Shingo Yamashita

Shingo Yamashita (山下　清悟) was born in 1987. Nicknamed Yama. Central figure of the webgen movement. An innovator and passionate fan of sakuga history¹.

His KA is archetypical of the jittery, unsmooth webgen style: extreme deformations bordering on formlessness, flat shading, extravagant effects-laden action, and, increasingly, a complete lack of outlines. Some of his newer cuts resemble colored silhouettes. Influenced by Norio Matsumoto, whose approach to effects animation Yamashita often imitates. Though he has breadth, his specialty is in character animation and even as his cuts have become more visually abstract and spartan in detail he’s still able to create convincing movement. Does all of his animation in Macromedia Flash¹.

Started out by producing gifs on the internet. Though he had a few significant cuts prior in shows like Baccano and Bokurano, he first made waves with his scenes on Birdy the Mighty: Decode. Yamashita’s cuts were among the most radical and high concept in the show; Zack Synder has said the climactic fight in the second season finale animated by Yamashita was the inspiration for the final fight in Man of Steel. Yamashita also storyboarded and solo animated the EDs for both seasons. He would later return to A-1 for Masashi Ishihama’s Shinsekai Yori, where he would storyboard and animate the first ED and the fable portion of episode 1¹.

Was one of the key animators on Atsushi Wakabayashi’s infamous Naruto Shippuden 167, animating roughly the first seven minutes. His section, with its bizarrely deformed version of the character Pain (nicknamed “Jellopain”), caused a split in opinion among sakuga fans. Some argued that Yamashita had attempted to emulate Norio Matsumoto’s style but failed, hindered by the fact that Yamashita, like most webgen animators, went straight to KA from his internet work without going through the necessary training as an in-betweener beforehand. Others argue that his cuts were in his own style and that Yamashita has always had a preference towards comic exaggeration in his action scenes (ex: Pain’s roadrunner-esque dash is paralleled in the final battle of Birdy the Mighty Decode S2). The cuts remain controversial to this day. Yamashita has done other work for the series, including storyboarding OP13 and ED20, the latter a solo KA¹.

Recently has been getting advertisement jobs, usually collaborating with fellow webgen animator Rapparu and other young talents, creating some of the most striking animation ads with his talented team.

Twitter - Interview (jp) - MAD - MAD2 - SakugaBooru - Japanese Wiki Page

Works

• Genius Party(2007/Movie)

1. In-betweens: Shangahai Dragon.

• Bokurano(2007/TV)

1. Key Animator: ED, #6, #7, #12, #23.

• Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann(2007/TV)

1. In-betweens: #13.

• Baccano!(2007/TV)

1. Key Animator: #1, #5, #12, #14.

• Animator Retsuden(2007/WEB)

• Hayate no Gotoku!(2007~2008/TV)

1. 2nd Key Animation: #39.

• Macross F(2008/TV)

1. Key Animator: #4, #10, #15.

• Tales of Symphonia: Ratatosk no Kishi(2008/Game)

1. Opening Key Animator.

• Tetswan Birdy Decode(2008/TV)

1. All That Remains (残り全部): ED.
   1. ED: Everything other than Storyboards, Direction and Animation Direction.
2. Key Animator: #1, #3, #9(NC), #13.
3. 2nd Key Animation:#13.
4. Digital Paint Cooperation: #13.

• Bounen no Xamdou(2008/TV)

1. Key Animator: #11.

• Naruto: Shippuuden Movie 2 - Kizuna(2008/Movie)

1. Key Animator.

• Shugo Chara!!(2007~2008/TV)

1. 2nd Key Animation: #49.

• Mahoutsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto: Natsu no Sora(2008/TV)

1. 2nd Key Animation: #12.
2. Finishing: #12.
3. Photography: #12.

• Naruto Shippuuden(2007~2017/TV)

1. Storyboard: ED20, OP13.
2. Episode Director: ED20, OP13.
3. Animation Director: ED20.
4. In-betweens: ED20.
5. Photography: ED20, OP13.
6. Digital Key Animator: OP13.
7. Digital Motion Inspection (デジタル動検): OP13.
8. Key Animator: OP6, OP7, OP13, ED15, ED20, #85, #123, #167, #290, #295.

• Soul Eater(2008/TV)

1. Key Animator: #35.

• Tetswan Birdy Decode(2009/TV)

1. All That Remains: ED.
   1. ED: The credits has a strikethrough like that.
2. Key Animator: #1, #7, #12.

• Tetswan Birdy Decode the Cipher(2009/OVA)

1. Storyboard: ED.
2. Key Animator: ED.

• Tatakau Shisho: The Book of Bantorra(2009~2010/TV)

1. Key Animator: #26.

• Umi Monogatari: Anata ga Ite Kureta Koto(2009/TV)

1. Key Animator: #11, #13.

• Yojouhan Shinwa Taikei(2010/TV)

1. Key Animator:#2, #6.

• Seitokai Yakuindomo(2010/TV)

1. Key Animator: #6.

• Densetsu no Yuusha no Densetsu(2010/TV)

1. Key Animator: #18.

• Yozakura Quartet: Hoshi no Umi(2010~2011/OVA)

1. Key Animator: OP, #2, #3.

• Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos(2011/Movie)

1. Key Animator.

• Sacred Seven(2011/TV)

1. Key Animator: #9.

• Sket Dance(2011~2012/TV)

1. Key Animator: OP4, OP6.

• To Heart 2: Dungeon Travelers(2012/OVA)

1. Key Animator: OP.

• Kimi no Iru Machi(2012/OVA)

1. Key Animator: #1, #2.

• 日本橋高架下R計画 Music Video(2012)

1. Key Animator.
2. Executive Advisor.

• Shinsekai Yori(2012~2013/TV)

1. ED Animation.
2. Story of the Evil Spirit (悪鬼の話): #1.
3. Key Animator: #12.
4. Photography: #12.

• Hoka Hoka Oden no Uta(2012/Music Video)

1. Animator.
2. Unit Director.

• Iron Man: Rise of Technovore(2013/OVA)

1. Key Animator.

• Gatchaman Crowds(2013/TV)

1. Animation Director: #1.

• Yozakura Quartet Hana no Uta(2013/TV)

1. Storyboard: #10.
2. Episode Director: #1, #10.
3. Animation Director Assistance: #10.
4. Key Animator: OP, #10.

• Ping Pong the Animation(2014/TV)

1. Key Animator: #10.

• 古の女神と宝石の射手 Game Commercial(2014)

1. Director.
2. Storyboard.
3. Episode Director.
4. Photography.

• クレディセゾン「頭は使いよう。カードも使いよう。」＜アニメ篇＞ (2014)

1. Key Animator.

• Tokyo ESP(2014/TV)

1. Key Animator: #11.

• Yama no Susume 2nd Season(2014/TV)

1. Key Animator: #13.

• Psycho Pass 2(2014/TV)

1. Key Animator: #5.

• Nihon Animator Expo ME! ME! ME!(2014/WEB)

1. Key Animator.

• Hori-san to Miyamura-kun(2015/OVA)

1. Key Animator: #3.
2. Animation Director: #3.

• Kurage no Shokudou(2016/OVA)

1. Key Animator.

• Sousei no Onmyouji(2016~2017/TV)

1. Storyboard: OP2.
2. Episode Director: OP2.

• Koneko no Chi: Ponponra Daibouken(2016~/TV)

1. Video Storyboard: #13, #15, #19, #21~#29, #32~#43, #46, #47, #49.

• Atom the Beginning(2017/TV)

1. Key Animator: OP.

• Shuumatsu Nani Shitemasu ka? Isogashii Desu ka? Sukutte Moratte Ii Desu ka?(2017/TV)

1. Key Animator: OP.

• Fastening Days 3(2017/WEB)

1. Key Animator.

• Fate/Apocrypha(2017/TV)

1. Key Animator: #23.

• Dolls Order Game Commercial(2018)

1. Unit Direction of Digital Animation Part (デジタル作画パート演出).

• Beatless(2018/TV)

1. ED Director.

• こねこのチー ポンポンらー大旅行(2018/TV)

1. Video Storyboard.

• Blade Smash Game Opening(2018)

1. Director.
2. Storyboard.
3. Photography.
4. Editing.

• Boruto Naruto Next Generation(2017~/TV)

1. Photography: OP4.