Japanese animator (born 1963)
Kawamoto in 2019 Toshihiro Kawamoto (川元 利浩 , Kawamoto Toshihiro , born July 15, 1963, in Mie Prefecture ) is a Japanese animator . He is the co-founder and director of the anime studio Bones . He was the character designer and animation director of Cowboy Bebop .
Biography
Early period
Upon graduating from high school, Kawamoto was first employed in the making and designing of precision machinery.[1] [2] During this early period, he became interested in becoming an animator due to the ongoing Macross series, Yoshiyuki Tomino 's Mobile Suit Gundam and Gainax 's amateur Daikon films.[1] [3] In particular, Yoshikazu Yasuhiko 's character designs were a major influence.[3] Within a year, Kawamoto left his previous profession and enrolled in the Nagoya branch of Tokyo Designer Gakuin College (currently known as Nagoya Designer Gakuin), which he attended for two years.[1] [2]
Career
After graduating from college, he applied for a job at Group Donguri and was accepted.[1] [3] In 1986, he made his debut in Yasuhiko's 1986 film Arion , where he was supervised by Yoshinobu Inano and mentored by the lead character designer Sachiko Kamimura , with whom he later collaborated on numerous productions, including being her assistant in Venus Wars , which was also directed and written by Yasuhiko.[1] [3] Soon after, he began working in numerous other Sunrise series, being the lead character designer in the Gundam OVA series Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory and Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Last Blitz of Zeon , Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team and Cowboy Bebop .[1] [3] [4] While designing the characters for Bebop , Kawamoto modeled the character of Ed on composer Yoko Kanno , Spike Spiegel on Arsène Lupin III and City Hunter , and Ein on a friend's dog, from a suggestion by writer Keiko Nobumoto .[5]
In 1998, he co-founded Bones with fellow Sunrise staff members Masahiko Minami and Hiroshi Ōsaka .[6] He has recently provided the character designs for Wolf's Rain and Tenpō Ibun Ayakashi Ayashi , and the key animation to series such as Eureka Seven , Witch Hunter Robin , Sword of the Stranger , Fullmetal Alchemist , Ouran High School Host Club and Michiko to Hatchin .[1]
On March 11, 2010, Anime Expo announced Kawamoto will be an official Guest of Honor at the July Anime Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Works
1986 - Arion (in-between animation)
1986 - Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (key animation)
1987 - Metal Armor Dragonar (key animation)
1988 - Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack (key animation)
1989 - Venus Wars (assistant animation director, key animation)
1989 - Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket (animation director)
1989 - City Hunter 3 (key animation)
1990 - City Hunter: Bay City Wars (key animation)
1991 - Mobile Suit Gundam F91 (co-animation director)
1991 - Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory (character design, animation director)
1992 - Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Last Blitz of Zeon (character design, animation director)
1993 - Super Dimension Century Orguss 02 (character design)
1993 - The Cockpit (character design, animation director)
1994 - Mobile Fighter G Gundam (OP key animation, key animation)
1994 - Oira Uchū no Tankōfu (character design, animation director)
1995 - Golden Boy (character design, animation director)
1995 - Memories (key animation)
1995 - Sega Saturn Mobile Suit Gundam game (animation director of anime parts)
1996 - Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team (character design)
1998 - PlayStation Ghost in the Shell game (animation director and key animation of anime parts)
1998 - Cowboy Bebop (character design, animation director)
1999 - Blood: The Last Vampire (key animation)
2000 - Escaflowne (animation director, key animation)
2001 - Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door (character design, animation director)
2001 - Kidō Tenshi Angelic Layer (OP key animation)
2002 - RahXephon (OP key animation, key animation)
2002 - Witch Hunter Robin (OP key animation)
2003 - Wolf's Rain (character design)
2003 - Fullmetal Alchemist (anime) (OP and ED key animation)
2003 - Scrapped Princess (key animation)
2004 - Kurau Phantom Memory (animation director)
2004 - Kenran Butōsai: The Mars Daybreak (animation director)
2005 - Eureka Seven (OP key animation)
2005 - Fullmetal Alchemist: Conqueror of Shamballa (key animation)
2006 - Ouran High School Host Club (key animation)
2006 - Jyu Oh Sei (key animation)
2006 - Tenpō Ibun Ayakashi Ayashi (character design)
2007 - Sword of the Stranger (co-animation director, key animation)
2008 - Nijū Mensō no Musume (OP and ED key animation)
2008 - Michiko to Hatchin (animation director, key animation)
2009 - Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (OP key animation)
2010 - Heroman (chief animator, animation director, OP animation director)
2011 - Gosick (character design)
2011 - Towa no Quon (character design)
2013 - Tenkai Knights (main character design, OP key animation)
2014 - Noragami (character design, chief animation director)
2014 - Space Dandy (animation director)
2015 - Blood Blockade Battlefront (character design)
2016 - My Hero Academia (animation director, key animation)
2016 - Mob Psycho 100 (key animation)
2020 - Josee, the Tiger and the Fish (animation director, key animation)
2021 - SK8 the Infinity (key animation)
2021 - Eden (character design)
2024 - Metallic Rouge (character design)
Artbooks
2004 - Toshihiro Kawamoto:COWBOY BEBOP Illustrations ~ The Wind ~ (SoftBank Creative)
2006 - Toshihiro Kawamoto Artworks The Illusives I&II (SoftBank Creative)
Games
Sources: [1] [3] [5] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]