Takashi Nakamura

Takashi Nakamura(中村　孝, usually written in kana なかむら　たかし) was born in 1955 in Yamanashi Prefecture. One of the most influential anime artists of all time and a pioneer in sakuga realism. Nakamura has worked on everything from animation to character designs to direction and in all three he developed his own idiosyncratic approach¹.

Galvanized interest in realistic motion with his cuts on Gold Lightan, particularly Gold Lightan 41 which was a solo KA episode. His drawings, rough as they were, were a stark rejoinder to the comic book stylistics of the Kanada School. Nakamura’s effects animation was just as renowned, earning him the title ‘Rock Animator’ and significant praise from animators like Mitsuo Iso. Shortly after Gold Lightan he started working with Koji Morimoto and Atsuko Fukushima. All three collaborated on Urashiman 26 and Nakamura was assisted by Morimoto on the ending cut to Bobby’s In Deep, considered the pinnacle of Nakamura’s career as an animator. In effect, every strand and offshoot of sakuga realism can be traced back to him¹.

His character designs, which are sometimes compared to the art of Audrey Beardsley and Egon Schiele, were just as influential as his animation. His characters are defined by their limber bodies, rotund heads, and pronounced lips. When Nippon Animation wanted to modernize their World Masterpiece Theater series, they brought in Nakamura to do designs and layouts for The Adventures of Peter Pan. Nakamura’s animation direction on Otomo’s The Order to Stop Construction helped land him chief animation director and character designer on Otomo’s Akira. If one person can be said to be responsible for the high quality of animation in Akira, it’s Nakamura¹.

Around the late 80s Nakamura was getting interested in running projects his own way. This was epitomized in his entry to Robot Carnival “Chicken Man and Red Head” (1987), a Fantasia-lite with nearly every aspect of the production handled by Nakamura himself. He followed this with Hakkenden 4, where he completely redesigned the characters to better suit his animation direction¹.

Nakamura’s growing interest in auteurism culminated with Catnapped! (1995), his first feature film. It was a riotous fantasy adventure that demonstrated Nakamura’s debt to Disney. However, his second film A Tree of Palme (2002) moved away from childlike fantasy and into heavier topics like child abuse and abandonment. Nakamura’s character designs after Palme also underwent a change, appearing streamlined with Tezuka-esque simplicity. Nakamura’s Studio Palm, created for the sole purpose of producing the film, would assist Yasuhiro Imagawa with his Tetsujin 28 (Nakamura was CD) before disbanding¹.

Nakamura’s followup to Palme, Fantastic Children (2004), was his first TV project where he had complete control. A 26 episode series produced by Nippon Animation, Fantastic Children is a mystery show set somewhere in South Asia about a group of reincarnating white-haired children. Though not up to Nakamura’s usual par for animation, the show has a cult following¹.

After Fantastic Children, Nakamura did virtually nothing for nearly a decade. In 2013 he joined up with Hiroyasu Ishida’s Studio Colorido for Shashinkan. The film was directed, designed, scripted, and solo animated entirely by Nakamura. Nakamura also contributed a short film to Studio 4C’s Toruru’s Adventure omnibus. Neither of the films are currently available on DVD¹.

Interview - MAD - SakugaBooru - Japanese Animation Wiki

Works

• Shiawase no Ouji(1975/TV)

1. In-betweens.

• Andes Shounen Pepero no Bouken(1975~1976/TV)

1. In-betweens.

• Blocker Gundan IV Machine Blaster(1976~1977/TV)

1. Key Animation: #4, #8, #11, #18, #23.

• Paul no Miracle Daisakusen(1976~1977/TV)

1. Key Animation.

• Manga Nihon Emaki(1997~1979/TV)

1. Key Animation: All but #38.
2. Animation Direction: #57, #63, #95, #101, #106.

• Kagaku Ninja-tai Gatchaman(1979/Movie)

1. In-betweens.

• Uchuu Majin Daikengou(1978~1979/TV)

1. Key Animation: OP.

• Shin Ace wo Nerae!(1978~1979/TV)

1. Key Animation: #13.

• Kagaku Ninja-tai Gatchaman II(1978~1979/TV)#

1. Key Animation: #50.

• The Ultraman(1979~1980/TV)

1. Animation: #11, #13.

• Uchuu Senkan Yamato: Aratanaru Tabidachi(1979/Movie)

1. Key Animation.

• Toushi Gordian(1979~1981/TV)

1. Animation Direction: #14, #18.
2. Key Animation: #1, #7, #14, #18, OP.

• Yamato yo Towa ni(1980/Movie)

1. Animation Direction Assistance.
2. Key Animation.

• Uchuu Taitei God Sigma(1980~1981/TV)

1. Layout: #3, #6.

• Tondemo Senshi Muteking(1980~1981/TV)

1. Animation Direction: #17, #27.
2. Key Animation: #10, #17, #27.

• Cyborg 009: Chou Ginga Densetsu(1980/Movie)

1. Key Animation.

• Ougon Senshi Gold Lightan(1981~1982/TV)

1. Animation Direction: #6, #12, #22, #30, #41, #48, #52(NC).
2. Key Animation: #12, #22, #30, #41, #48.
   1. #22: Solo KA.
   2. #30: Solo KA.
   3. #41: Solo KA.

• Taiyou no Ko Esteban(1982~1983/TV)

1. Key Animation: #18.

• Genma Taisen(1983/Movie)

1. Key Animation.

• Mirai Keisatsu Urashiman(1983/TV)

1. Character Design(Joint).
2. Storyboard: #26.
3. Animation Direction: #13, #26, #33.
4. Key Animation: #26.
   1. #26: All of B-Part.

• Kaze no Tani no Nausicaä(1984/Movie)

1. Key Animation.

• Macross Do You Remember Love?(1984/Movie)

1. Key Animation.

• Chikyuu Monogatari Telepath 2500(1984/Movie)

1. Key Animation.

• Kamui no Ken(1985/Movie)

1. Key Animation.

• Bobby ni Kubittake(1985/Movie)

1. Key Animation.

• Doteraman(1986~1987/TV)

1. Animation Direction: #12, #17.
2. Key Animation: #12, #17.

• Akai Koudan Zillion(1987/TV)

1. Storyboard: OP.
2. Key Animation: OP.

• Manie-Manie: Meikyuu Monogatari(1987/OVA)

1. Animation Direction: #3.

• Robot Carnival Niutori Otoko to Akai Kubi(1987/OVA)

1. Director.
2. Scenario.
3. Character Design.

• Akira(1988/Movie)

1. Animation Direction.

• Peter Pan no Bouken(1989/TV)

1. Character Design.
2. Scene Setting.

• The Hakkenden(1990~1991/OVA)

1. Episode Direction: #4.
2. Animation Direction: #4.
3. Key Animation: #4.

• Little Twins(1992/OVA)

1. Key Animation: OP.

• Junkers Come Here(1995/Movie)

1. Key Animation.

• Hajimari no Boukensha-tachi: Legend of Crystania(1995/Movie)

1. Key Animation.

• Hareluya II Boy(1997/TV)

1. OP.

• Shinkai Densetsu Meremanoid(1997~1998/TV)

1. OP.
2. Storyboard: #10.

• Rennyo Monogatari(1998/Movie)

1. Key Animation.

• Totsuzen! Neko no Kuni Banipal Witt(1998/Movie)

1. Director.
2. Screenplay(Joint).
3. Character Design.
4. Original Work.
5. Animation Direction.

• A Chinese Ghost Story(1998/Movie)

1. Character Design.
2. Screen Composition.

• Palme no Ki(2002/Movie)

1. Director.
2. Screenplay.
3. Original Work.

• Asobot Senki Gokuu(2002~2003/TV)

1. Storyboard: #2, #7.

• Tetsujin 28-gou(2004/TV)

1. Character Design.
2. Storyboard: #16, OP.

• Fantastic Children(2004~2005/TV)

1. Director.
2. Screenplay.
3. Original Work.
4. Character Design.
5. Storyboard: #1, #2, #3, #7, #18, #25, #26.
6. Episode Direction: #14, #26.

• Tetsujin 28-gou: Hakuchuu no Zangetsu(2008/Movie)

1. Character Design(Joint).

• Thundercats 2011(2011/TV)

1. Storyboard: #1, #2, #3, #5, #10, #12, #13, #15, #19, #21, #24, #26.

• Shashinkan(2013/Movie)

1. Director.
2. Screenplay.
3. Key Animation.
   1. Solo KA.

• Nihon Animator Expo Bubu to Buburina(2015/WEB)

1. Original Work.
2. Screenplay.
3. Director.
4. Key Animation.

• Harmony(2015/Movie)

1. Director(Joint).
2. Storyboard.
3. Key Animation.
4. World Outlook Setting.

• Mahoutsukai no Yome(2017/TV)

1. Storyboard: #4, #5, #10, #11, #15, #19, #20.