Katsuhiro Otomo

Nezumikozo Jirokichi

Legendary anime director Rintaro’s (Metropolis, X/1999, Galaxy Express 999) first new work in over a decade depicts pioneering 1930s director Sadao Yamanaka and the production of his Nezumikozo Jirokichi. Despite dying before the age of 30, Yamanaka was a pivotal influence in Japanese cinema whose work would go on to inspire future generations. While most of his films have been lost to time, his scripts remain, and Nezumikozo Jirokichi recreates one of these lost films—a tale of a famous, virtuous bandit in old Edo—as imagined by Rintaro together with an all-star team including Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira, Memories), Taro Maki (Pluto, Millennium Actress) and Masao Maruyama (Ninja Scroll, Perfect Blue).

Release Date:2023-03-20

Department:Visual Effects

Job:Character Designer

Tokyo Reborn

Release Date:2019-12-23

Department:Directing

Job:Director

Episode Count:6

DOMU (Pilot)

Unrealized live-action film adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo's Domu manga.

Release Date:2016-01-28

Department:Directing

Job:Director

SHORT PEACE

Release Date:2013-07-30

Department:Writing

Job:Author

Episode Count:5

A Farewell to Weapons

In a post-apocalyptic future, a group of soldiers is sent to a ghost city to destroy an automated sentry.

Release Date:2013-07-20

Department:Writing

Job:Original Story

Vote Count:6

Short Peace

A traveler is confronted by spirits in an abandoned shrine; a story of honor and firefighting in ancient Japan; a white bear defends the royal family from a monstrous red demon; ragtag soldiers battle a robotic force in futuristic Japan.

Release Date:2013-07-20

Department:Directing

Job:Director

Vote Count:62

Combustible

The city of Edo, the 18th century. Owaka, the daughter of a merchant family, and her childhood friend Matsukichi. The two were drawn to each other, but Matsukichi has been disowned by his family, and is working for the city fire brigade. Meanwhile, negotiations begin for the arrangement of Owaka's marriage. Unable to let go of her thoughts of Matsukichi, her mad emotions make her bring about a massive inferno which razes Edo. By chance encounter, the two meet again amidst the fires.It is an epic spectacle set against the stage of the massive metropolis of Edo.

Release Date:2012-06-04

Department:Directing

Job:Director

Vote Count:12

Legend of the Millennium Dragon

A spectacular journey of an unwilling young hero thrust into a mysterious past full of monsters, dragons, and strange hidden powers. Through a series of out of this world battles and adventures, Jun, a shy middle school boy, is transformed into a hero destined to battle evil and ensure harmony and tranquility in the world.

Release Date:2011-04-29

Department:Art

Job:Conceptual Design

Vote Count:50

Hipira: The Little Vampire

The story follows a young vampire boy named Hipira who lives in Salta, an eternally dark city of vampires. He goes on a series of adventures with the rest of the town's residents.

Release Date:2009-12-21

Department:Writing

Job:Comic Book

Episode Count:12

Vote Count:1

Mushi-Shi: The Movie

Mushi are beings in touch with the essence of life, far more basic and pure than normal living things. Most humans are incapable of perceiving Mushi and are oblivious to their existence, but there are a few who possess the ability to see and interact with Mushi. One such person is Ginko who travels from place to place to research Mushi and aid people suffering from problems caused by them.

Release Date:2007-09-20

Department:Directing

Job:Director

Vote Count:40

SOS! Tokyo Metro Explorers: The Next

Summer, 2006. A 5th grader Ryuhei discovers a notebook entitled "Tokyo Exploring Records." It was a journal kept by his father, Shohei, when he was around Ryuhei's age. Ryuhei forms his own exploration party with his friends Shun and Yoshio. One summer day, the party and Ryuhei's younger brother Sasuke who happens to tag along, heads to the dungeon looking for a treasure indicated on the journal

Release Date:2007-05-19

Department:Writing

Job:Comic Book

Vote Count:3

Freedom

In the year 2267, more than 160 years after the Skyport orbital station fell to Earth and wiped out all of humanity, Eden is a thriving lunar colony home to young Takeru, who tries to make the most of the brief hiatus of freedom granted to the colony's inhabitants between the end of compulsory education and the rite of becoming a full citizen.

Release Date:2006-11-23

Department:Visual Effects

Job:Mechanical Designer

Episode Count:7

Vote Count:12

Steamboy

After receiving a package from his grandfather, Ray, a young inventor who lives in England during the mid-19th century, finds himself caught in the middle of a deadly conflict related to a revolutionary advance in steam power.

Release Date:2004-07-17

Department:Directing

Job:Director

Vote Count:437

Memories of Memories

Memories (1995) making-of featurette, includes introductions to the creative genius behind the shows and looks at Otomo’s previous works, such as Akira. It also includes snippets from interviews with Otomo, Koji Morimoto, and Tensai Okamura.

Release Date:2004-02-24

Character:Self

Vote Count:1

Animax Special: The Making of 'Metropolis'

This made-for-video documentary gives animation fans a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Metropolis, the film adaptation of classic manga artist Osamu Tezuka's vision of a future society where humans and humanoid robots live in uneasy coexistence. Also included are interviews with the voice actors and other members of the crew, who share their experiences from making the film and discuss some of the special efforts that went into it.

Release Date:2002-01-01

Character:Self (as Katsuhiro Ohtomo)

Metropolis

Kenichi and his detective uncle, Shunsaku Ban, leave Japan to visit Metropolis, in search of the criminal, Dr. Laughton. However, when they finally find Dr. Laughton, Kenichi and Shunsaku find themselves seperated and plunged into the middle of a larger conspiracy. While Shunsaku searches for his nephew and explanations, Kenichi tries to protect Tima (a mysterious young girl), from Duke Red and his adopted son Rock, both of whom have very different reasons for wanting to find her.

Release Date:2001-05-26

Department:Writing

Job:Screenplay

Vote Count:473

Spriggan

An elite superhuman agent must stop a foreign military unit from seizing control of an ancient artifact that holds the key to ultimate power.

Release Date:1998-09-05

Department:Writing

Job:Screenstory

Vote Count:95

Gundam: Mission to the Rise

Gundam Mission to the Rise is a short CGI movie with a duration of 5 minutes directed by Katsuhiro Otomo aired during the Gundam Big Bang Project event (August 1998). The story is settled in the Universal Century, although it's not completely clear whether in late years (after 0093) or in an alternative UC timeline.

Release Date:1998-08-01

Department:Directing

Job:Director

Vote Count:4

Gondora

A short movie about a guy living in his own world.

Release Date:1997-12-05

Department:Directing

Job:Director

Vote Count:4

Memories

In this anime anthology, a salvage ship crew happens upon a haunted vessel in "Magnetic Rose"; a cold tablet turns a lab worker into a biological weapon in "Stink Bomb"; and an urban populace carries on an endless war with an unseen foe in "Cannon Fodder."

Release Date:1995-12-23

Department:Directing

Job:Director

Vote Count:463

Memories

Release Date:1995-12-23

Department:Directing

Job:Director

Episode Count:1

Manga!

BBC's 1994 documentary on the manga and anime phenomenon that was just starting to hit the UK at the time, and its origins in Japan. Presented by Jonathan Ross.

Release Date:1994-01-07

Character:Self

Vote Count:2

Roujin Z

Mr. Takazawa, an elderly invalid who is cared for at his home by Haruko, a young nursing student, is chosen by the Japanese Ministry of Public Welfare to test the Z-001, a computerized hospital bed with robotic features that allegedly displays more efficiency and skills than any human nurse, but Haruko mistrusts a machine unable to consider human feelings.

Release Date:1991-09-14

Department:Writing

Job:Screenplay

Vote Count:114

World Apartment Horror

A Yakuza underling is given the assignment to rid an apartment of its tenants within a week. He tries a variety of desperate tactics to no avail. Soon his problems get worse as an evil spirit makes its presence known.

Release Date:1991-04-05

Department:Directing

Job:Director

Vote Count:12

Neo Tokyo

A trilogy of separate stories. In "Labyrinth labyrinthos", a girl and her cat enter a strange world. In "Running Man", a racer takes on the ultimate opponent. In "Construction Cancellation Order", a man must shut down worker robots.

Release Date:1989-04-15

Department:Directing

Job:Director

Vote Count:97

Akira Production Report

A documentary on the making of the Japanese animated science fiction film, Akira, created by Katsuhiro Otomo from his popular graphic novel series of the same title; shows Japanese animators at work and discusses their state-of-the-art animation techniques.

Release Date:1988-07-25

Vote Count:1

So What

In a small town, high school students in their final year try to balance their studies while also playing together in a rock band.

Release Date:1988-07-16

Department:Writing

Job:Original Story

Akira

A secret military project endangers Neo-Tokyo when it turns a biker gang member into a rampaging psychic psychopath that only two teenagers and a group of psychics can stop.

Release Date:1988-06-10

Department:Directing

Job:Director

Vote Count:4313

The Order to Stop Construction

A salary man is sent by his boss to go to the jungle to stop a construction job.

Release Date:1987-09-20

Department:Directing

Job:Director

Robot Carnival

An anthology of various tales told in various styles with robots being the one common element among them.

Release Date:1987-07-21

Department:Directing

Job:Director

Vote Count:71

Robot Carnival

An anthology of various tales with robots being the one common element among them. It consists of nine shorts by different well-known directors, many of whom started out as animators with little to no directing experience. Each has a distinctive animation style and story ranging from comedic to dramatic story lines.

Release Date:1987-07-21

Department:Writing

Job:Writer

Episode Count:1

Vote Count:9

Harmagedon

From the depths of space he is coming... Ancient beyond understanding, his power is immeasurable. He has destroyed half the universe and is on his way here. He is… Genma. Only two people are aware of the imminent catastrophe: Princess Luna, a modern day prophetess and Vega, a cybernetic crusader from a world long since ravaged by Genma. Determined to spare the Earth from a similar fate, Luna and Vega must try to mobilize the most potent psychics in the world. Together, this army of fledging psychic warriors must succeed where billions have tried... and failed. But will they be able to gather their champions in time? Genma’s agents are already on Earth to ensure that their master meets with no opposition!

Release Date:1983-03-12

Department:Visual Effects

Job:Key Animation

Vote Count:22

Give Me a Gun, Give Me Freedom

Live action film by Katsuhiro Ôtomo

Release Date:1982-10-01

Department:Directing

Job:Director

High School Erotopia: Red Uniforms

Release Date:1979-05-19

Department:Writing

Job:Original Story

Vote Count:1

Orbital Era

The story takes place in the near future on a space colony under construction. An action-adventure story of some boys in this peculiar environment and society who keep living their lives while they’re being tossed about by fate.

Department:Writing

Job:Original Story

Shuffle

Hiroshi Kobayashi is on the run from police who would arrest him for the murder of his girlfriend Naomi. At the same time, he wants revenge on the yakuza member Kimura who got her stuck in drugs. The entire film consists of a long hunting-scene.

Release Date:1981-12-05

Department:Writing

Job:Comic Book

Vote Count:13

Akira

The leader of a biker gang tries to save his kidnapped friend from a powerful supernatural experiment.

Department:Writing

Job:Comic Book