USEN
Ask AI
Kitaro Kosaka

Visual Effects

Kitaro Kosaka

Born
(age 64)
Birthplace
Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
Credits
32 titles

Biography

Kitarō Kōsaka (高坂 希太郎, born February 28, 1962 in Kanagawa Prefecture) is a Japanese animator and film director.

He began his career in 1979 with the studio Oh! Production. He left the studio in 1986 to become a freelance, and soon went on to work on numerous projects as a key and supervising animation director for the noted animation studio Studio Ghibli, and with the famed director Hayao Miyazaki, of whose work he is himself an acknowledged fan.

In 2003, he directed the cycling anime film, Nasu: Summer in Andalusia, set on the Vuelta a España road bicycle race, adapted from Iō Kuroda's manga Nasu, which Hayao Miyazaki, a fan of cycling, himself recommended to Kōsaka. The film soon went on to become the first Japanese anime film ever to be selected for the Cannes Film Festival.

He has worked on numerous other projects for the studio Madhouse, including adaptations of manga artist Naoki Urasawa's works with the studio, including Yawara, Master Keaton and Monster, and adaptations of two of Clamp's works, including Clover and Double X, both of them being short films.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Kitarō Kōsaka, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Latest project Best work, ranked IMDb

Signature work

Known For

Acting credits 1

YearTitleRole
2012 Keigo Higashino Mysteries TV (11 ep)

Crew credits 31

YearTitleJob
2023 The Boy and the Heron Film Key Animation
2021 Belle Film Key Animation
2018 Okko's Inn Film Director
2017 Letters from Hibakusha Film Director
2015 The Boy and the Beast Film Key Animation
2014 When Marnie Was There Film Key Animation
2013 The Wind Rises Film Character Designer, Animation Director
2011 From Up on Poppy Hill Film Animation Director
2010 Mr. Dough and the Egg Princess Film Animation Director
2007 Nasu: A Migratory Bird with Suitcase Film Writer, Director
2004 Howl's Moving Castle Film Animation Director
2003 Nasu: Summer in Andalusia Film Director, Screenplay
2001 Spirited Away Film Animation Director
2001 Metropolis Film Key Animation
1999 Clover Film Director
1998 Master Keaton TV Character Designer, Director, Storyboard Artist, Animation Director, Supervising Animation Director (39 ep)
1997 Princess Mononoke Film Animation Director
1995 Whisper of the Heart Film Character Designer, Animation Director
1994 Pom Poko Film Key Animation
1993 A-Girl Film Director, Character Designer, Animation Director
1989 Yawara! TV Storyboard Artist, Animation Director, Key Animation (1 ep)
1988 Akira Film Key Animation
1988 Grave of the Fireflies Film Key Animation
1987 Royal Space Force - The Wings of Honneamise Film Key Animation
1986 Castle in the Sky Film Key Animation
1985 Angel's Egg Film Key Animation
1985 Lupin the Third: The Legend of the Gold of Babylon Film Key Animation
1985 The Dagger of Kamui Film Key Animation
1984 Sherlock Hound TV Animation Director, Key Animation (1 ep)
1984 Warriors of the Wind Film Key Animation
1982 Gauche the Cellist Film Animation
Ask the AI