Naoko Yamada facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Naoko Yamada
山田 尚子
Born	November 28 Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Alma mater	Kyoto University of the Arts
Occupation	Animator director storyboard artist
Years active	2004–present
Employer	Kyoto Animation (2004–2020) Science SARU (2021–present)
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Naoko Yamada () (山田 尚子, Yamada Naoko) is a talented Japanese animator and director. She is known for creating popular anime series and films. She worked at Kyoto Animation for many years. There, she directed the fun anime series K-On! (from 2009 to 2010) and Tamako Market (2013). She also directed the anime movies A Silent Voice (2016), Liz and the Blue Bird (2018), and The Colors Within (2024).

In 2021, she directed an online anime series called The Heike Story. She made this series with Science Saru, another anime studio. This series first appeared online and then on Japanese TV in January 2022. Naoko Yamada has won many awards for her work. She is famous around the world for her unique style in anime. She was also one of the youngest directors at Kyoto Animation. She got her first chance to direct only about four years after starting work there.

Early Life and School

Naoko Yamada was born in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. When she was a child, she loved to draw. She would copy pictures from popular anime series like Patlabor and Dragon Ball. She was always interested in movies. As a kid, she would stay up late to watch films on TV.

Yamada also enjoyed joining school clubs. In primary school, she was part of the volleyball club. In high school, she joined the tennis and photography clubs. She later studied oil painting at the Kyoto University of Art and Design. While there, she was also a member of the special effects club.

Her Career in Animation

Yamada first wanted to work in the film industry after finishing university. However, she decided to join Kyoto Animation after seeing a job ad from them at her school. She started as an inbetweener. This means she drew the frames between the main drawings to make movement smooth. Her first work was on the popular anime Inuyasha (2000-2004).

She was later promoted to a key animator for the TV show Air (2005). Key animators draw the most important frames in a scene. After that, she worked as a key animator on other shows. These included The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Kanon, and Lucky Star. She was then mentored by Tatsuya Ishihara, a director at Kyoto Animation.

Becoming a Director

Yamada's first time directing an episode was for Clannad (2008). But her big break as a chief director came with K-On! (2009). This is where her special directing style really started to shine. K-On! became very successful. It broke many records and led to a second season in 2010. A movie for K-On! was also released in 2011. Yamada directed both the second season and the movie.

In 2013, she directed Tamako Market. This was an original story about a main character growing from a teenager into an adult. The next year, she directed its movie sequel, Tamako Love Story. For this film, she won the New Face Award at the Japan Media Arts Festival. She drew all the storyboards for the movie herself. She also wrote the words for the opening theme song, Everybody Loves Somebody.

Directing A Silent Voice

Yamada's next big project was the movie A Silent Voice (2016). This film was based on a popular manga. The movie touched on topics like bullying and physical challenges in Japan. Yamada said she wanted the audience to focus on the positive parts of the film. She used bullying to show how the main character, Shoya, changed as a teenager.

A Silent Voice opened at number two at the Japanese Box Office. It earned a lot of money, making it one of the highest-grossing films in Japan in 2016. The movie also received many awards. These included nominations for Best Animation Film and Excellent Animation of the Year. A Silent Voice was re-released in North American theaters in October 2022.

Working at Science SARU

In 2020, Naoko Yamada left Kyoto Animation. She then started her first project outside of her original studio. She began working on the online anime series The Heike Story at the studio Science SARU. The first episode of this series was released in September 2021.

Her Unique Style

Naoko Yamada believes that observing people is the most important part of being a director. She describes her directing as "method" directing. This means she tries to understand her characters' thoughts and feelings deeply. She said, "It’s very important to me to treat the characters as individual people. I don’t think of them as imaginary; instead I try to come in touch with them from their perspective."

Yamada's work often shows characters' legs from a low angle. This is a unique choice that makes her stand out. She explained this choice by saying, "When you're nervous, you move your legs around. I think that it would be nice to express emotion like that."

She says her style is greatly influenced by her love for live-action films. Even though she works in animation, her camera angles and how she uses space are like those in live-action movies. She uses low-angle shots and different camera movements to draw the audience into her stories. Yamada also pays close attention to the colors in each scene. She uses specific colors to show the emotions her characters are feeling.

Most of Yamada's works have featured female main characters. However, A Silent Voice had a male main character. This was a new challenge for her. She said, "I love girls, so I want to depict girls from here onwards. Depicting boys is difficult."

Yamada is known for encouraging her co-workers to enjoy their work. She wants everyone to feel proud of what they create together.

Filmography

Television Series

• Air (key animator - 3 episodes, 2005; in between animator - 2 episodes, 2005)
• The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (key animator - 4 episodes, 2006)
• Kanon (key animator - 24 episodes, 2006)
• Lucky Star (animator - 6 episodes, 2007)
• Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit (background artist - 16 episodes, 2007)
• Clannad (key animator - 27 episodes, 2008)
• K-On! (director, key animator - 14 episodes, 2009)
• K-On!! (director - 26 episodes, 2010)
• Nichijou (animator - 13 episodes, 2011)
• Tamako Market (director, 2013)
• Free! (key animator - 12 episodes, 2013)
• Beyond the Boundary (key animator - 15 episodes, 2014)
• Sound! Euphonium (series unit director; with Tatsuya Ishihara, 2015)
• Sound! Euphonium 2 (series unit director; with Tatsuya Ishihara, 2016)
• Modern Love Tokyo (director, episode 7, 2022)

Films

• K-On! The Movie (director, 2011)
• Tamako Love Story (director, 2014)
• Sound! Euphonium: The Movie – Welcome to the Kitauji High School Concert Band (series unit director; with Tatsuya Ishihara, 2016)
• A Silent Voice (director, 2016)
• Sound! Euphonium: The Movie – May the Melody Reach You! (series unit director; with Tatsuya Ishihara and Taichi Ogawa, 2017)
• Liz and the Blue Bird (director, 2018)
• Sound! Euphonium: The Movie – Our Promise: A Brand New Day (chief unit director; with Tatsuya Ishihara, 2019)
• The Colors Within (director, 2024)

Online Anime Series

• The Heike Story (director, 2021)

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Naoko Yamada para niños