Shinsuke Sato

1.1. Birthplace and Education

Sato was born on September 16, 1970, in Mori, Tojo Town, Hiba District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, which is now part of Mori, Tojo Town, Shobara. His father worked as a junior high school English tutor in his hometown of Tojo.

He attended Shobara Municipal Yahata Junior High School, which is now Shobara Municipal Tojo Junior High School, and later Hiroshima Johoku High School. After a year of preparation, he enrolled in Musashino Art University, where he honed his artistic and directorial skills. Sato is known to be a fan of zombie films, with Dan O'Bannon's The Return of the Living Dead being a particular favorite.

1.2. Founding of Angle Pictures and Early Works

While still a student at Musashino Art University in 1994, Sato co-founded the production company Angle Pictures with Taro Kawazu. The company was later incorporated in December 2011.

His debut directorial work, Ryōnai Genjuku (寮内厳粛), received critical acclaim, winning the Grand Prize at the Pia Film Festival '94 (PFF94). In his early career as a director, Sato primarily focused on developing original stories. However, in 2008, he took on his first major adaptation project with the live-action film Sand Chronicles, based on the manga by Hinako Ashihara. This marked a significant shift in his career toward adapting popular existing works. In 2009, he made his debut as an anime director with Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror, produced by Production I.G.

2.1. Film Director

Sato has directed numerous cinematic productions, establishing himself as a prominent figure in Japanese cinema, particularly for his live-action adaptations.

2.2. Screenwriter

In addition to his directorial work, Sato has penned screenplays for numerous films and television projects, often for films he also directed.

• Ryōnai Genjuku (1996)
• Tsukishima Kyōsō (1996)
• Seimonmae Yuki (1997)
• Tokyo Lullaby (1997)
• Tadon to chikuwa (segment "Tadon") (1998)
• Zawa-zawa Shimokita-sawa (2000)
• Mihara Yuzo (2000)
• Sunflower (2000)
• LOVE SONG (2001)
• The Princess Blade (2001)
• Rock'n'Roll Mishin (2002)
• COSMIC RESCUE The Moonlight Generations (2003)
• Seventh Anniversary (2003)
• Spring Snow (2005)
• All About My Dog (2005)
• Star Reformer (2006)
• Kenchō no Hoshi (2006)
• Sand Chronicles (2008)
• Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror (2009)
• Bleach (2018) - co-written with Daisuke Habara
• Kingdom (2019) - co-written with Tsutomu Kuroiwa and Yasuhisa Hara
• Alice in Borderland (2020-present)

2.3. Television Dramas

Sato's work extends to television, where he has taken on roles as a director and in series composition for various dramas and web series.

• Koi, Shita. (1997) - Director (episodes 13, 23), Screenwriter (episodes 13, 15, 20, 23)
• Lucky Seven (2012) - Series composition, Director (episodes 1, 4, 10)
• Library Wars: Book of Memories (2015) - Director
• Death Note: New Generation (2016) - Director (Hulu)
• Alice in Borderland (2020-present) - Director, Screenwriter (Netflix)

2.4. Video Game Contributions

Sato has also made contributions to the video game industry, primarily in character and scenario design, and directing cinematics.

• Tekken 4 (2002) - Character and scenario designer
• Red Ninja: End of Honor (2005) - Collaboration support, Screenwriter
• Shin Sangoku Musou MR - Opening Movie Director
• Bladestorm - Opening Movie Director
• Sangokushi Online - Opening Movie Director
• Shin Sangoku Musou Online - Opening Movie Director
• Shin Sangoku Musou 4 Moushouden - Opening Movie Director
• Shin Sangoku Musou 4 - Opening Movie Director
• Samurai Warriors 2 - Opening Movie & In-Game Movie Director
• Kessen III - Movie Supervisor