Yoshiyuki Tomino facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Yoshiyuki Tomino
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| 富野 喜幸 | |
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Tomino in 2021
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| Born | November 5, 1941 Odawara, Kanagawa, Japan
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| Other names | Rin Iogi Minoru Yokitani Minami Asa |
| Alma mater | Nihon University |
| Occupation | Director, songwriter, screenwriter, novelist |
| Years active | 1964–present |
| Employer | Sunrise |
| Known for | Gundam |
Yoshiyuki Tomino (born November 5, 1941) is a famous Japanese anime director, writer, and novelist. He is best known for creating the Gundam anime series, which is very popular around the world. He has also written songs for many of his shows.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Yoshiyuki Tomino was born in Odawara, Japan, on November 5, 1941. His family had lived in Ōjima, Tokyo, for a long time. His grandfather was a mayor and worked for a rubber company. His mother's father made celluloid toys.
Tomino's father wanted to be a photographer and studied art. During World War II, his father worked as an engineer, helping to develop special suits for fighter pilots. Inspired by his father, Tomino first dreamed of working with airplanes or machines.
However, he didn't get into the technical high school he wanted. So, he studied subjects like writing instead. He spent his last year of high school learning how to write stories and practiced writing novels. He graduated from Sōyō High School.
After the war, many American science fiction movies became popular in Japan. Tomino loved these films, which led him to study film at Nihon University College of Art.
Career Highlights
Yoshiyuki Tomino started working at Mushi Productions, a famous animation studio led by Osamu Tezuka, in 1964. He began as a production assistant, helping with many tasks like organizing things and talking to the animators. Soon, he was drawing storyboards (like comic book layouts for animation) and writing scripts for shows like Astro Boy.
Later, Tomino became a very important person at the anime studio Sunrise. He directed many anime series throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. He is most famous for changing the "Super Robot" anime style into the "Real Robot" style with his 1979 series, Mobile Suit Gundam. This show was the first in the huge Gundam series.
Tomino has won many awards for his work. He received the "Best Director" award at the 2006 Tokyo International Anime Fair. Two of his anime series, Mobile Suit Gundam (1979–1980) and Space Runaway Ideon (1980), won the Animage Anime Grand Prix award.
Tomino sometimes uses different names for his work. For example, he uses Minami Asa and Minoru Yokitani when he writes screenplays or draws storyboards. He uses Rin Iogi when he writes lyrics for theme songs. He has worked with famous musicians like Yoko Kanno under this name.
Tomino has directed many well-known anime series. Besides Mobile Suit Gundam, he also directed Aura Battler Dunbine and Brave Raideen. His more recent works include Brain Powerd (1998), Turn A Gundam (1999), Overman King Gainer (2002), and Gundam Reconguista in G (2014).
Early Directing Work (1970s)
Tomino directed his first show, Triton of the Sea, in 1972. This series was different because it didn't just show a simple "good vs. evil" story. The main character, Triton, was the last of his kind, and viewers later learned that the story was more complicated than it first seemed.
In 1975, Tomino worked on Brave Raideen, which was his first show featuring giant robots. Raideen was special because it showed a giant machine with mysterious powers. This show inspired many other directors and series. Tomino also worked on Voltes V in 1977.
In 1977, Tomino directed Zambot 3. Some fans gave him the nickname "Kill 'Em All Tomino" because many characters died in this series. However, he also directed many shows where most of the main characters survived.
In 1978, Tomino created and directed the successful Super Robot series Daitarn 3. This show mixed spy adventures, drama, science fiction, and humor. The main character, Haran Banjo, is considered one of the most interesting anime characters ever.
In 1979, Tomino directed and wrote Mobile Suit Gundam. This show was very important because it changed the "Super Robot" genre into the "Real Robot" genre. In "Real Robot" shows, the giant robots are more like real machines used in war, not just super-powered heroes. This made Gundam very popular and led to many other "Real Robot" shows.
Tomino wanted to make a more realistic robot series. He imagined robots that started as worker machines in space colonies and then became advanced weapons. This idea made the story feel more real.
Even though the original TV series was shorter than planned, its popularity grew a lot after three movies were released in 1981 and 1982. Mobile Suit Gundam became one of the longest-running and most popular anime series ever. In 2005, it was chosen as the number one anime on TV Asahi's "Top 100 Anime" list.
Later Works (1980s-2000s)
In 1980, Tomino directed Space Runaway Ideon, another series that was later made into movies. This show is known for its darker story. He then made a lighter series called Combat Mecha Xabungle, but the darker themes returned with 1983's Aura Battler Dunbine.
In 1984, Tomino released Heavy Metal L-Gaim. The next year, he directed the first sequel to Mobile Suit Gundam, called Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam. He also worked on Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ in 1986, which had a more upbeat and funny tone. In 1988, Tomino finished the main Gundam story with the movie Char's Counterattack.
Tomino directed another Gundam movie, Mobile Suit Gundam F91, in 1991. This movie started a new part of the Gundam story with new characters. In 1993, he directed his next Gundam series, Mobile Suit Victory Gundam, which also tried to restart the saga with a new cast.
In 1996, Tomino wrote and directed Garzey's Wing, and in 1998, Brain Powerd. In 1999, he returned to Gundam with Turn A Gundam. In 2002, he directed two movies based on Turn A Gundam. Also in 2002, he directed Overman King Gainer. In 2005, Tomino directed three movies that summarized the events of Zeta Gundam.
His next big original work was the 6-episode online series The Wings of Rean, which started in December 2005. In 2006, Tomino also made a small appearance in the movie Sinking of Japan.
In 2009, Tomino worked on a short CGI film called Ring of Gundam for Gundam's 30th anniversary. He returned to the franchise again for its 35th anniversary in 2014, writing and directing Gundam Reconguista in G.
Since 2016, Tomino has been the president of the Anime Tourism Association. In 2020, he was present at the opening of the large, moving Gundam statue in Yokohama, Japan.
Filmography
Television Series
| Year | Title | Creator | Director | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963–66 | Astro Boy | No | No | Yes | Also storyboard artist |
| 1965–66 | Tatakae! Osper | No | Episode | No | Directed one episode |
| 1972 | Triton of the Sea | No | Yes | Yes | |
| 1973–74 | Neo-Human Casshern | No | Episode | No | Directed 9 episodes, also storyboard artist |
| 1975 | Reideen The Brave | No | Yes | No | Directed episodes 1–25 |
| 1977–78 | Invincible Super Man Zambot 3 | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 1978–79 | Invincible Steel Man Daitarn 3 | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 1979–80 | Mobile Suit Gundam | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 1980–81 | Space Runaway Ideon | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 1982–83 | Combat Mecha Xabungle | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 1983–84 | Aura Battler Dunbine | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 1984–85 | Heavy Metal L-Gaim | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 1985–86 | Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 1986–87 | Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 1993–94 | Mobile Suit Victory Gundam | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 1998 | Brain Powerd | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 1999–00 | Turn A Gundam | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2002–03 | Overman King Gainer | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2014–15 | Gundam Reconguista in G | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Movies
- Mobile Suit Gundam: The Movie (1981 – director, writer)
- Mobile Suit Gundam II: Soldiers of Sorrow (1982 – director, writer)
- Mobile Suit Gundam III: Encounters in Space (1982 – director, writer)
- The Ideon: A Contact (1982 – director)
- The Ideon: Be Invoked (1982 – director)
- Xabungle Graffiti (1983 – director)
- Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack (1988 – director, writer)
- Mobile Suit Gundam F91 (1991 – director, writer)
- Turn A Gundam I: Earth Light (2002 – director, writer)
- Turn A Gundam II: Moonlight Butterfly (2002 – director, writer)
- Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam: A New Translation I – Heirs To The Stars (2005 – director, writer)
- Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam: A New Translation II – Lovers (2005 – director, writer)
- Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam: A New Translation III – Love is the Pulse of the Stars (2006 – director, writer)
- Sinking of Japan (2006 – actor)
- Ring of Gundam (2009 – director, writer)
- Gundam Reconguista in G Movie I Go! Core Fighter (2019 – director, writer)
- Gundam Reconguista in G Movie II Bellri's Fierce Charge (2020 – director, writer)
- Gundam Reconguista in G Movie III Legacy from Space (2021 – director, writer)
- Gundam Reconguista in G Movie IV Love That Cries Out in Battle (2022 – director, writer)
- Gundam Reconguista in G Movie V Beyond the Peril of Death (2022 – director, writer)
Original Video Animations (OVAs)
- Heavy Metal L-Gaim (1986–87 – director)
- Garzey's Wing (1996–97 – director, writer)
- The Wings of Rean (2005–06 – director, writer)
Honours
- Person of Cultural Merit (2021)
Images for kids
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Yoshiyuki Tomino with Shinsuke Suematsu at an award ceremony in 2021.
See also
In Spanish: Yoshiyuki Tomino para niños
