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)
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Naoko Yamada () (山田 尚子, Yamada Naoko) is a Japanese animator and director. She is famous for directing popular anime series and films. She worked at Kyoto Animation for many years.

Some of her well-known works include the anime series K-On! and Tamako Market. She also directed the anime films A Silent Voice, Liz and the Blue Bird, and The Colors Within. In 2021, she directed The Heike Story with Science Saru. Naoko Yamada has won many awards for her unique style in anime. She became a director at Kyoto Animation when she was very young.

Early life and education

Naoko Yamada was born in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. As a child, she loved to draw. She would often copy pictures from popular anime like Patlabor and Dragon Ball. She also loved watching movies and would stay up late to catch films on TV.

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

Career

Naoko Yamada first wanted to work in the film industry. However, she decided to join Kyoto Animation after seeing an advertisement for the company. She started as an inbetweener. This means she drew the frames between key animation drawings. Her first work was on the anime Inuyasha.

Later, she became a key animator for shows like Air and The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. She also worked on Kanon and Lucky Star. A director at Kyoto Animation, Tatsuya Ishihara, became her mentor.

Yamada's first time directing an episode was for Clannad in 2008. Her big break as a chief director came with K-On! in 2009. This series helped her develop her special directing style. K-On! became very popular. It led to another season in 2010 and a movie in 2011, all directed by Yamada.

In 2013, she directed Tamako Market. This was an original story about a character growing from a teenager to 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 lyrics for the opening theme song.

Yamada's next big project was the film A Silent Voice in 2016. It was based on a manga. The movie touched on topics like bullying and disabilities. Yamada wanted viewers to focus on the positive parts of the film. She used bullying to show the main character's journey. The film was very successful in Japan. It earned a lot of money and received many awards.

In 2019, a very sad event happened at Kyoto Animation. A fire started at the main studio. Many of Yamada's co-workers were hurt or lost their lives. Luckily, Yamada was not harmed in the fire.

In 2020, Yamada left Kyoto Animation. She then started working on The Heike Story. This was her first project outside her old studio. She worked on it at the anime studio Science SARU. The first episode was released in 2021.

Style and themes

Naoko Yamada believes that observing people is key to being a director. She tries to understand her characters deeply. She said, "It’s very important to me to treat the characters as individual people." She wants to connect with them from their point of view. For example, she shows LGBTQ+ themes naturally, without avoiding them or giving them special attention.

Yamada often uses low-angle shots that show characters' legs. This is a unique part of her style. She explained that people often move their legs when they are nervous. She likes to show emotions this way.

Much of Yamada's style comes from her love of live-action films. Even though she works in animation, her shots look like they could be from a real movie. She uses low angles, shallow focus, and different camera movements. This helps her draw the audience in, just like a live-action film. She also focuses on how characters communicate. Yamada pays close attention to colors in her scenes. She uses specific colors to show the characters' feelings.

Most of Yamada's works have female main characters. However, A Silent Voice features a male main character. This was a new challenge for her. She said it was difficult to show boys in a way that felt real to them.

Yamada is known for creating a fun work environment. She wants everyone involved in her projects to feel happy and proud of their work.

Filmography

Television

• Air (TV Series) (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 (TV Series) (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 (2013)
• Free! (key animator - 12 episodes, 2013)
• Beyond the Boundary (key animator - 15 episodes, 2014)
• Sound! Euphonium (2015, series unit director; with Tatsuya Ishihara)
• Sound! Euphonium 2 (2016, series unit director; with Tatsuya Ishihara)
• Modern Love Tokyo (2022, episode 7)

Film

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

Original net animation

• The Heike Story (2021)

Awards and nominations

See also

In Spanish: Naoko Yamada para niños