is a Japanese animator, director, and storyboard artist.
Early life Ootani was born in Fukui Prefecture on September 22, 1979. He first became interested in animation while in high school after seeing Hayao Miyazaki's film Princess Mononoke.
Career
Ootani joined studio Imagin as an in-between animator around 2004. He mostly worked as a sub-contracting animator, and eventual episode director, for Madhouse and Imagin. He made his directorial debut with an OVA adaptation of Ayano Yamane's manga A Foreign Love Affair. Ootani's final projects with Imagin were Needless (2009) and Wolverine (2011), which the studio assisted under Madhouse for, where he was promoted to series assistant director.
After the dissolution of Imagin, former studio producer Yasuhiro Okada joined studio Shaft with Ootani, where the latter mainly did episodic direction and storyboard art. In 2020, he made his series directorial debut as the chief episode director on Assault Lily Bouquet with Shouji Saeki, and the following year debuted as director of Pretty Boy Detective Club under Akiyuki Shinbo. After Pretty Boy Detective Club, he decided that he wanted to try directing at a different studio since he had been working with Shaft for so long; so, in the middle of the production for the series Dance Dance Danseur, produced by MAPPA, he was asked if he wanted to join the series as its "ballet director."
Style In an interview between him and Shaft colleague Kenjirou Okada, the two were asked to describe each other's styles and processes as directors. Okada stated that Ootani didn't hesitate to put appealing art and animations first and foremost, and that he admired that about Ootani. Akiyuki Shinbo also commented in a separate interview that he felt Ootani and himself had similar visual sensibilities. Shinbo also said that Ootani was particularly good at horror-esque work, referencing episode 12 of March Comes In like a Lion season 2 (episode 34 overall) and the similarities in atmosphere between it and parts of Pretty Boy Detective Club. Commenting on Ootani's work with Okada, who acted as assistant director for Pretty Boy Detective Club, Shinbo also said that the two complemented each other's weaknesses and strengths as directors. Despite originally being inspired by director Hayao Miyazaki, Ootani has commented that his style is much more eccentric and different from Miyazaki's, which he described was due to trying to survive and stand out in the industry.
Works Television series Year Title Director(s) StudioSBED Other roles and notes Ref(s)2005Strawberry 100%Osamu SekitaMadhouseIn-between animatorOku-sama wa Joshi KōseiJun ShishidoMadhouseIn-between animatorKey animatorEyeshield 21Masayoshi NishidaGallopMy-OtomeMasakazu ObaraSunriseAssistant episode director2006Strawberry Panic!Masayuki SakoiMadhouseKey animatorYume TsukaiKazuo YamazakiMadhouseThe Story of SaiunkokuJun ShishidoMadhouse2007Saiunkoku Monogatari Second SeriesJun ShishidoMadhouse2008Kamen no Maid GuyMasayuki SakoiMadhouseChaos;HeadTakaaki IshiyamaMadhouse2009NeedlessMasayuki SakoiMadhouseAssistant directorOpening director and storyboard2011WolverineHiroshi AoyamaMadhouseAssistant director2012NisemonogatariAkiyuki ShinboTomoyuki Itamura Shaft2015Gourmet Girl GraffitiAkiyuki Shinbo Naoyuki TatsuwaShaftNisekoi:Akiyuki Shinbo ShaftOwarimonogatariAkiyuki Shinbo Tomoyuki ItamuraShaft2016March Comes In like a LionAkiyuki ShinboKenjirou Okada ShaftOpening director and storyboard2017March Comes In like a Lion 2nd SeasonAkiyuki ShinboKenjirou Okada ShaftAssistant episode director2018Zoku OwarimonogatariAkiyuki ShinboShaft2020Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side StoryDoroinu VariousShaftAssault Lily BouquetShaft2021Pretty Boy Detective ClubShaftEnding director2022Dance Dance DanseurMunehisa SakaiMAPPABallet directorBallet part episode directorBallet part storyboard2024Bucchigiri?!Hiroko UtsumiMAPPA2026Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku Season 2Kaori MakitaMAPPAOpening director and storyboard artist
OVAs Year Title Director(s) StudioSBED Other roles and notes Ref(s)2005Saint Beast: Ikusen no Hiru to Yoru-henMasayuki SakoiWonderfarmIn-between animator2006A Foreign Love AffairPrime Time2009Maiden RoseHidefumi TakagiPrime Time2011Katteni KaizōAkiyuki Shinbo Naoyuki TatsuwaShaft2013Magical Suite Prism Nana Pilot PVs (5 & 6)URA (5)Takuya Iwamoto (6)Shaft2016The Beheading Cycle: The Blue Savant and the Nonsense BearerAkiyuki Shinbo Yuki YaseShaft2026Magical Suite Prism Nana: Halloween in a Country of Medals – Noriko and the FairyShaftScreenplay
Films Year Title Director(s) StudioSBED Other roles and notes Ref(s)2025The Rose of VersaillesAi YoshimuraMAPPA
Video games Year Title Studio Roles Ref(s)2017Magia Record (Arc I)ShaftCutscene director and storyboard artist
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