Kunihiko Ikuhara


Kunihiko Ikuhara, also known as Ikuni, is a Japanese director, writer, artist, and music producer. He has created and collaborated on several notable anime and manga series, including his early works Sailor Moon and Revolutionary Girl Utena, and his later works Mawaru Penguindrum, Yurikuma Arashi, and Sarazanmai.

Early life

Ikuhara was born on December 21, 1964 in Osaka Prefecture. He graduated from Kyoto University of Art and Design in 1985.

Career

Toei Animation and ''Sailor Moon'' (1986–1996)

After graduating, Ikuhara began work at Toei Animation, where served as assistant director to Junichi Sato on Maple Town Monogatari, Akuma-kun, Toushou!! Ramen-man and Mōretsu Atarō, and episode director on Kingyo Chuuihou!.
Ikuhara's most famous work with Toei was on the TV anime adaptation of Sailor Moon. He served as director of many episodes over the course of the series' run, and took over the position of series director from Junichi Sato during the third season, Sailor Moon S. Additionally, Ikuhara served as the director of the first Sailor Moon theatrical movie, called .

''Revolutionary Girl Utena'' (1997–1999)

Displeased over the lack of creative control granted to him, Ikuhara left Toei after the fourth season of Sailor Moon in 1996 to form his own creative group, Be-Papas, consisting of himself, the famous shōjo manga artist Chiho Saito, animator Shinya Hasegawa, writer Yōji Enokido, and producer Yuuichiro Okuro. Be-Papas collaborated to produce the anime and manga series Revolutionary Girl Utena.
Ikuhara had much more creative control over the anime, which he directed, than he did over the manga, which was written and illustrated by Chiho Saito. Notably, he also recruited composer J. A. Seazer, who provided the series' distinctive duel chorus tracks. Ikuhara stated that he had always admired Seazer, who had enjoyed popularity during Japan's 1960s student protest movement, and felt that Seazer's work, with its themes of revolution and changing the world, was perfectly suited to Utena.
The series was a success, winning the "Best Television Series Award" and the "Kobe Award" at Animation Kobe '97. Be-Papas collaborated again in 1999 to produce a Revolutionary Girl Utena movie, Adolescence Mokushiroku, with an accompanying manga, again authored by Saito. Ikuhara also helped supervise the production of other Utena-related works, including a Sega Saturn video game and a stage musical. Be-Papas disbanded after the release of the movie.
Ikuhara supervised the production of the English dub of the Utena movie, checking the quality of the translation; he expressed strong distaste for the idea of his work being censored or changed to seem more "American", and made sure such changes were not apparent in the U.S. release.

Hiatus (2000–2010)

Ikuhara's post-Utena works include the manga World of the S&M, on which he collaborated with Chiho Saito; the novel Schell Bullet, which he co-wrote with Mamoru Nagano; and the Schell Bullet-based concept album Thanaphs 68.
After the conclusion of Utena, Ikuhara's only works in anime for a time were as the storyboard creator for the opening sequences of Nodame Cantabile and yuri anime Aoi Hana.

Return to directing (2011–present)

In 2011, Ikuhara returned as an anime series director with Mawaru Penguindrum, which began airing in July 2011.
He is currently writing the manga Nokemono to Hanayome, illustrated by artist Asumiko Nakamura and published monthly in Japanese fashion magazine KERA.
In 2015, Ikuhara released Yurikuma Arashi, which consists of an anime series produced by Silver Link and a manga series illustrated by Akiko Morishima. The anime began airing on January 5, 2015.
A new anime series titled Sarazanmai began airing on April 11, 2019.

Personal life

Interests

He has expressed interest in the possibility of collaborating on a project with David Lynch someday.
As with Miyazaki and Tomino, Ikuhara's works contain certain criticisms against the capitalist system. In Ikuhara, such criticisms are often accompanied by a more or less latent distrust towards the whole social order, or even human nature itself.

Interaction with fans

Ikuhara has attended several conventions and similar events, given interviews to fans and reporters, and, along with Chiho Saito, provided commentary tracks for the DVD releases of Utena. He often dresses in brightly colored clothes when socializing with fans. He has cosplayed as Sailor Mars on a few occasions. When questioned about his work by fans, particularly about the more mystifying aspects of Utena, he tends to give humorous, odd or evasive responses. The implication is that he wishes to leave interpretation of his works open to the audience.

Filmography

Works for which Ikuhara came up with the original concept are in bold.
YearTitleTypeDirectorSeries Composition
Scripts		Episode DirectorUnit DirectorAssistant DirectorStoryboardOtherNotes
1986 - 1987Maple Town StoriesTV seriesAssistant director on episodes 3, 26, 28, 31, 33 and 35. Also production assistant.
1987New Maple Town Stories: Palm Town ChapterTV seriesEpisodes 2, 5, 7, 11, 13 and 15 only.
1987Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesTV seriesDirected episode 4. Credited as "Yoshikatsu Kasai".
1988Kinnikuman#Sequel and spin-offsTV seriesAlso production assistant.
1989 - 1990Akuma-kunTV seriesAssistant director on episodes 1, 5, 8, 11, 15 and 18. Commercial director, sub-title lettering.
1990Hana Ichi MonmeOVA
1990Mōretsu Atarō series 2TV seriesDirected episodes 18 and 26.
1990-1992Utsunomiko Tenjō-henOVA
1991Magical Taluluto film 1film
1991-1992Goldfish Warning!TV seriesDirected episodes 4, 13, 21, 25, 30, 38, 43, 49 and 54.
1992-1993Sailor Moon TV seriesDirected episodes 6, 11, 15, 21, 26, 31, 36 and 46. Storyboarded Sailor Venus' transformation sequence.
1993-1994Sailor Moon RTV seriesTook over as series director from Junichi Sato on episode 60. Directed and storyboarded episodes 51, 60 and 68. Storyboarded episode 61, Sailor Moon's second transformation sequence and the Moon Princess Halation & Burning Mandala attack sequences.
1993'film
1994-1995Sailor Moon STV seriesDirected and storyboarded episodes 92, 103, 110 and 117.
1995-1996Sailor Moon SuperSTV seriesDirected episodes 128, 137, 150, 159 and 166.
1997Revolutionary Girl UtenaTV seriesStoryboarded the opening and episode 1. Made corrections for a HD remaster in 2008.
1998'filmCredited for "friendship cooperation".
1999Adolescence of UtenafilmADR Supervisor on the English dub. Plays an art teacher.
2005DiebusterOVAEpisode 2 only.
2007Nodame CantabileTV seriesOpening only.
2008 Sayonara, Zetsubou-SenseiTV seriesEpisode 4 endcard.
2008'TV seriesStoryboarded the opening, episodes 5, 6 and 11. Directed the opening under the pseudonym "Kai Uzumaki".
2011PenguindrumTV seriesStoryboarded and directed the first opening and episode 24; storyboarded the second opening, episodes 1, 5, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 21, 22 and 23. Also music director.
2012Kokoro ConnectTV seriesThird ending only.
2013Brothers ConflictTV seriesEnding only.
2015Yurikuma ArashiTV seriesStoryboarded and directed the ending; storyboarded episodes 1, 2, 7 and 12. Also music director.
2016Norn9#AnimeTV seriesOpening only.
2016Shin GodzillafilmWas an extra in a scene of a mob fleeing from Godzilla. Uncredited.
2019Sarazanmai'TV seriesStoryboarded the opening, episodes 1 and 11. Also music director and insert song lyricist.