It began serialization in November 2004 in Ohta Publishing's Manga Erotics F manga magazine. The first bound volume was released in December 2005 in Japan; as of May 2011, six volumes have...
, until his return to as series director for the show Mawaru-Penguindrum
Mawaru-Penguindrum
is a 2011 Japanese anime series produced by Brain's Base. The series is directed and co-written by Kunihiko Ikuhara and began broadcast in Japan on July 8, 2011.-Plot:...
, which begain airing in July 2011.
He is currently writing the manga Nokemono to Hanayome, illustrated by artist Asumiko Nakamura and published monthly in Japanese fashion magazine KERA
Kera
Kera or KERA may refer to:* Kera language, a language spoken in Southwest Chad and North Cameroon* kera, means coconut palms in Malayalam language spoken in Kerala, India* kera, a word for monkey in the Malay language...
.
Interaction with fans
Ikuhara has attended several conventionsFan convention
A fan convention, or con , is an event in which fans of a particular film, television series, comic book, actor, or an entire genre of entertainment such as science fiction or anime and manga, gather to participate and hold programs and other events, and to meet experts, famous personalities, and...
and similar events, given interviews to fans and reporters, and, along with Chiho Saito, provided commentary tracks for the DVD releases of Utena. He often dresses in brightly-colored clothes when socializing with fans. He has cosplay
Cosplay
, short for "costume play", is a type of performance art in which participants don costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea. Characters are often drawn from popular fiction in Japan, but recent trends have included American cartoons and science fiction...
ed as Sailor Mars on a few occasions.
When questioned about his work by fans, particularly about the more mystifying aspects of Utena, he tends to give humorous, odd, or evasive responses (for instance, asked about the significance of the stopwatch carried by the character Miki, he said that it contains the key to "all the mysteries of the world.") The implication is that he wishes to leave interpretation of his works open to the audience.
Interest
Ikuhara has stated that he likes anime with Yuri elements because he feels that when a female character is given a male love interest, the relationship between them tends to overwhelm the other elements of the show.He has expressed interest in the possibility of collaborating on a project with David Lynch
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...
someday. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature.php?id=65