AnimatorFilm directorCharacter designerJapanese

Akio Sugino

Influential Japanese animator, character designer, and director Akio Sugino is renowned for his partnership with Osamu Dezaki and his distinctive artistic style.

1. Overview

Akio Sugino (杉野 昭夫Sugino AkioJapanese, born September 19, 1944) is a highly influential Japanese animator and character designer, also recognized for his work as an anime director. He has maintained an active presence in the animation industry for over 45 years since the early days of television anime. Sugino is particularly renowned for his enduring partnership with director Osamu Dezaki, forming what was widely celebrated as the "golden duo" of the anime world. Their collaborations, most notably on series like Ashita no Joe, Aim for the Ace!, Nobody's Boy Remi, and Treasure Island, are considered landmark achievements in anime history, where Sugino primarily served as character designer and animation director.

Dezaki himself highly praised Sugino's artistic talent, stating that "everything Akio Sugino draws is alive, giving his characters a sense of truthfulness." He also expressed that seeing Sugino's depiction of Joe's eyes in Ashita no Joe made him realize the immense expressive potential of animation, pushing him to challenge Sugino to draw things beyond conventional representation. Manabu Ohashi, a frequent collaborator on Dezaki-Sugino projects, described their professional relationship as "mutually affectionate," emphasizing that they needed no third party in their creative process. Sugino's distinctive drawing style, often described as both hard and soft, demonstrates remarkable versatility, allowing him to adapt his art to various genres and original works while maintaining a powerful visual impact. He is also noted for his meticulous and emotionally invested approach to animation direction, often correcting drawings with tears in his eyes during poignant scenes.

2. Early Life and Background

Akio Sugino was born on September 19, 1944, in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan, and hails from Kitami City, Hokkaido. His passion for manga ignited at an early age, specifically in the third grade, when he became deeply engrossed in the works of Osamu Tezuka, a pioneering figure in Japanese manga and anime. During his second year of high school, Sugino began to pursue a career as a gekiga artist, contributing his work under the pen name "Akio Sugino" to rental manga magazines such as Machi and Kage. He maintained a prolific pace, submitting approximately two 20-page works per month, and achieved recognition with two winning entries.

In 1964, Sugino received an invitation from Mamoru Masaki, who was then affiliated with Mushi Production, to join the company as an animator. Masaki had been particularly impressed by Sugino's submissions to the rental gekiga magazines. He noted that while the prevailing art style of the time featured "sanpaku eyes and bushy eyebrows," Sugino's characters stood out due to their "soft lines," which left a lasting impression on him. This invitation marked Sugino's entry into the professional animation industry.

3. Career

Akio Sugino's career spans over five decades, marked by foundational experiences at pioneering studios, a highly influential partnership with director Osamu Dezaki, and later, his own ventures into studio establishment and directorial work.

3.1. Entry into the Animation Industry

Sugino officially joined Mushi Production in 1964. His debut as an animator came with episode 84 of Astro Boy, one of the earliest and most iconic Japanese television anime series. He subsequently contributed as an in-betweener and key animator on the first season of Kimba the White Lion. In 1966, he made his de facto debut as an animation director on episode 10 of Kimba the White Lion: Go Leo!, the second season of the series. Akihira Kanayama, who joined Mushi Production eight months after Sugino in 1965, attested to Sugino's immediate recognition among senior animators as a talented individual. Sugino credits Toshio Hirata and Moriyasu Murano as his key mentors during this formative period at Mushi Production, expressing gratitude for Hirata's patient guidance and Murano's clear, decisive instruction on the creative process.

3.2. Collaboration with Osamu Dezaki

Sugino's professional relationship with director Osamu Dezaki became a cornerstone of his career. Sugino had admired Dezaki's manga even before joining Mushi Production. Their first direct professional interaction occurred in 1968 on Wanpaku Tanteidan, where Dezaki served as episode director and Sugino as animation director for several episodes. However, their first direct, personal awareness of each other's work came in 1969 during the production of Frosty the Snowman, a US-Japan co-production, where they worked side-by-side on key animation. Sugino initially mistook Dezaki, who drew with his head buried in his desk, for sleeping, while Dezaki was deeply impressed by Sugino's "unusually good" drawing skills.

The formalization of their legendary partnership truly began with the 1970 production of Ashita no Joe, where Dezaki was the director and Sugino served as animation director alongside Akihira Kanayama and Shingo Araki. Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, a newcomer at Mushi Production at the time, described the Ashita no Joe production team as a gathering of "high-quality people from Mushi Pro." In 1972, Sugino co-founded Madhouse with Dezaki, Masao Maruyama, and Yoshiaki Kawajiri, who were all part of the Ashita no Joe team. During his time at Madhouse, Sugino continued to collaborate extensively with Dezaki on numerous projects, primarily for Tokyo Movie and Tokyo Movie Shinsha. His work also extended to other studios such as Zuiyo Eizo, Nippon Animation, Tatsunoko Production, and Toei Animation, where he contributed as an animation director and key animator. Manabu Ohashi, who had the opportunity to see Sugino's key animation for Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, remarked that Sugino's depictions of the characters were even better than the official character sheets, expressing profound admiration for his skill.

3.3. Founding of Studio Annaple and Directorial Debut

In 1980, Akio Sugino and Osamu Dezaki departed from Madhouse to establish their own studio, Studio Annaple. Sugino revealed that this decision stemmed from a disagreement with Madhouse's management; while the studio was simultaneously producing multiple projects, Dezaki and Sugino wished to dedicate their full attention solely to Ashita no Joe 2. The company, citing business reasons, did not approve, leading to their departure. At Studio Annaple, Sugino played a pivotal role in mentoring a new generation of animators, including notable talents such as Koji Morimoto, Atsuko Fukushima, and Shinji Otsuka.

From the late 1980s to 1991, Sugino also actively participated in numerous international co-productions. Since 1993, he has predominantly focused his activities on projects produced by Tezuka Productions. In the 2000s, in addition to his roles as character designer and animation director, he also returned to the role of key animator for several works, a position he had not held extensively since the 1970s. In 2003, Sugino made his directorial debut with the theatrical film Boku no Son Goku, marking a significant expansion of his creative contributions to the animation field.

4. Artistic Style and Contributions

Akio Sugino's artistic style is distinctive and highly regarded within the animation industry, characterized by a unique blend of "hard" and "soft" lines that contribute to its versatility and expressive power. His ability to adapt his drawing style to suit different narratives and original works is particularly noteworthy. For example, when designing characters based on Osamu Tezuka's original manga, Sugino demonstrated remarkable flexibility: for Black Jack, he adopted a more dramatic, 劇画gekigaJapanese-style aesthetic that diverged from the original manga's impression, while for works like Unico and the theatrical version of Kimba the White Lion, he maintained a more curvilinear and faithful interpretation of Tezuka's original imagery.

As an animation director, Sugino was known for his exceptional precision and intuitive understanding of the story. According to Masao Maruyama, during the production of Ashita no Joe, Sugino would perform original drawing corrections without needing to re-check the storyboards, having all the details memorized. He was also capable of flawlessly correcting errors in costumes or props made by the key animators. Sugino's deep emotional connection to his work is also a defining characteristic. He has recounted crying while correcting animation for the reunion scene between Jim and Silver in the final episode of Treasure Island. Koji Morimoto observed that Sugino's emotional investment, even to the point of crying during sad scenes, stemmed from his thorough understanding of the storyboard's meaning and his profound empathy for the characters and narrative.

5. Major Works

Akio Sugino has made extensive contributions across various animation formats, serving in key roles such as character designer, animation director, and director.

5.1. Television Anime

  • 1963: Astro Boy (1st series) (-1966, In-betweener)
  • 1965: Kimba the White Lion (1st series) (-1966, In-betweener)
  • 1966: Kimba the White Lion (2nd series) (-1967, In-betweener, Key Animator, Animation Director)
  • 1968: Wanpaku Tanteidan (Animation Director)
  • 1968: Sabu to Ichi Torimono Hikae (-1969, Animation Director)
  • 1970: Ashita no Joe (-1971, Animation Director)
  • 1971: Kunimatsu-sama No Otoridai (-1972, Storyboard, Animation Director)
  • 1972: Science Ninja Team Gatchaman (-1974, Key Animator)
  • 1973: Jungle Kurobee (Animation Director)
  • 1973: Aim for the Ace! (-1974, Animation Director)
  • 1974: Heidi, Girl of the Alps (Key Animator)
  • 1974: Judo Sanka (Animation Director)
  • 1974: Vicky the Viking (-1975, Key Animator)
  • 1974: Wuligpen Rescue Team (-1975, Character Design)
  • 1974: The Song of Tentomushi (-1976, Animation Director)
  • 1975: La Seine no Hoshi (Character Design)
  • 1975: Laura, the Prairie Girl (-1976, Key Animator)
  • 1976: Gaiking (-1977, Original Creator, Animation Director)
  • 1976: Manga Fairy Tales of the World (-1979, Animation Director)
  • 1977: Jetter Mars (Character Design, Supervision, Animation Director)
  • 1977: Arrow Emblem Grand Prix no Taka (-1978, Original Design)
  • 1977: Nobody's Boy Remi (-1978, Animation Director)
  • 1978: Treasure Island (-1979, Animation Director)
  • 1979: The Rose of Versailles (Character Design)
  • 1979: Animation Kikō Marco Polo no Bōken (Character Setting)
  • 1980: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Animation Director)
  • 1980: Botchan (Animation Director)
  • 1980: Ashita no Joe 2 (-1981, Animation Director)
  • 1982: Space Adventure Cobra (-1983, Animation Director)
  • 1983: Cat's Eye (-1984, Character Design)
  • 1984: Rainbow Brite (-1986, Animation Director)
  • 1984: Mighty Orbots (Character Design, Animation Director)
  • 1986: Galaxy High School (Animation Director)
  • 1989: Reporter Blues (Character Design)
  • 1991: Oniisama e... (-1992, Animation Director)
  • 1993: Hiroshima ni Ichiban Densha ga Hashitta: 300-tsu no Hibaku Taiken Teki kara (Character Design)
  • 1997: In the Beginning: The Bible Stories (Animation Director)
  • 1997: Hakugei: Legend of the Moby Dick (-1999, Original Creator, Animation Director)
  • 2003: Astro Boy (2003) (-2004, Key Animator)
  • 2004: Phoenix (Character Design, Animation Director)
  • 2004: Black Jack (-2006, Character Design, Storyboard, Animation Director)
  • 2005: The Snow Queen (-2006, Character Design)
  • 2006: Black Jack 21 (Character Design, Animation Director)
  • 2006: NANA (-2007, Key Animator)
  • 2006: Gin Tama (-2010, Animation Director, Key Animator)
  • 2007: Mokke (-2008, Animation Director)
  • 2008: Ultraviolet: Code 044 (Character Design, Chief Animation Director, Animation Director)
  • 2009: Genji Monogatari Sennenki Genji (Character Design, Chief Animation Director, Animation Director)
  • 2010: Cobra The Animation (Animation Director)
  • 2015: The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan (Key Animator)
  • 2015: Young Black Jack (Key Animator, Post-credit Illustration)
  • 2015: March Comes in Like a Lion (Key Animator)
  • 2018: Furusato Meguri Nippon no Mukashibanashi (Character Design, Storyboard, Episode Director, Animation)
  • 2019: Dororo (Key Animator)
  • 2024: The Fable (Chief Animation Director, Key Animator)
  • 2024: My Wife Has No Emotion (Key Animator)

5.2. Theatrical Anime

  • 1969: A Thousand and One Nights (In-betweener)
  • 1979: Aim for the Ace! (Animation Director)
  • 1980: Ashita no Joe (Animation Director)
  • 1980: Nobody's Boy Remi (Animation Director)
  • 1981: The Fantastic Adventures of Unico (Animation Director)
  • 1981: Ashita no Joe 2 (Animation Director)
  • 1982: Space Adventure Cobra: The Movie (Animation Director)
  • 1983: Golgo 13: The Professional (Animation Director)
  • 1984: Oshin (Character Design)
  • 1986: They Were 11 (Character Design)
  • 1987: Treasure Island (Animation Director)
  • 1996: Black Jack: The Movie (Character Design, Animation Director)
  • 1997: Jungle Emperor Leo (Character Design, Animation Director)
  • 2003: Boku no Son Goku (Director, Character Design, Animation Director)
  • 2005: Air (Key Animator)
  • 2005: Black Jack: The Two Doctors of Darkness (Character Design, Animation Director)
  • 2005: Dr. Pinoko no Mori no Bouken (Character Supervision)

5.3. OVA and Other Works

  • 1969: Ashita no Joe (Pilot film, Animation)
  • 1974: Jun'ai Sanga Ai to Makoto (-1975, Opening Animation)
  • 1975: The Fire G-Men (Disaster prevention anime, Key Animator)
  • 1976: Shiawase wa Anzen to Tomo ni (PR film, Key Animator)
  • 1981: Denwa no Tenshi, Denwa no Akuma Denwa no Manner wa Omoiyari (PR film)
  • 1981: Space Adventure Cobra (English version pilot film, Animation)
  • 1986: Nayuta (Character Design, Animation Director)
  • 1987: 2001 Nights (Character Design, Animation Director)
  • 1987: Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland (Pilot film, Character Design, Animation Director)
  • 1988: Aim for the Ace! 2 (Character Design, Animation Director)
  • 1988: Gensei Shugoshin Pihyoro Ikka (Character Design, Animation Supervisor)
  • 1988: Legend of the Galactic Heroes (-1989, Guest Character Original Design)
  • 1989: Kasei Yakyoku (Character Design, Animation Director)
  • 1989: Umi no Yami, Tsuki no Kage (Animation Director)
  • 1989: Aim for the Ace! Final Stage (-1990, Character Design)
  • 1990: Riki-Oh: Violence 2 - Child of Destruction (Character Design)
  • 1990: B.B. (Burning Blood) (-1991, Character Design, Animation Director)
  • 1990: Shura no Suke Zanma Ken: Shikama Mon no Otoko (Character Design, Animation Director)
  • 1992: Treasure Island Memorial: Yuunagi to Yobareta Otoko (Animation Director)
  • 1993: Black Jack (-2011, Character Design, Animation Director)
  • 1994: Osamu to Musashi (Character Design, Animation Director)
  • 1995: Tokai no Bucchi (Animation Director)
  • 1995: Konchuu Tsurezuregusa (Animation Director)
  • 1996: Otsu Beru to Zou (Hi-Vision test footage, Character Design, Animation Director)
  • 1998: Golgo 13: Queen Bee (Character Design, Animation Director)
  • Unknown Year: Ken to Suteki na Nakama (Pilot film, Animation)

5.4. US-Japan Co-productions

  • 1969: Frosty The Snowman (Key Animator)
  • 1970: The Mad, Mad, Mad Comedians (Key Animator)
  • 1970: Tomfoolery (Clean-up Storyboard)
  • 1970: Mr. Toad (Key Animator)
  • 1985: Sweet Sea (Character Design, Animation Director)
  • 1989: Disney's Gummi Bears (Animation Director)

6. Evaluation and Impact

Akio Sugino's work is consistently lauded by his peers and critics, cementing his legacy as a pivotal figure in the history of Japanese animation. His collaboration with director Osamu Dezaki is frequently cited as one of the most successful and influential partnerships in the industry, earning them the moniker "the golden duo." Dezaki's profound admiration for Sugino's ability to imbue characters with life and truthfulness through his drawings underscores the depth of their creative synergy and Sugino's unique talent. The mutual respect and understanding between them, as described by Manabu Ohashi, allowed for a seamless and highly effective creative process that produced numerous iconic works.

Sugino's distinctive drawing style, characterized by its simultaneous hardness and softness, combined with his remarkable versatility in adapting his art to diverse genres and source materials, has left an indelible mark on character design and animation direction. His meticulous attention to detail, even to the point of memorizing entire storyboards, and his emotional investment in the characters he brings to life, highlight his dedication to the craft. Through his extensive filmography, spanning over five decades and encompassing a wide range of roles from in-betweener to director, Akio Sugino has not only contributed to many of anime's most beloved titles but has also significantly influenced subsequent generations of animators and artists, shaping the aesthetic and narrative possibilities of the medium.

7. Bibliography

  • Akio Sugino Drawings (1982)
  • Hakugei Densetsu Artbook (1994)