Michi Himeno
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese animation artist
and character designer. Her most famous work is on the TV series Saint Seiya
.
working on Cutie Honey
and went on to work at Toei Animation
before forming Araki Productions with him in 1975. Together they have worked on many successful films and series. Typically, she works on the female characters while he works on the male.
Some of her most remarkable successes are Lupin III
(1977), Berusaiyu no Bara (The Rose of Versailles, 1979), Hana no Ko Lunlun
(The Flower Child Lunlun, 1979), Ulysses 31
(produced 1980, released 1981),
Mūgen Kidō SSX (Arcadia of My Youth: Endless Orbit SSX
, 1982), and the OVA versions of Fuuma no Kojirou (1991).
International accreditation came with Saint Seiya
(Knights of the Zodiac, 1986), for her elegant drawing style along with Araki's dynamic drawing style.
Animator
An animator is an artist who creates multiple images that give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence; the images are called frames and key frames. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, video games, and the internet. Usually, an...
and character designer. Her most famous work is on the TV series Saint Seiya
Saint Seiya
, also known as Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac or simply Knights of the Zodiac, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada and serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1986 to 1991, and adapted into an anime TV series by Toei Animation from 1986 to 1989.The story follows...
.
Career
In 1973 she began her collaboration with Shingo ArakiShingo Araki
was a Japanese animation artist and character designer. He developed an interest for drawing at age five. He graduated in Aichi Prefecture. In 1955, at age eighteen, he debuted as a cartoonist in the "Machi" magazine. He then joined Mushi Production as animator in 1965 and later founded Studio...
working on Cutie Honey
Cutie Honey
is a Japanese media franchise created by Go Nagai. Cutie Honey first appears on volume 41 of the 1973 edition of Shōnen Champion. According to Nagai, she is the first female to be the protagonist of a shōnen manga series....
and went on to work at Toei Animation
Toei Animation
Toei Animation Co., Ltd. is a Japanese animation studio owned by Toei Co., Ltd. The studio was founded in 1948 as Japan Animated Films . In 1956, Toei purchased the studio and it was reincorporated under its current name...
before forming Araki Productions with him in 1975. Together they have worked on many successful films and series. Typically, she works on the female characters while he works on the male.
Some of her most remarkable successes are Lupin III
Lupin III
, also known as Lupin the 3rd, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kazuhiko Kato under the pen name of Monkey Punch. The story follows the adventures of a gang of thieves led by Arsène Lupin III, the grandson of Arsène Lupin, the gentleman thief of Maurice Leblanc's series of...
(1977), Berusaiyu no Bara (The Rose of Versailles, 1979), Hana no Ko Lunlun
Hana no Ko Lunlun
, translated to English as The Flower Child Lunlun and Lulu, The Flower Angel is a magical girl manga by Shiro Jinbo, focusing on a theme of flowers in its stories. It was adapted into an anime by Toei Animation in 1979, and the anime was greatly successful in the West, particularly in Europe and...
(The Flower Child Lunlun, 1979), Ulysses 31
Ulysses 31
is a Franco-Japanese animated television series that updates the Greek mythology of Odysseus to the 31st century. The show comprised 26 half-hour episodes and was produced by DIC Audiovisuel in conjunction with anime studio Tokyo Movie Shinsha...
(produced 1980, released 1981),
Mūgen Kidō SSX (Arcadia of My Youth: Endless Orbit SSX
Arcadia of My Youth: Endless Orbit SSX
is an animated television series created by Leiji Matsumoto. It's the sequel to the 1982 animated film Arcadia of My Youth. However, like many of the stories set in the Leijiverse, the continuity of the series does not necessarily agree with other Harlock series or films.The series premiered just...
, 1982), and the OVA versions of Fuuma no Kojirou (1991).
International accreditation came with Saint Seiya
Saint Seiya
, also known as Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac or simply Knights of the Zodiac, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada and serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1986 to 1991, and adapted into an anime TV series by Toei Animation from 1986 to 1989.The story follows...
(Knights of the Zodiac, 1986), for her elegant drawing style along with Araki's dynamic drawing style.
Movies
- Space Adventure Cobra (1982), animator
- Saint Seiya Gekijôban (Saint Seiya: The MovieSaint Seiya: The Movie, retitled on its home video release, is the first in a series of anime films produced by Toei Animation based on the manga Saint Seiya by Masami Kurumada...
) (1987), character designer, key animator - Saint Seiya, Kamigami no Atsuki Tatakai (Saint Seiya: The Heated Battle of the GodsSaint Seiya: The Heated Battle of the Godsis the second anime film by Toei Animation based on the Saint Seiya manga. It premiered on March 12, 1988 in the Toei Manga Matsuri film festival along with the movie versions of Lady Lady!!, Bikkuriman and Kamen Rider Black....
) (1988), character designer - Saint Seiya, Shinku No Shônen Densetsu (Saint Seiya: Legend of Crimson YouthSaint Seiya: Legend of Crimson Youthis the third anime film by Toei Animation based on the Saint Seiya manga. Unlike its predecessors, which premiered on the Toei Manga Matsuri film festivals, this installment was instead shown at the Weekly Jump 20th Anniversary Festival along with the animated movie version of Sakigake!!...
) (1988), animator, character design - Saint Seiya, Saishû Seisen No Senshi Tachi (Saint Seiya: Warriors of the Final Holy BattleSaint Seiya (films)Due to high popularity in Japan and the rest of the world, several Saint Seiya films were released. Without having a direct relationship with the manga or anime story, four movies were released in theatres or TV between 1987 and 1989, when the original TV series was still airing.One more movie was...
) (1989), character designer - Gegege no Kitaro: Dai Kaijū (Gegege no Kitarō: The Great Sea Beast) (1996), character designer, animation director
- Gegege no Kitaro: Yōkai Tokkyū! Maboroshi no Kisha (Gegege no Kitarō: Yōkai Express! The Phantom Train) (1997), character designer, animation director
- Siam Neko - First Mission (The Siamese - First Mission') (2001), character designer
- Seiya, Tenkai-hen Josou Overture (Saint Seiya: Heaven Chapter ~ OvertureSaint Seiya (films)Due to high popularity in Japan and the rest of the world, several Saint Seiya films were released. Without having a direct relationship with the manga or anime story, four movies were released in theatres or TV between 1987 and 1989, when the original TV series was still airing.One more movie was...
) (2004), character designer, main animation designer
TV
- Hana no Ko LunlunHana no Ko Lunlun, translated to English as The Flower Child Lunlun and Lulu, The Flower Angel is a magical girl manga by Shiro Jinbo, focusing on a theme of flowers in its stories. It was adapted into an anime by Toei Animation in 1979, and the anime was greatly successful in the West, particularly in Europe and...
(1979–1980), character designer - Berusaiyu no Bara (The Rose of Versailles) (1979–1989), character designer, animation director
- Lupin VIII (1981), design supervisor
- Ulysses 31Ulysses 31is a Franco-Japanese animated television series that updates the Greek mythology of Odysseus to the 31st century. The show comprised 26 half-hour episodes and was produced by DIC Audiovisuel in conjunction with anime studio Tokyo Movie Shinsha...
(1981–1982), animator, character designer - Heathcliff and the Catillac Cats (1984–1987), key animator
- Garasu no Kamen (Glass MaskGlass Maskis a shōjo manga series written and illustrated by Suzue Miuchi, serialised in Hana to Yume from January 1976, and collected in 46 tankōbon volumes as of June 24, 2011. The story has also been adapted into anime and a live action television series. As of 2006, the collected volumes had 50 million...
) (1984), key animator (opening) - Saint SeiyaSaint Seiya, also known as Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac or simply Knights of the Zodiac, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada and serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1986 to 1991, and adapted into an anime TV series by Toei Animation from 1986 to 1989.The story follows...
(1986–1989), character designer - Yokoyama Mitsuteru SangokushiYokoyama Mitsuteru Sangokushiis a Japanese anime series based on the Sangokushi manga by Mitsuteru Yokoyama, itself based on Eiji Yoshikawa's retelling of the Chinese literary classic Romance of the Three Kingdoms.-Shu Han: -Cao Wei: Cao hong...
(1991–1992), character designer - Aoki Densetsu Shoot!Aoki Densetsu Shoot!is a Japanese anime produced by Toei Animation between November 7, 1993 and December 25, 1994 on the Fuji TV television network; there were fifty-eight episodes. The story revolves around a boy named Toshihiko Tanaka, who has just started at Kakegawa High School in order to play soccer with his...
(1993–1994), character designer - Gegege no Kitaro (1996–1998), character designer
- Yu-Gi-Oh!Yu-Gi-Oh! (first series anime)is the title of the first anime series based on the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga. It aired on TV Asahi.The series is loosely connected to the Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters series , which was made by Nihon Ad Systems and aired on TV Tokyo; both anime series are based on the same manga series...
(1998), character designer - Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel MonstersYu-Gi-Oh! (second series anime)Yu-Gi-Oh!, known in Japan and the rest of East Asia as is an anime based on the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga. It is produced by Studio Gallop and Nihon Ad Systems, and the English-language adaptation was distributed by 4Kids Entertainment until March 29, 2011 when TV Tokyo and Nihon Ad Systems sued 4Kids...
(2000–2004), character designer - Ring ni KakeroRing ni Kakero, or Put It All in the Ring, is a manga created by Masami Kurumada. A total of 25 volumes were published in Weekly Shōnen Jump between 1977 and 1981.- Plot :...
1 (2004), character designer - Ring ni KakeroRing ni Kakero, or Put It All in the Ring, is a manga created by Masami Kurumada. A total of 25 volumes were published in Weekly Shōnen Jump between 1977 and 1981.- Plot :...
1: Nichibei Kessen Hen (2006), character designer
OVA
- Amon SagaAmon Sagais an anime film released in 1986. The character and conceptual art was contributed by Yoshitaka Amano.-World:The world in Amon Saga is a medieval one, filled with bizarre creatures, such as the giant turtle that holds the Valhiss fortress on its back. The world is populated by both human and...
(1986), character designer, animation director - Okubyo na Venus (1986), animation director
- Fuma no Kojirou: Yasha-hen (Yasha Chapter) (1989), character designer
- Fuma no Kojirou: Seiken Sensou-hen (Sacred Sword War Chapter) (1990) : Character Design.
- Babiru Ni-Sei (Babel IIBabel IIis a 1971 manga series by Mitsuteru Yokoyama.Yokoyama's manga has been animated three times: in 1973 as a television series, in 1992 as an original video animation series, and in 2001 as a 13 episode television series....
) (1992), character designer - Fuma no Kojirou: Fuma Hanran-hen (Fuma Rebellion Chapter) (1992), character designer
- Saint SeiyaSaint Seiya, also known as Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac or simply Knights of the Zodiac, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada and serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1986 to 1991, and adapted into an anime TV series by Toei Animation from 1986 to 1989.The story follows...
: The Hades Chapter - Sanctuary (2002), character designer - Saint SeiyaSaint Seiya, also known as Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac or simply Knights of the Zodiac, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada and serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1986 to 1991, and adapted into an anime TV series by Toei Animation from 1986 to 1989.The story follows...
: The Hades Chapter - Inferno (2005–2007), character designer, chief animation director, animation director - Saint SeiyaSaint Seiya, also known as Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac or simply Knights of the Zodiac, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada and serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1986 to 1991, and adapted into an anime TV series by Toei Animation from 1986 to 1989.The story follows...
: The Hades Chapter - Elysion (2008), character designer, chief animation director
BOOKS
- AlexandriaAlexandriaAlexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
, Illustrator. The Saga is in 9 volumes, each containing 10 b/w illustrations. Volumes 1-2-3-5-6 contains also full colour illustrations. The books' covers also are illustrated by Michi Himeno.