is a Japanese animator. He started off as an animator with Studio Lions and its parent company Studio Giants, and then spent 11 years as an animator and director at studio Shaft. Since 2015, he has been freelance.
Career Originating from Hokkaido, Tatsuwa joined the sub-contracting animation firm Studio Lions in 2000 (one part of the animation department for Studio Giants), where he mostly worked as a sub-contractor to Xebec. After working at Studio Lions, he worked as a part-time worker at construction sites and built sets for television commercials. At one point, he broke his leg while building one of the sets and couldn't walk for some time. He decided to go back to animation and was interested in joining Shaft because he wanted to work on the studio's adaptation of Pani Poni Dash!. Tatsuwa contacted the studio and asked to join, but didn't get any news, so he asked Zen Nagata, an animator he knew at the company, who put him into contact with Miho Ayabe, another animator at the studio. The same day, Mitsutoshi Kubota, the president of Shaft, called Tatsuwa and told him that he would interview him the next day. During production of Pani Poni Dash, Tatsuwa's desk was next to animator Kazuhiro Oota's and chief director Shin Oonuma's, so he got to see the finished drawings from the other animators and would flip through them, which is when he first gained interest in being a director. During production, Tatsuwa was given more responsibilities for certain things like adding material to the DVD retakes alongside animator Genichirou Abe; and when Oonuma was unable to finish storyboarding the 19th episode, he asked him to storyboard the episode's B-part (second half).
Tatsuwa's early work at the studio led to him being tasked as the "material-adding expert" for Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei under Akiyuki Shinbo's direction, a role which was later changed to simply "assistant director." Despite the name, Tatsuwa didn't attend the scenario meetings or overlook the storyboards prior to Shinbo checking them and was mainly given the responsibility of adding material and checking the layouts across the episodes. Tatsuwa also attended the live-recordings and post-recording sessions as well as things like the animation meetings, where he would generally do what Shinbo asked him to. The sequel series, Zoku Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei and its succeeding incarnations saw Yukihiro Miyamoto join the duo as chief episode director in which he would supervise aspects of all episodes and miscellaneous work like meetings and dubbing sessions when Tatsuwa couldn't attend. Tatsuwa also asked Miyamoto to look over and oversee revisions to his own work at times. Miyamoto and Tatsuwa often worked in tandem and discussed various subjects around the series like how to approach retakes, and considered both of their roles on the series to be like odd jobs.
2011 saw Tatsuwa's debut as a full-fledged series director with Shaft with the original video animation series Katte ni Kaizō under Shinbo's chief direction. Shinbo noted that he worked more as a supervisor for the series and wasn't actively involved in the direction, instead leaving most of the work to Tatsuwa's discretion. Tatsuwa directed two more series with Shaft (Nisekoi and Gourmet Girl Graffiti), and assist Shinbo two other times (And Yet the Town Moves, Sasami-san@Ganbaranai), before leaving the studio in 2015. Tatsuwa has been primarily associated with studio Passione since 2018, where he first acted as chief unit director for Citrus. He also directed Dakaichi at CloverWorks that year, but most of his directing activities have been based around Passione or Liden Films (since 2022).
Style Although only a key animator at the time of its production, which was soon after he had joined Shaft, director Shin Oonuma commonly consulted with Tatsuwa about doing parody work on Pani Poni Dash, whom Oonuma said was good with parodies.
Works Television series In "Director(s)" column highlights Tatsuwa's directorial works. Year Title Director(s) StudioSBED Other roles and notes Ref(s)2003StellviaTatsuo SatōXebecIn-between animation checkKey animator2005Tsukuyomi: Moon PhaseAkiyuki ShinboShaftKey animatorPani Poni Dash!Akiyuki ShinboShin Oonuma Shaft2nd key animatorKey animatorEyecatch animator2006RecRyūtarō NakamuraShaftKey animatorNegima!?Akiyuki ShinboShin Oonuma ShaftKey animatorAnimation directorAssistant animation director2007Sayonara, Zetsubou-SenseiAkiyuki ShinboShaftAssistant directorKey animatorExtra animatorEyecatchExtra animation storyboard artistOpening director2008(Zoku) Sayonara, Zetsubou-SenseiAkiyuki ShinboShaftAssistant directorOpening directorKey animatorHidamari Sketch x 365Akiyuki ShinboShaftKey animator2009(Zan) Sayonara, Zetsubou-SenseiAkiyuki ShinboYukihiro Miyamote ShaftAssistant directorEnding director Maria HolicAkiyuki ShinboYukihiro Miyamoto ShaftAssistant directorNatsu no Arashi! Akinai-chūAkiyuki ShinboShin Oonuma Kenichi Ishikura Shaft2010Dance in the Vampire BundAkiyuki ShinboMasahiro Sonoda ShaftOpening director and storyboardArakawa Under the BridgeAkiyuki ShinboYukihiro Miyamoto ShaftOpening directorEnding storyboardAnd Yet the Town MovesAkiyuki ShinboShaftAssistant directorKey animator Ending director and storyboard2011Puella Magi Madoka MagicaAkiyuki ShinboYukihiro Miyamoto ShaftAssistant storyboard artistMaria Holic AliveAkiyuki Shinbo Tomokazu TokoroShaft2012NisemonogatariAkiyuki ShinboTomoyuki Itamura ShaftOpening director and storyboard2nd key animatorLayout supervisorHidamari Sketch x HoneycombAkiyuki ShinboYuki Yase Shaft2013Monogatari Series Second SeasonShaftSasami-san@GanbaranaiAkiyuki ShinboShaftAssistant directorOpening director and storyboardKey animator2014NisekoiShaftOpening director and storyboardMekakucity ActorsAkiyuki Shinbo Yuki YaseShaftKey animator2015Gourmet Girl GraffitiShaft2016Hitori no Shita: The OutcastWang XinPandaniumChief episode director (two episodes)Qualidea CodeKenichi KawamuraA-1 PicturesOpening director and storyboard2017Hinako NoteTakeo Takahashi Hijiri Sanpei Tooru KitahataPassioneKing's Game The AnimationTokihiro SasakiSeven2018CitrusPassioneDakaichiCloverWorksEnding director and storyboard2019Fire ForceYuki YaseDavid ProductionEnding director and storyboardZ/X Code: ReunionYoshifumi SuedaPassione2020Interspecies ReviewersYūki OgawaPassioneHigurashi: When They Cry – GouKeiichiro KawaguchiPassioneKey animator2021Higurashi: When They Cry – SotsuKeiichiro KawaguchiPassione2022Smile of the Arsnotoria the AnimationLiden FilmsEnding director and storyboardHarem in the Labyrinth of Another WorldPassioneOpening directorEnding storyboard2025Promise of WizardLiden Films2026The Classroom of a Black Cat and a WitchLiden FilmsEven the Student Council Has Its Holes!Passione
OVAs Year Title Director(s) StudioSBED Other roles and notes Ref(s)2006Tsukuyomi: Moon PhaseAkiyuki ShinboShaftKey animatorRecRyūtarō NakamuraShaftKey animatorNegima!? Magister Negi Magi: SpringAkiyuki Shinbo Shin OonumaShaftKey animator2008(Goku) Sayonara Zetsubou SenseiAkiyuki ShinboShaftEnding storyboardKey animator2009(Zan) Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei BangaichiAkiyuki ShinboYukihiro Miyamoto ShaftAssistant directorEnding directorOpening storyboard2011Katte ni KaizōShaftKey animator2012Sayonara, Zestsubou-Sensei SpecialAkiyuki ShinboShaftAssistant director2014NisekoiShaftOpening director and storyboard2019The Island of Giant InsectsPassione
Films Year Title Director(s) StudioSBED Other roles and notes Ref(s)2012Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: BeginningsAkiyuki Shinbo Yukihiro MiyamotoShaft2016DōkyūseiShōko NakamuraA-1 PicturesKey animatorYour NameMakoto ShinkaiCoMix Wave FilmsKey animator2020The Island of Giant InsectsPassione2021Dakaichi: Spain ArcCloverWorks2024Ōmuro-ke: Dear SistersPassioneStudio LingsOpening director and storyboardŌmuro-ke: Dear Friends
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