Shinya Ohira

Shinya Ohira(大平　晋也) was born in 1966, in Aichi Prefecture. Started at Studio Pierrot but now is freelance. Pen name Shinnosuke Harada. Highly technically skilled and artistically daring, every new piece of animation he creates is an event.

Seeing Masahito Yamashita’s cuts on Urusei Yatsura as a teenager convinced him to become an animator. In his early career Ohira sought to emulate Yamashita’s effects-heavy Kanada School style, focusing mostly on mecha animation. An indicative sample from this period would be his handling of the animation for the video game Captain Power: Battle Training, comprised exclusively of effects and background animation. Even early on Ohira was unusually fastidious, in one case spending over a month animating a three second cut in Gall Force. After turning out cuts in this style at AIC for several years, Ohira animated the memorable building collapse scene in Akira (in addition to some other shots of smoke clouds and debris). Following Akira, Ohira would experiment with character animation and develop the style he’s known for today¹.

Though informed by Yamashita’s over-the-top exaggeration and the realist school’s steady timing, Ohira’s animation is radically idiosyncratic and inimitable. He draws with sketchy/jagged lines, undulating figures (sometimes described as the “Ohira wobble”), and a wealth of small on-screen detail. His drawings often present psychological states as reality and have been compared to Expressionist painting. One characteristic feature of his cuts is their density of layers; in fact, some of his shots in Gall Force were considered unfilmable because the excess of layers would cause the image to become blurry (digital processing has allowed him to overcome this constraint). His scenes have a textured, multifarious quality that produce a powerful sensory impact. His motion is marked for its anxious and restless demeanor. Says that he’s interested in creating visceral (“namanamashii”) art. Films himself acting out a scene for reference before animating¹..

Made his directorial debut with “The Antique Shop” from Yumemakura Baku’s Twilight Theater, where he demonstrated a strong debt to post-Akira realist tendencies. Ohira was drawn to the project because he shared similar fears with the story’s protagonist of being unable to make a decent living as an artist. Around this time Ohira was also set to sakkan the feature film Junkers Come Here and produced a pilot filled with sophisticated character animation, but was removed from the project for holding up the production’s schedule¹..

His biggest accomplishment of the 90s was the legendary Hakkenden 10, “Hamaji’s Resurrection”, which Ohira directed with his protege Masaaki Yuasa as AD. The episode was a sensation in the industry and is frequently cited as one of the most influential episodes of an anime of all time. Ohira’s preference towards expressionistic grittiness comes through in the episode’s warped perspective, multiple vanishing points, and authentically ugly character drawings. The episode marked a turning point in his career as all his future work would ditch the light realism of his early 90s output and push the ethereal qualities of Hamaji even further. Worrying that the life of an animator was unsustainable, Ohira quit the industry in 1995 only to return a couple years later on the video game tie-in to Blood: The Last Vampire¹..

Got the chance to direct a short film for Studio 4C’s Genius Party Beyond. His segment “Wanwa the Doggy” was inspired by his young son’s drawings. He developed the film’s aesthetic from children’s artistic materials: pieces of colored paper glued together, wrapped up yarn, crayon sketches, etc. He even featured some of his son Shuya’s drawings in the final product. As with Ohira’s other directorial works, he exerted immense control as director, character designer, animation director, writer, background artist, and one of the main key animators. Has expressed a desire to make a feature length children’s film using a similar aesthetic¹..

Teaches at Nagoya Zokei University’s animation program. Frequently collaborates with animator Shinji Hashimoto. Fan of Disney’s early films from the 40s and 50s¹..

Interview(jp) - Keyframes - MAD1 - MAD2 - SakugaBooru - Japanese Wiki Page

Works

• Sei Juushi Bismarck(1984~1985/TV)

1. In-betweens: #50.

• Ninja Senshi Tobikage(1985~1986/TV)

1. Key Animation: #11, #16, #20, #25.
2. In-betweens: #1, #3~#10.

• Megazone 23 Part 2 Himetsu Kudasai(1986/TV)

1. Key Animation(PEN NAME).

• Gall Force Eternal Story(1986/OVA)

1. Key Animation.

• Love City(1986/OVA)

1. Key Animation.

• Kikou Kai Galient Tetsu no Monshou(1986/OVA)

1. Key Animation(UNDER PEN NAME).

• Machine Robo: Cronos no Dai Gyakushuu(1986~1987/TV)

1. Key Animation: #2(NC), #6.

• Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ(1986~1987/TV)

1. Key Animation: #25, #29.

• Butten Monogatari(1986/OVA)

1. Key Animation: #6.

• Gakuen Tokusou Hikaruon(1987/OVA)

1. Key Animation.

• Bubblegum Crisis(1987~1991/OVA)

1. Key Animation: #1, #2, #3(NC).

• Batsu & Terry(1987/Movie)

1. Key Animation.

• Choujuu Kishin Dancougar: God Bless Dancougar(1987/OVA)

1. Key Animation(UNDER PEN NAME).

• Black Magic M-66(1987/OVA)

1. Key Animation.

• Gall Force 2 Destruction(1987/OVA)

1. Key Animation.

• Doubutsu 80 Nichi Masekai Ichi Shuu(1987~1988/TV)

1. Key Animation.

• Captain Power Training Video(1988)

1. Key Animation.
2. Animation Direction(Joint).

• Dragon's Heaven(1988/OVA)

1. Key Animation.
2. Mechanical Animation Direction.

• Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack(1988/Movie)

1. Key Animation.

• Project A-Ko 3: Cinderella Rhapsody(1988/OVA)

1. Key Animation(NC).

• Akira(1988/Movie)

1. Key Animation.

• Utsunomiko(1989/Movie)

1. Key Animation.

• Riding Bean(1989/OVA)

1. Key Animation.
2. Mechanical Animation Direction.

• Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket(1989/OVA)

1. Effect Setting.

• Gosenzo-sama Banbanzai!(1989~1990/OVA)

1. Key Animation: #1, #2, #3, #6.

• Kujakuou(1989~1991/OVA)

1. Key Animation: #2.

• Peter Pan no Bouken(1989/TV)

1. Key Animation: #23, #40.

• Momotarou Densetsu(1989~1990/TV)

1. Key Animation: OP, Transformation Bank.

• City Hunter 3(1989~1990/TV)

1. Key Animation: OP.

• Angel Cop(1989~1994/OVA)

1. Special Key Animation: #2.
2. Key Animation: #4.
3. In-betweens(NC).

• All That Gundam(1989)

1. Key Animation.

• Eguchi Hisashi no Nantoka Narudesho!(1990/OVA)

1. Key Animation Help(NC).

• A-Ko The VS(1990/OVA)

1. Key Animation: Blue Side(NC).

• The Hakkenden(1990~1991/OVA)

1. Key Animation: #1.
2. Animation Direction: #1(Joint).

• Violence Jack: Hell's Wind-hen(1990/OVA)

1. Key Animation.

• Only Yesterday(1991/Movie)

1. Key Animation.

• Yumemakura Baku Twilight Gekijou(1991/OVA)

1. Screenplay: #4.
2. Storyboard: #4.
3. Character Design: #4.
4. Animation Direction: #4.
5. Key Animation: #4.

• Porco Rosso(1992/Movie)

1. Key Animation.

• Junkers Come Here Pilot(1993)

1. Character Design.
2. Animation Direction.
3. Key Animation.

• The Hakkenden: Shin Shou(1993~1995/OVA)

1. Storyboard: #4.
2. Episode Direction: #4.

• Junkers Come Here(1995/Movie)

1. Key Animation.
2. Character Design Draft.

• Spriggan(1998/Movie)

1. Key Animation(NC).

• Tonari no Yamada-kun(1999/Movie)

1. Key Animation.

• Slime Boukenki: Umi da, Yeah!(1999/Movie)

1. Key Animation.

• Ao no 6-gou(1998~2000/OVA)

1. Key Animation: #4(NC).

• FLCL(2000~2001/OVA)

1. Key Animation: #2, #3.

• Sci-fi Harry(2000~2001/TV)

1. Storyboard: OP(PEN NAME).
2. Episode Direction: OP(PEN NAME).
3. Animation Direction: OP(PEN NAME).

• Blood the Last Vampire(2000/PS2)

1. Key Animation.

• Spirited Away(2001/Movie)

1. Key Animation.

• JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken Adventure(2000~2002/OVA)

1. Key Animation: #7(PEN NAME).

• Ghiblies episode 2(2002/Movie)

1. Key Animation.

• The Animatrix Kid's Story(2003)

1. Key Animation.

• Kill Bill vol.1(2003/Movie)

1. Key Animation.

• Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence(2004/Movie)

1. Key Animation.

• Portable Kuukou(2004/PV)

1. Key Animation.

• Mind Game(2004/Movie)

1. Key Animation(NC).

• Hakuouki: Otogisoushi(2004~2005/TV)

1. Key Animation: #6, #12.

• Fuujin Monogatari(2004/TV)

1. Key Animation: #10, #13, OP.

• Howl's Moving Castle(2004/Movie)

1. Key Animation.

• Kage(2004/OVA)

1. Key Animation: #4(PEN NAME).
2. Art Setting.

• Tennis no Ouji-sama: Futari no Samurai - The First Game(2005/Movie)

1. Key Animation.

• Space Station No.9(2005/PV)

1. Key Animation.

• xxxHOLiC Movie: Manatsu no Yoru no Yume(2005/Movie)

1. Key Animation.

• Tales of the Abyss(2005/PS2)

1. Key Animation.

• Tekkon Kinkreet(2006/Movie)

1. Key Animation.

• Genius Party Beyond(2008/Movie)

1. Director.
2. Storyboard.
3. Character Design.
4. Animation Direction.
5. Key Animation.
6. Backgrounds.

• Redline(2010/Movie)

1. Key Animation.

• Momo e no Tegami(2012/Movie)

1. Key Animation.

• Asura's Wrath(2012/Game)

1. Director: vol.11 episode #5.
2. Character Design: vol.11 episode #5.
3. Storyboard: vol.11 episode #5.
4. Animation Direction: vol.11 episode #5.

• Nijiiro Hotaru: Eien no Natsuyasumi(2012/Movie)

1. Key Animation.

• Berserk: Ougon Jidai-hen(2012~2013/Movie)

1. Storyboard: #3(Joint).

• The Wind Rises(2013/Movie)

1. Key Animation.

• Giovanni Island(2014/Movie)

1. Key Animation.

• Ping Pong the Animation(2014/TV)

1. Key Animation: OP.
2. Storyboard: OP.
3. Animation Direction: OP.
4. Episode Direction: OP.

• World of Kanako(2014/Live-Action)

1. Animation Director.

• Space Dandy 2(2014/TV)

1. Key Animation: #16.

• Naruto: The Last(2014/Movie)

1. Key Animation.

• Nihon Animator Expo 20min Walk From Nishi-Ogikubo Station(2014/WEB)

1. Key Animation.

• Lupin III Part IV(2015/TV)

1. Key Animation: #11.

• Garo Divine Flame(2016/Movie)

1. Key Animation.

• Yoru wa Mijikashi Arukeyo Otome(2017/Movie)

1. Key Animation.

• Blade Runner 2049 Blackout 2022(2017/WEB)

1. Key Animation.

• Batman Ninja(2018/Movie)

1. Key Animation.