# Osamu Dezaki

Osamu Dezaki (出﨑 統, Dezaki Osamu, November 18, 1943 – April 17, 2011), also known as Makura Saki (崎枕, Saki Makura), Kan Matsudo (松戸完, Matsudo Kan), Toru Yabuki (矢吹徹, Yabuki Toru) or Kuyou Sai (斉九洋, Sai Kuyou), was a Japanese anime director and screenwriter.

## Biography

Dezaki started out as a manga artist while still in high school. In 1963 he joined Mushi Production, which was founded by manga and anime pioneer Osamu Tezuka. He made his debut as a director in 1970 with Ashita no Joe.
After working with Mushi Production, Dezaki co-founded Madhouse with Masao Maruyama, Rintaro, and Yoshiaki Kawajiri.
Dezaki was known for his distinct visual style, which makes use of split screen, stark lighting, extensive use of dutch angle, and pastel freeze frames that he called "postcard memories", which may be his most famous trademark. They feature a process whereby the screen fades into a detailed "painting" of the simpler original animation. Many of his techniques became popular and came to be seen as special techniques of Japanese animation. He particularly influenced Yoshiaki Kawajiri, Yoshiyuki Tomino, Ryūtarō Nakamura, Noriyuki Abe, Kunihiko Ikuhara, Akiyuki Shinbo, and Yutaka Yamamoto.
His older brother, Satoshi Dezaki, is also an anime director.
Dezaki was a notorious chain smoker, and as a result, he died from lung cancer on April 17, 2011, at the age of 67.

## Works
### Television series

| Title | Position | Year |
| Astro Boy | Animator and Episode Director | 1963–1966 |
| Big X | Animator and Episode Director | 1964–1965 |
| Great Adventure of Goku (Based on Journey to the West) | Episode Director | 1967 |
| Naughty Detective Corps | Episode Director | 1968 |
| Dororo | Episode Director | 1969 |
| Moomin | Episode Director | 1969 |
| Ashita no Joe | Director, Screenplay, and Episode Director | 1970–1971 |
| Lupin the 3rd | Storyboard Artist (episodes 7, 13, and 17) | 1971–1972 |
| Andersen Monogatari | Animator | 1971 |
| Kunimatsu-sama no Otoridai | Animator | 1971 |
| New Moomin | Animator | 1972 |
| Akado Suzunosuke | Animator | 1972 |
| Dokonjo Gaeru | Animator | 1972 |
| Hazedon | Director | 1972 |
| Jungle Kurobe | Director | 1973 |
| Karate Master | Director | 1973 |
| Samurai Giants | Animator | 1973 |
| Aim for the Ace! / Ace o Nerae! | Director | 1973–1974 |
| First Human Giatrus | Episode Director | 1974–1976 |
| Japanese Folklore Tales | Animator | 1975 |
| Gamba no Bouken (Adventures of Gamba) | Director and Episode Director | 1975 |
| Ganso Tensai Bakabon | Episode Director | 1975–1977 |
| Gaiking | Animator | 1976 |
| Manga Fairy Tales of the World | Director, Episode Director and Animator | 1976–1979 |
| Jetter Mars | Animator | 1976 |
| Nobody's Boy: Remi | Director and Episode Director | 1977–1978 |
| Takarajima | Director | 1978–1979 |
| The Rose of Versailles | Director (from episode 19 onward) | 1979–1980 |
| Tomorrow's Joe 2 | Director | 1980–1981 |
| Space Cobra | Director (with Yoshio Takeuchi) | 1982–1983 |
| Rainbow Brite | Joint Director | 1984 |
| The Mighty Orbots | Director | 1984 |
| Bionic Six | Director | 1987 |
| Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light | Creative Consultant | 1987 |
| Dear Brother | Director | 1991–1992 |
| In the Beginning: The Bible Stories | Director | 1997 |
| Hakugei: Legend of the Moby Dick | Director | 1997–1999 |
| Astro Boy | Storyboard | 2003 |
| The Snow Queen | Director and Storyboard Artist | 2005–2006 |
| Ultraviolet: Code 044 | Director, Screenplay, and Storyboard Artist | 2008 |
| Genji Monogatari Sennenki | Director and Screenplay | 2009 |

### Television specials

| Title | Position | Year |
| Frosty the Snowman | Animation Director | December 7, 1969 |
| Botchan | Supervisor | June 13, 1980 |
| Sweet Sea | Director | September 1985 |
| Lupin III: Bye Bye, Lady Liberty | Director | April 1, 1989 |
| Lupin III: Mystery of the Hemingway Papers | Director | July 20, 1990 |
| Lupin III: Steal Napoleon's Dictionary! | Director | August 9, 1991 |
| Lupin III: From Russia With Love | Director | July 24, 1992 |
| Lupin III: The Pursuit of Harimao's Treasure | Director | August 4, 1995 |
| Eiyuu Banka Koushi-den (The Life of Confucius) | Director | September 21, 1996 |

### Original video animations

| Title | Position | Year |
| Aim for the Ace! 2 / Ace o Nerae! 2 | Total Supervisor and Storyboard Artist | 1988 |
| One Pound Gospel | Director | 1988 |
| Kasei Yakyoku | Director | 1989 |
| Aim for the Ace! / Ace o Nerae! Final Stage | Director | 1989–1990 |
| B.B. | Director | 1990–1991 |
| Sword for Truth | Director | 1990 |
| Sohryuden: Legend of the Dragon Kings | Director | 1991–1993 |
| Takarajima Memorial: Yūnagi to Yobareta Otoko | Director | 1992 |
| Black Jack | Director | 1993–2000 |
| Golgo 13: Queen Bee | Director | 1998 |

### Movies

| Title | Position | Year |
| A Thousand and One Nights | Animator | 1969 |
| Belladonna of Sadness | Key Animator | 1973 |
| Aim for the Ace! The Movie: Jump High, Hiromi! | Director | 1979 |
| Tomorrow's Joe: The Movie | Director | 1980 |
| Nobody's Boy: Remi | Director | 1980 |
| Tomorrow's Joe: The Movie 2 | Director | 1981 |
| Space Adventure Cobra | Director | 1982 |
| Golgo 13: The Professional | Director | 1983 |
| The Seven Friends of Gamba | Director | 1984 |
| Treasure Island | Director | 1987 |
| Black Jack: The Movie | Director | 1996 |
| Hamtaro Movie 1: Adventures in Ham-Ham Land | Director, Co-Writer | 2001 |
| Hamtaro Movie 2: The Captive Princess | Director | 2002 |
| Hamtaro Movie 3: Miracle in Aurora Valley | Director | 2003 |
| Hamtaro Movie 4: Fairy Tale | Director | 2004 |
| Air | Director | 2005 |
| Clannad | Director | 2007 |