Shinichiro Watanabe

Shinichiro Watanabe (渡辺信一郎 Watanabe Shin'ichirō, born May 24, 1965) is a Japanese anime television and film director. He is best known for directing the critically acclaimed and commercially successful anime series Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, and Space Dandy. Watanabe is known for incorporating multiple genres into his anime creations. In Cowboy Bebop, for example, Watanabe blends classic cowboy western with 1960s/1970s New York City film noir, jazz/blues music, Hong Kong action movies, and sets the entire series in space. In his later work, Samurai Champloo, Watanabe unites the cultures of Okinawa, hip hop, modern-day Japan, and chanbara. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Works

TAISU PROJECT

An animation anthology film project telling four interlinked tales of animated sci-fi and fantasy by directors from Japan, China and New Zealand that talks about war, life, love and what we are as human.

Release Date: 2024-08-10

Department: Directing

Job: Director

A Girl Meets a Boy and a Robot

Having lost her memory, The Girl wanders alone in a desert of ruins. She encounters The Robot, who has also seemed to lose its memory, and The Boy seeking the Crystal of Time.

Release Date: 2022-06-09

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Hoshino Gen no Ongaku Kōron

An educational program hosted by Gen Hoshino and his puppet "Kaisetsuin" that focuses on a "history changing" musician in each episode.

Release Date: 2022-02-11

Character: VTRゲスト

Episode Count: 1

Vote Count: 2

Blade Runner: Black Lotus

Los Angeles 2032. A young woman wakes up with no memories, and possessing deadly skills. The only clues to her mystery are a locked data device and a tattoo of a black lotus. Putting together the pieces, she must hunt down the people responsible for her brutal and bloody past to find the truth of her lost identity.

Release Date: 2021-11-14

Department: Writing

Job: Creative Producer

Episode Count: 13

Vote Count: 206

Sonny Boy

On August 16, midway through a seemingly endless summer vacation, middle school third-year student Nagara, the mysterious transfer student Nozomi, and classmates such as Mizuho and Asakaze, are suddenly transported from their tranquil daily lives to a school adrift in an alternate dimension. They must survive with the super powers that have awakened within them.

Release Date: 2021-07-16

Department: Sound

Job: Music Consultant

Episode Count: 12

Vote Count: 58

Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway

12 years after Char's rebellion, Hathaway Noa leads an insurgency against Earth Federation, but meeting an enemy officer and a mysterious woman alters his fate.

Release Date: 2021-06-11

Department: Writing

Job: Storyboard

Vote Count: 122

CAROLE & TUESDAY

Part-timer Carole meets rich girl Tuesday, and each realizes they've found the musical partner they need. Together, they just might make it.

Release Date: 2019-04-11

Department: Production

Job: Supervising Producer

Episode Count: 24

Vote Count: 67

Blade Runner: Black Out 2022

This animated short revolves around the events causing an electrical systems failure on the west coast of the US. According to Blade Runner 2049’s official timeline, this failure leads to cities shutting down, financial and trade markets being thrown into chaos, and food supplies dwindling. There’s no proof as to what caused the blackouts, but Replicants — the bio-engineered robots featured in the original Blade Runner, are blamed.

Release Date: 2017-09-26

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Vote Count: 406

To Be Hero

Our main character, Uncle, is a no-good father with a messy appearance even though he looks nice, and decorates restrooms. He is a divorced, single-dad and lives with his daughter Min, who is good at both studying and sport. One day, Uncle has been sucked into the toilet that he finished using, and becomes a hero to save the Earth! The price is he lost his ikemen appearance and becomes a fat person!! Uncle's battle to protect the Earth and Min has begun…

Release Date: 2016-10-05

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Episode Count: 12

Vote Count: 13

Terror in Resonance

In an alternate version of the present, Tokyo has been decimated by a shocking terrorist attack, and the only hint to the identity of the culprit is a bizarre video uploaded to the internet. The police, baffled by this cryptic clue, are powerless to stop the paranoia spreading across the population. While the world searches for a criminal mastermind to blame for this tragedy, two mysterious children - children who shouldn't even exist - masterfully carry out their heinous plan. Cursed to walk through this world with the names Nine and Twelve, the two combine to form "Sphinx," a clandestine entity determine to wake the people from their slumber - and pull the trigger on this world.

Release Date: 2014-07-11

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Episode Count: 1

Vote Count: 395

Space Dandy

Space Dandy is a dandy in space! This dreamy adventurer with a to-die-for pompadour travels across the galaxy in search of aliens no one has ever laid eyes on. Each new species he discovers earns him a hefty reward, but this dandy has to be quick on his feet because it’s first come – first served! Accompanied by his sidekicks, a rundown robot named QT and Meow the cat-looking space alien, Dandy bravely explores unknown worlds inhabited by a variety aliens. Join the best dressed alien hunter in all of space and time as he embarks on an adventure that ends at the edge of the universe!

Release Date: 2014-01-04

Department: Directing

Job: Series Director

Episode Count: 26

Vote Count: 107

Ein's Summer Vacation

A Corgi can certainly dream. Taking a break from the frequent antics his colleagues get him into, Bebop crew mate Ein envisions himself sipping a tropical beverage on the beach side and scuba diving with Edward amid a barrier reef.

Release Date: 2012-12-21

Department: Writing

Job: Characters

Vote Count: 1

Cowboy Bebop: Don't Bother None

When three bounty hunters accidentally meet in a bar, their stark personalities begin to clash, turning into a three way gun fight.

Release Date: 2012-12-12

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Vote Count: 11

Kids on the Slope

Two different students - a successful but aloof academic and a rebellious but kindhearted delinquent - form a friendship through their love for music.

Release Date: 2012-04-13

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Episode Count: 1

Vote Count: 59

Osamekamaijo The Art of Sexual Love in the Edo Period Technique Guide

Release Date: 2011-04-28

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Osamekamaijo The Art Of Sexual Love In The Edo Period 36 Kind Guides

Release Date: 2011-04-28

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Vote Count: 2

Birdy the Mighty: Decode

While pursuing fugitives the Space Federation police officer Birdy Cephon Altera finds herself on Earth.

Release Date: 2008-07-05

Department: Art

Job: Storyboard Artist

Episode Count: 1

Vote Count: 20

Genius Party

The seven short films making up GENIUS PARTY couldn’t be more diverse, linked only by a high standard of quality and inspiration. Atsuko Fukushima’s intro piece is a fantastic abstraction to soak up with the eyes. Masaaki Yuasa, of MIND GAME and CAT SOUP fame, brings his distinctive and deceptively simple graphic style and dream-state logic to the table with “Happy Machine,” his spin on a child’s earliest year. Shinji Kimura’s spookier “Deathtic 4,” meanwhile, seems to tap into the creepier corners of a child’s imagination and open up a toybox full of dark delights. Hideki Futamura’s “Limit Cycle” conjures up a vision of virtual reality, while Yuji Fukuyama’s "Doorbell" and "Baby Blue" by Shinichiro Watanabe use understated realism for very surreal purposes. And Shoji Kawamori, with “Shanghai Dragon,” takes the tropes and conventions of traditional anime out for very fun joyride.

Release Date: 2007-07-07

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Vote Count: 52

Baby Blue

"What if we just forget about today or the future" A phrase that gives start to a small adventure of two young students, to go anywhere they can in just that one day, to live what they want or just can, to reach the longest distance with only the money in their pockets, to enjoy that day without caring about the rest, just be toghether. Love is bittersweet, but just for that day lets stay with each other.

Release Date: 2007-07-07

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Vote Count: 1

Genius Party

Release Date: 2007-07-07

Department: Creator

Job: Creator

Vote Count: 4

Ergo Proxy

In a futuristic world almost barren of life, mankind is confined to mechanized domed cities where A.I.’s control all aspects of life. In this world, humans are no longer born, they are manufactured in a production line; and alongside them live androids known as autoreivs. Within one of these domed sanctuaries named Romdeau lives Re-l Mayer, one of a few citizens who aren’t entirely prevented from thinking. Her grandfather's prominent position and the affection of the scientist Daedalus have left her more free will than is normally allowed, but Re-l has started to question the sanctity of the city and the citizens' perfect way of life. With mysterious beings known as proxies causing havoc and a man named Vincent causing great influence on her life, Re-l must travel outside of the city to find the answers she seeks and discover the mystery behind "the awakening".

Release Date: 2006-02-25

Department: Art

Job: Storyboard Artist

Episode Count: 1

Vote Count: 338

Noein: To Your Other Self

When summer break begins, Haruka is only thinking of hanging out with her friends—until one fateful night she learns that she’s the keystone in an interdimensional battle for not only the Earth’s future, but the very survival of all existence across the multiverse.

Release Date: 2005-10-12

Department: Art

Job: Storyboard Artist

Episode Count: 1

Vote Count: 14

Samurai Champloo

Break-dancing but fierce warrior Mugen has to deal with the cold-blooded and conceited Jin, a samurai who believes he is above all. These sworn enemies are brought together by Fuu for a special task.

Release Date: 2004-05-20

Department: Art

Job: Storyboard Artist

Episode Count: 2

Vote Count: 665

Kid's Story

A high school student is haunted by thoughts of "The Matrix" and a person named "Neo".

Release Date: 2003-06-03

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Vote Count: 164

Scrolls to Screen: A Brief History of Anime

A short documentary on Japanese animation featured on the DVD for The Animatrix (2003).

Release Date: 2003-06-03

Character: Self

The Animatrix

Release Date: 2003-06-03

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Episode Count: 1

Vote Count: 7

The Animatrix

Straight from the creators of the groundbreaking Matrix trilogy, this collection of short animated films from the world's leading anime directors fuses computer graphics and Japanese anime to provide the background of the Matrix universe and the conflict between man and machines. The shorts include Final Flight of the Osiris, The Second Renaissance, Kid's Story, Program, World Record, Beyond, A Detective Story and Matriculated.

Release Date: 2003-05-09

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Vote Count: 1594

A Detective Story

A private detective is hired to find the elusive computer hacker "Trinity." Part of the Animatrix collection of animated shorts in the Matrix universe.

Release Date: 2003-04-04

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Vote Count: 139

Cowboy Bebop: The Movie

The year is 2071. Following a terrorist bombing, a deadly virus is released on the populace of Mars and the government has issued the largest bounty in history, for the capture of whoever is behind it. The bounty hunter crew of the spaceship Bebop; Spike, Faye, Jet and Ed, take the case with hopes of cashing in the bounty. However, the mystery surrounding the man responsible, Vincent, goes deeper than they ever imagined, and they aren't the only ones hunting him.

Release Date: 2001-09-01

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Vote Count: 919

Cowboy Bebop

In 2071, roughly fifty years after an accident with a hyperspace gateway made the Earth almost uninhabitable, humanity has colonized most of the rocky planets and moons of the Solar System. Amid a rising crime rate, the Inter Solar System Police (ISSP) set up a legalized contract system, in which registered bounty hunters, also referred to as "Cowboys", chase criminals and bring them in alive in return for a reward.

Release Date: 1998-04-03

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Episode Count: 2

Vote Count: 1680

The Vision of Escaflowne

High school student Hitomi is transported from Earth to the magical world of Gaea, where she meets boy prince Van Fanel, and is caught up in his quest to unite the countries of Gaea against the ominous Zaibach empire. On the way, she discovers an hidden ability and strives to unravel layers of mystery surrounding Van, his past, and the giant machine known as Escaflowne.

Release Date: 1996-04-02

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Episode Count: 2

Vote Count: 175

Macross Plus: The Movie

Three decades after the great war between the humans and the Zentradi, the U.N. government is developing new technologies to use in their transforming fighter aircraft by running tests on the colony planet Eden. Military test pilots and former childhood friends, loose cannon Isamu Alva Dyson and the Zentradi mixed race Guld Goa Bowman, are selected to each pilot a new aircraft (Shinsei Industries' YF-19 & General Galaxy's YF-21) for Project Super Nova, to choose the newest successor to the VF-11 Thunderbolt variable fighter which is currently still in use by the U.N. Spacy military forces. Their own personal grudges end up disrupting the tests, and begin to wreak havoc on the program.

Release Date: 1995-10-06

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Vote Count: 66

Macross Plus

The year is 2040 and the galaxy is flourishing with several colonies and advanced technology. AI is near perfection and the current top idol is the near-completed Virturoid Idol Sharon Apple. All that is missing are her actual feelings, which instead are supplied by Myung Fang Lone. Sharon's debut concert is on planet Eden, where at the same time, fighter pilots Isamu Dyson and Guld Bowman battle over air superiority for the Supernova Project. Isamu, Guld and Myung were once childhood friends, but after an accident seven years ago, they went their own separate ways. With Myung back in the picture, the old disputes are once again awakened. And when an unstable and illegal AI technique is installed in Sharon, the situation is worsened.

Release Date: 1994-08-25

Department: Directing

Job: Series Director

Episode Count: 4

Vote Count: 42

Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory

It is the year 0083 of the Universal Century. The rebellious Principality of Zeon has been defeated in the One Year War by the Earth Federation. However, a faction of Zeon remnants led by Aguille Delaz fled from the final battle, hiding themselves away. After three long years, they attempt to rise up once more, sending Delaz’s ace pilot, Anavel Gato, to infiltrate a Federation research base to steal one of two secretly developed prototype Gundams along with its deadly nuclear warhead. Threatened by the rogue Gundam suit and seeking to retain peace, the Earth Federation mobilizes the newly developed Albion carrier to recover the stolen unit. Manned by the remaining test pilots, with rookie pilot Kou Uraki piloting the remaining prototype Gundam, the Albion and her crew are determined to stop Gato, retake the stolen Gundam, and prevent the Zeon remnants from starting another war.

Release Date: 1991-05-23

Department: Art

Job: Storyboard Designer

Episode Count: 1

Vote Count: 23

Obatarian

Shinichiro Watanabe's first feature. An adaptation of a comedy manga.

Release Date: 1990-04-03

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Armor Hunter Merowlink

Armor Hunter Merowlink was a twelve episode anime OVA spinoff of Armored Trooper VOTOMS. It takes place in the same universe as VOTOMS, but the two stories are entirely independent of each other. Merowlink is the story of a soldier whose unit is sacrificed on the battlefield for reasons unknown. Although he was not meant to survive, the main character, Merowlink Ality, manages to survive only to be framed for a crime he did not commit. Merowlink escapes his captors and begins hunting down his former commanding officers, both to get revenge for his dead platoon members and to find out the nature of the conspiracy that led to their death. The series is available for download on Bandai Visual's official website and the Japanese DVD boxset was released on December 6, 2006. The series was previously issued twice on laserdisc, once as six individual volumes, and once as a three disc box set along with the two soundtracks. A blu-ray boxset was also recently released.

Release Date: 1988-11-21

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Episode Count: 4

Vote Count: 3

Dirty Pair 2

Set in the future Kei and Yuri are Trouble Consultants for The 3WA. Code Named "Lovely Angels", but, they are known throughout the galaxy as The Dirty Pair. They always solve their case, but, not without causing collateral damage and mayhem.

Release Date: 1987-12-21

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Episode Count: 3

Vote Count: 6

Lazarus

In 2052, a Nobel Prize-winning neuroscientist develops a drug called Hapuna — a cure-all that has the unexpected side-effect of causing death three years later. In response to this threat, a special force of agents—nicknamed "Lazarus"— is assembled to take on the malevolent Skinner.

Department: Directing

Job: Series Director

Episode Count: 1

Blue Comet SPT Layzner

Blue Comet SPT Layzner, sometimes translated as Blue Meteor SPT Layzner, is an anime series produced by Sunrise and Tatsunoko Production between 1985 and 1986. Its original creator was Ryousuke Takahashi of Armored Trooper Votoms fame who served as the writer and wrote the scripts for such shows as Panzer World Galient, Tetsuwan Atom, Zero Tester, Fang of the Sun Dougram, Cyborg 009, Gasaraki and Blue Gender.

Release Date: 1985-10-03

Department: Production

Job: Production Assistant

Episode Count: 8

Vote Count: 3