Rintaro

Rintaro
Born
Shigeyuki Hayashi

(1941-01-22) January 22, 1941 (age 83)
Tokyo, Japan
Other namesKuruma Hino
Years active1958–present
AwardsWon

Nominations

Rintaro (りんたろう, Rintarō, born January 22, 1941) is the pseudonym of Shigeyuki Hayashi (林 重行, Hayashi Shigeyuki),[1][2] a well-known director of anime.[3][4][5] He works frequently with the animation studio Madhouse (which he co-founded),[6] though he is a freelance director not employed directly by any one studio.[1] He began working in the animation industry—at age 17—as an in-between animator on the 1958 film Hakujaden.[1][7] His works have won and been nominated for multiple awards, including a nomination for Best Film (Metropolis) at the 2001 Festival de Cine de Sitges.[8]

Rintaro is a fan of science fiction, and has been influenced by American westerns, gangster films, film noir, and French films.[7][9] Additionally, he was influenced by Osamu Tezuka, and worked with him on Kimba the White Lion and Astro Boy.[7][9] He said that when he was making Metropolis, which was based on Tezuka's manga of the same name, he "wanted to communicate Tezuka's spirit".[7] Rintaro personally introduced the film at the Big Apple Anime Fest in 2001, where it was screened before its theatrical release by TriStar Pictures.[10]

Rintaro has also worked under the name Kuruma Hino, in addition to his best known pseudonym and his birth name.[1] His pseudonym is sometimes miswritten as Rin Taro or Taro Rin.[11][12] He is a founding member of the Japanese Animation Creators Association (JAniCA) labor group.[13]

Biography

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Rintaro was born in Tokyo. His first job in the animation industry was as an in-between animator on the 1958 film Hakujaden, which he worked on while working at Toei Animation.[1][7] After working on two additional films there, he began working for Mushi Productions, the studio run by Osamu Tezuka. His first directing job was the fourth episode of the 1963 series Astro Boy.[1] After leaving Mushi in 1971 to become a freelancer, he worked on many TV series and films, and established himself as one of the most respected and well-known anime directors in Japan.[1]

In recent years, Rintaro has lectured at Kyoto Seika University.[14]

In 2023, a short film directed by Rintaro, Yamanaka Sadao ni Sasageru Manga Eiga 'Nezumikozō Jirokichi', premiered at the 1st Niigata International Animation Film Festival.[15]

Rintaro's brother, Masayuki Hayashi, is himself an anime director and animator with credits including Wandering Sun, Kimba the White Lion, Combattler V and several Tatsunoko productions including Kerokko Demetan, Dash Kappei, The Littl' Bits, and Okawari Boy Starzan S. Some sources, including The Anime Encyclopedia, erroneously claim that "Masayuki Hayashi" and "Rintaro" are one and the same.

Filmography

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Films

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Year Title Director Producer Writer Notes
1964 Mighty Atom, the Brave in Space Yes No Yes As Shigeyuki Hayashi
1979 Galaxy Express 999 Yes No No
1981 Adieu Galaxy Express 999 Yes No No
1983 Harmagedon Yes No No
1985 The Dagger of Kamui Yes Yes No
1986 Phoenix: Karma Chapter Yes Yes No
Toki no Tabibito: Time Stranger No Yes No
1996 X Yes No Yes
2000 Reign: The Conqueror Yes Supervising No Co-directed with Yoshinori Kanemori
2001 Metropolis Yes No No
2009 Yona Yona Penguin Yes No No

Short films

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Year Title Director Writer Notes
1978 Mystery of the Arcadia Yes No
1987 Labyrinth Labyrinthos Yes Yes Segment of Neo Tokyo
2023 Yamanaka Sadao ni Sasageru Manga Eiga 'Nezumikozō Jirokichi' Yes No
Year Title Director Writer Notes
1987 Take the X Train Yes Yes
1988 Bride of Deimos Yes No
Matasaburo of the Winds Yes Yes
Peacock King Yes No
1991 Doomed Megalopolis No Yes Episode 4: "The Battle for Tokyo";
Also chief director
1992 Download: Devil's Circuit Yes Yes
1993 X² - Double X Yes No
1994 Spirit Warrior Yes No 2 episodes
Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals Yes No 4 episodes
2002 Space Pirate Captain Herlock: The Endless Odyssey Yes No 13 episodes

TV series

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Year Title Director Writer Notes
1963 Astro Boy Yes No Episode "Don Tay's Infernal Machine"
1965-1967 Kimba the White Lion Yes No 10 episodes
1968 Wanpaku Tanteidan Yes No
Sabu to Ichi Torimono Hikae Yes No 6 episodes
1969 Moomin Yes No
1972 New Moomin Yes No
1974 Hoshi no Ko Chobin Yes No
1975 Wanpaku Omukashi Kumu Kumu Yes No
1975-1977 Manga Nihon Mukashi Banashi Yes No 3 episodes;
Co-directed with Mitsuo Kobayashi and Tsuneo Maeda
1976 UFO Warrior Dai Apolon Yes No Episode "Invasion of the Demon Beast Bagladon from the Dark Nebula"
1977 Jetter Mars Yes No 27 episodes;
Also producer
1977-1978 Arrow Emblem: Hawk of the Grand Prix Yes No 26 episodes
1978-1979 Space Pirate Captain Harlock Yes No 42 episodes
1980 Ganbare Genki Yes No 35 episodes
1982 Tiger Mask II Yes No 1 episode
I Am a Cat Yes No TV movie
1989 The Tezuka Osamu Story: I Am Son Goku Yes Yes TV movie
The New Adventures of Kimba The White Lion Yes No
1989-1990 Dragon Quest Yes No 15 episodes
2005 Manga Entertainment: The Art of Anime Yes Yes
2011 Wolverine Yes No Episode "Mariko";
Co-directed with Hajime Ootani and Hiroshi Aoyama
2012 Lupin VIII Yes No Pilot episode for a cancelled TV series. Released on home video in 2012.

Books

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  • Galaxy Express 999 movie Storyboard (映画「銀河鉄道999」絵コンテ帳). Fukkan.com, 2019. ISBN 978-4835456409

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Llewellyn, Richard (May 12, 2007). "Rintaro Filmography". Animated Divots. Archived from the original on September 22, 2008. Retrieved August 22, 2008.
  2. ^ "Rintaro". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved August 22, 2008.
  3. ^ "Captain Harlock: Endless Odyssey cancelation explained". Anime News Network. June 24, 2002. Retrieved August 22, 2008.
  4. ^ "Rintaro in Chicago". Anime News Network. January 26, 2004. Retrieved August 22, 2008.
  5. ^ Seitz, Matt Zoller. "Anime Master Rintaro's Metropolis Is Playful, Humane and Visually Stunning". New York Press. Archived from the original on November 9, 2005. Retrieved August 22, 2008.
  6. ^ "Rintaro, Madhouse to Animate 2008 Penguin CG Movie". Anime News Network. May 24, 2007. Retrieved August 22, 2008.
  7. ^ a b c d e Berkwits, Jeff (January 22, 2002). "Interview: Animation legend Rintaro reinvents the city to build a better Metropolis". Science Fiction Weekly. Archived from the original on May 5, 2008. Retrieved August 22, 2008.
  8. ^ "Awards for Rintaro". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved August 22, 2008.
  9. ^ a b "An Anime Metropolis". NPR's Morning Edition. January 24, 2002. Retrieved August 22, 2008.
  10. ^ "BAAF Wrap-up PR". Anime News Network. November 14, 2001. Retrieved August 22, 2008.
  11. ^ "Taro Rin?". Anime News Network. January 25, 2002. Retrieved August 22, 2008.
  12. ^ "Akira by Streamline?". Anime News Network. July 1, 2002. Retrieved August 22, 2008.
  13. ^ "JAniCA 発起人及び世話人・事務方一覧" (in Japanese). Japan Animation Creators Association (JAniCA). Retrieved May 30, 2009.
  14. ^ "Oshii to Take Guest Post at Tokyo Keizai University". Anime News Network. January 12, 2008. Retrieved August 22, 2008.
  15. ^ Cayanan, Joanna (February 22, 2023). "Director Rintaro Premieres 1st New Work in 14 Years on March 20". Anime News Network. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
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