Mahiro Maeda
Encyclopedia
Mahiro Maeda is one of the most prominent Japanese anime
creators working today, having worked as director
, character designer, and animator
for many of Japan's top series.
He has been one of the top contributors at the anime studio GONZO
for many years, having directed Blue Submarine No. 6
, Final Fantasy: Unlimited
and Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo
.
His design
work ranges from 2 of the "Angels
" in Neon Genesis Evangelion
to production and mechanical design for such series as , The Vision of Escaflowne
and Last Exile
. He was also the designer of the invaders in Gatekeepers 21.
His earlier years were spent mostly at the famed Studio Ghibli
, where he helped animate classics such as Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the Sky
, and Porco Rosso
.
Maeda is also one of the select Japanese directors to actively collaborate with the international film media on various projects. He provided key animation for the animation sequence in Quentin Tarantino
's Kill Bill Vol. 1
. His directorial work has also been featured in such exclusive package films as The Animatrix
(segment: "The Second Renaissance Parts I and II"), Genius Party Beyond (segment: "Gala"), and Ani*Kuri15 (segment: "Princess Onmitsu").
He has also visited the American Anime Expo
convention in 2000 and 2003.
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....
creators working today, having worked as director
Television director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
, character designer, and animator
Animator
An animator is an artist who creates multiple images that give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence; the images are called frames and key frames. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, video games, and the internet. Usually, an...
for many of Japan's top series.
He has been one of the top contributors at the anime studio GONZO
GONZO
, stylized as GONZO, is a Japanese anime studio, owned by the company's corporate parent, the GDH group. In June 2006, it signed a long-term output deal with the anime television network, Animax, which saw Animax broadcasting all of Gonzo's anime titles across all of its networks around the world,...
for many years, having directed Blue Submarine No. 6
Blue Submarine No. 6
is a post-apocalyptic manga series written and illustrated by Satoru Ozawa, first published in 1967, which was subsequently developed into a four-episode original video animation series by Gonzo.- Plot :...
, Final Fantasy: Unlimited
Final Fantasy: Unlimited
was an anime television series based on Square Enix's popular Final Fantasy role-playing game franchise.Final Fantasy: Unlimited incorporates both 2D animation and 3D graphics, and takes elements from the Final Fantasy games with quite a few easter eggs, some obvious, others obscure...
and Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo
Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo
is an anime series loosely based on Alexandre Dumas, père's classic French novel, Le Comte de Monte-Cristo. Spanning 24 episodes, it was produced by Gonzo, directed by Mahiro Maeda and broadcast by Animax across its respective networks in Japan, East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Latin America,...
.
His design
Design
Design as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...
work ranges from 2 of the "Angels
Angel (Neon Genesis Evangelion)
In the anime and manga Neon Genesis Evangelion, are beings which attack Tokyo-3 over the course of the story. They are the main antagonist of the series and were designed by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto.-Description:...
" in Neon Genesis Evangelion
Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise
The franchise is an umbrella of Japanese media properties generally owned by the anime studio Gainax. It has grossed over 150 billion yen since 1995. The central works of the franchise feature an apocalyptic mecha action story which revolves around the efforts by the paramilitary organization...
to production and mechanical design for such series as , The Vision of Escaflowne
The Vision of Escaflowne
is a 26-episode Japanese anime television series produced by Sunrise Studios and directed by Kazuki Akane. It premiered in Japan on April 2, 1996 on TV Tokyo, with the final episode airing on September 24, 1996. Sony's anime satellite channel, Animax also aired the series, both in Japan and on its...
and Last Exile
Last Exile
is a Japanese animated television series created by Gonzo. It featured a production team led by director Koichi Chigira, character designer Range Murata, and production designer Mahiro Maeda. The three had previously worked together in Blue Submarine No. 6, one of the first CG anime series...
. He was also the designer of the invaders in Gatekeepers 21.
His earlier years were spent mostly at the famed Studio Ghibli
Studio Ghibli
is a Japanese animation and film studio founded in June 1985. The company's logo features the character Totoro from Hayao Miyazaki's film My Neighbor Totoro...
, where he helped animate classics such as Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the Sky
Castle in the Sky
All compositions by Joe Hisaishi.#"The Girl Who Fell from the Sky" – 2:27#"Morning in Slag Ravine" – 3:04#"A Fun Brawl " – 4:27#"Memories of Gondoa" – 2:46#"Discouraged Pazu" – 1:46#"Robot Soldier " – 2:34...
, and Porco Rosso
Porco Rosso
Porco Rosso, known in Japan as is the sixth anime film directed by Hayao Miyazaki, produced by Studio Ghibli and released in 1992, of an Italian World War I fighter ace, now living as a freelance bounty hunter chasing "air pirates" in the Adriatic Sea. The man has been cursed and transformed into...
.
Maeda is also one of the select Japanese directors to actively collaborate with the international film media on various projects. He provided key animation for the animation sequence in Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
's Kill Bill Vol. 1
Kill Bill
Kill Bill Volume 1 is a 2003 action thriller film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It is the first of two volumes that were theatrically released several months apart, the second volume being Kill Bill Volume 2....
. His directorial work has also been featured in such exclusive package films as 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...
(segment: "The Second Renaissance Parts I and II"), Genius Party Beyond (segment: "Gala"), and Ani*Kuri15 (segment: "Princess Onmitsu").
He has also visited the American Anime Expo
Anime Expo
Anime Expo, abbreviated AX, is an American anime convention held in Los Angeles, California and organized by the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation . With rare exceptions, the convention is traditionally held on the July 4th weekend and lasts for four days...
convention in 2000 and 2003.