Sōji Yoshikawa (吉川 惣司, Yoshikawa Sōji, born February 22, 1947 in Tokyo) is a Japanese animator, scriptwriter, director of anime, and stage director. He has worked under the aliases Takahashi Kazumi (高橋 和美), Oda Kyōdō (小田 経堂), and Kyō Haruka (京 春香).
Career
A fan of Osamu Tezuka's works, when Yoshikawa was a sophomore in high school, he saw a "Mushi Production's first batch of animators wanted" news article and applied for the job, which led him to enter the anime industry. He was planning to go to art college, but was invited to join Mushi Pro, so he quit high school and joined the company. He participated as an animator for the first Astro Boy series. In 1967, he participated in the founding of Art Fresh with Gisaburō Sugii and Osamu Dezaki. After working as an animator on Mushi Production's Gokū no Daibōken, which Art Fresh participated in, he worked as a freelance animator before becoming a senior director and board member of Dyna-Method Inc. (formerly known as A-UN Entertainment).
In addition to serving as episode director, storyboard artist and writer, he also worked as a director. He has participated in Tensai Bakabon, Star of the Giants, Ashita no Joe, Moomin, Lupin the Third Part I, Invincible Super Man Zambot 3, Invincible Steel Man Daitarn 3, and Future Boy Conan. He is still at the forefront of the animation world.
In addition to anime, he created, wrote and directed Star Guardian with Airship Theater Company, wrote the screenplays for Tanoshii Moomin Ikka and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and wrote and directed The Wizard of Oz. It all started when he was asked by director Masaaki Ōsumi to help with the screenplay of Aladdin for Airship Theater Company's Aladdin when he was working on the TV adaptation of Moomin. In addition, he has worked on commercials, events, performances and novels. He has been a fan of science fiction since he read Shōnen Shōjo Sekai Kagaku Bōken Zenshū by Kodansha when he was a kid.
One of the reasons that the 100th episode of the Kirby: Right Back at Ya! anime contained some problems, inconsistencies, and heavy-handedness in the plot and development is that Yoshikawa, who wrote the final episode, learned that his wife was in critical condition at the time and had to rush through the script and leave it in incomplete form in order to be present for her dying moments.[1]
In an interview with Yasuo Ōtsuka for the Lupin III Perfect Book: Complete Collector's Edition, he cites Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, Osamu Dezaki, and Yoshikawa as representative members of the Japanese anime world.
Works
Director
- Tomorrow's Joe (ep. 15, 27, 39, 44, 50, 57 and 66)
- The Mystery of Mamo
- Kirby: Right Back at Ya!
Screenwriter
- series head writer denoted in bold
Television
- Lupin the Third Part I (1971)
- Tensai Bakabon (1971)
- Zero Tester (1973)
- Hoshi no Ko Chobin (1974)
- Gamba no Bouken (1975)
- Time Bokan (1975)
- La Seine no Hoshi (1975)
- The Adventures of Pepero (1975): as Kyodo Oda
- UFO Warrior Dai Apolon (1976)
- Blocker Gundan 4 Machine Blaster (1976)
- Gaiking (1976)
- Paul’s Miraculous Adventure (1976)
- Robot Child Beeton (1976-1977)
- Ore wa Teppei (1977)
- Invincible Super Man Zambot 3 (1977)
- Chogattai Majutsu Robo Ginguiser (1977)
- Invincible Steel Man Daitarn 3 (1978)
- Future Boy Conan (1978)
- Cyborg 009 (1979)
- Marco Polo no Boken (1979)
- The Ultraman (1979-1980)
- Belle and Sebastian (1981)
- Game Center Arashi (1982)
- Combat Mecha Xabungle (1982)
- The Mysterious Cities of Gold (1982)
- Armored Trooper Votoms (1983-1984)
- The Yearling (1983-1985)
- Galactic Patrol Lensman (1984-1985)
- Panzer World Galient (1984-1985)
- Bosco Adventure (1987)
- City Hunter (1987)
- Bit the Cupid (1995)
- Monkey Magic (1999-2000)
- Kirby: Right Back at Ya! (2001-2003)
Movies/OVAs
- Lensman (1984)
- Armored Trooper Votoms: The Last Red Shoulder (1985)
- Armored Trooper Votoms - The Red Shoulder Document: Roots of Ambition (1988)
- Armored Trooper Votoms: Shining Heresy (1994)
- Armored Trooper Votoms: Pailsen Files (2007-2008)
Storyboard
- Tomorrow's Joe
- Tensai Bakabon
- Moomin
- Ojamajo Doremi Na-i-sho (ep. 7)
- Lupin the Third Part I (ep. 1 and 23)
- The Rose of Versailles
- Ace o Nerae!
- Fang of Sun Dougram
- Armored Trooper Votoms
Animator
- Astro Boy (1963)
Character design
Novel
- Armored Trooper Votoms The First Red Shoulder
- Armored Trooper Votoms The Last Red Shoulder
References
- Sōji Yoshikawa at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
- Sōji Yoshikawa at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
External links
- Dyna-Method Inc. website (archived)