# Yoshiaki Itou

Yoshiaki Itou (Japanese: 伊藤良明, Hepburn: Itō Yoshiaki) is a Japanese animator and character designer best known for designing the characters to Hidamari Sketch (2007–2013).

## Career

Itou joined Shaft in 1987 as an in-between animator, and by 1989 he was promoted to key animator. In 1995, the studio produced its first original televised work, Juuni Senshi Bakuretsu Eto Ranger, which featured Itou's promotion to animation director. Shaft received numerous outsourcing jobs throughout the 90s of varying genres and styles, some of which had cute characters and comedy-oriented stories, and others which were more serious and had less-than-cute characters. Itou was particularly involved with the mecha series Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventure (1998), which may have led to his other mecha work on Dai-Guard (1999) and Sakura Wars (2000), in which he was also given the responsibility of mecha animation director (メカ作監) for a few episodes alongside general key animation and animation direction roles. Itou's first role as a character designer wasn't in-house on a Shaft work, but rather at Group TAC to whom he was lent to. Shaft had developed a relationship with Atsuhiro Iwakami, at the time a producer from SME Visual Works (now called Aniplex) after Shaft was outsourced to for a few episodes of Android Kikaider: The Animation (2001); and Group TAC, needing a character designer for Gakuen Alice (2004), received Itou's help as both character designer and chief animation director due to Iwakami's connection to Shaft.
Three years later, Itou took on the job of character designer for both Hidamari Sketch and a short film adaptation of Kino's Journey, the former of which began a long-running franchise of anime. Although he had worked on Shaft's titles with director Akiyuki Shinbo (who began a long-standing collaboration with the studio in 2004) prior to Hidamari Sketch, the series was Itou's first time directly working with Shinbo; and having seen Shinbo's prior works, such as Le Portrait de Petit Cossette (2004), Itou was initially nervous. Both Shinbo and Ume Aoki, the creator of the Hidamari Sketch manga, thought that he seemed "delicate." Ironically, despite Itou's prior abilities as a mecha animator, he likes cute and warm works, so he felt instantly attracted to Aoki's drawings in the manga. He had trouble with designing and drawing the characters, but was able to succeed with Aoki directly helping with the key elements of her drawings. Aoki stated that she was relieved for the anime seeing that Itou understood the characters–not just in the style of the drawings themselves, but also in the way that he poses the characters–and said that his drawings were cute. Although Itou also had the role of "chief animation director", he mentioned that he didn't touch the drawings for the second episode of the first season due to the quality of animation director Hideyuki Morioka's drawings. Until 2013, when the anime series ended, Itou continued to design the characters for and act as chief animation director for Hidamari Sketch (and even storyboarded an episode), occasionally helping out as a chief animation director on other series like Natsu no Arashi (2009).
Around 2015, Itou was given the offer by Mitsutoshi Kubota, Shaft's president, to act as a meal designer (メシデザイン) and meal animation director (メシ作監) for Gourmet Girl Graffiti. Itou was given the opportunity since he worked a lot with food-related scenes in the anime he worked on, saying that cooking scenes in TV anime ended up getting passed to him in many cases. Since Gourmet Girl Graffiti is mainly focused on cooking, such a role unifying all of the animators' works into a cohesive approach as far as drawings and even color was necessary. Attaining a visual style proved to be somewhat difficult, as Shinbo's only advice when presented with a design was that it "wasn't quite there yet." He worked closely with the color designer, Yasuko Watanabe, and the director of photography, Takayuki Aizu, to achieve what became the result used in the anime itself. Itou himself was in charge of the design and drawings of the food–and he'd also choose which colors to keep and leave out, as well as things like the brightness–and Watanabe would color them per her tastes, and the compositors (Aizu) would then add textures and give more input. Itou ended up focusing on the series' odd episodes and splitting the "meal animation director" role with Hirotoshi Arai, who took on the even episodes. Another aspect of the animation front for the series was using a lot of layers for the food to show depth and, generally, to make it look as good as possible; however, such a method isn't particularly workable under most TV schedules, especially on series where the food isn't a focus, so on a scene Itou was responsible for on March Comes In like a Lion (2016), he made sure that the staff only used two or three layers for the food drawings to reduce the time stress on the production staff's plate.

## Works

This is an incomplete list.

### Teleivison series

Highlights character design and chief animation direction roles. Highlights other main animation staff member roles.
| Year | Title | Director(s) | Studio | CD | CAD | AD | KA | Other roles and notes |
| 1987 | Hiatari Ryōkō! | Gisaburō Sugii Hiroko Tokita | Group TAC | No | No | No | No | In-between animator |
| 1989 | Idol Densetsu Eriko | Tetsurō Amino | Ashi Productions | No | No | No | Yes | In-between animator |
| 1990 | Kyatto Ninden Teyandee | Kunitoshi Okajima | Tatsunoko Production | No | No | No | Yes | |
| 1991 | Oh! My Konbu | Tetsuo Imazawa [ja] | Studio Koriumi | No | No | No | Yes | |
| 1992 | Thumbelina: A Magical Story | Hiromitsu Morita | Enoki Films | No | No | No | Yes | |
| 1993 | The Irresponsible Captain Tylor | Kōichi Mashimo | Tatsunoko Production | No | No | No | Yes | |
| 1994 | The Legend of Snow White | Kunitoshi Okajima | Tatsunoko Production | No | No | No | Yes | |
| 1995 | Juuni Senshi Bakuretsu Eto Ranger | Kunitoshi Okajima | Shaft | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
| 1996 | Kiko-chan's Smile | Setsuko Shibuichi | Magic Bus | No | No | No | Yes | |
| 1997 | Revolutionary Girl Utena | Kunihiko Ikuhara | J.C.Staff | No | No | No | Yes | |
| 1997 | Battle Athletes Victory | Katsuhito Akiyama | AIC | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
| 1998 | Silent Mobius | Hideki Tonokatsu Nobuyuki Takeuchi | Radix Shaft | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
| 1998 | Generator Gawl | Seiji Mizushima | Tatsunoko Production | No | No | No | Yes | |
| 1999 | Space Pirate Mito | Takashi Watanabe | Triangle Staff | No | No | No | Yes | |
| 1999 | Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventures | Katsuhito Akiyama | AIC | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
| 1999 | A Pair of Queens | Takashi Watanabe | Triangle Staff | No | No | No | Yes | |
| 1999 | Dai Guard | Seiji Mizushima | Xebec | No | No | Yes | Yes | Mecha animation director |
| 1999 | Now and Then, Here and There | Akitaro Daichi | AIC | No | No | No | Yes | |
| 1999 | Magic User's Club | Junichi Sato | Triangle Staff Madhouse | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
| 2000 | Boogiepop Phantom | Takashi Watanabe | Madhouse | No | No | Yes | No | |
| 2000 | Sakura Wars | Ryūtarō Nakamura | Madhouse | No | No | Yes | Yes | Mecha animation director |
| 2000 | Android Kikaider: The Animation | Tensai Okamura | Radix Studio Ox | No | No | No | Yes | |
| 2000 | Dotto Koni-chan | Shinichi Watanabe Kenji Yasuda | Shaft | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
| 2001 | Sister Princess | Kiyotaka Oohata [ja] | Zexcs | No | No | No | Yes | |
| 2001 | The SoulTaker | Akiyuki Shinbo | Tatsunoko Production Tatsunoko VCR | No | No | No | Yes | |
| 2001 | Cyborg 009: The Cyborg Soldier | Jun Kawagoe | Japan Vistec | No | No | No | Yes | |
| 2001 | Mahoromatic | Hiroyuki Yamaga | Gainax Shaft | No | No | Yes | Yes | Assistant animation director |
| 2002 | Mahoromatic: Something More Beautiful | Hiroyuki Yamaga | Gainax Shaft | No | No | Yes | Yes | Assistant animation director |
| 2002 | Seven of Seven | Yasuhiro Imagawa | A.C.G.T | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
| 2002 | G-On Riders | Shinichiro Kimura | TNK | No | No | No | Yes | |
| 2003 | Popotan | Shinichiro Kimura | Shaft | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2003 | Kino's Journey | Ryūtarō Nakamura | A.C.G.T | No | No | Yes | No | |
| 2003 | Maburaho | Shinichiro Kimura | J.C.Staff | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
| 2004 | Gakuen Alice | Takahiro Omori | Group TAC | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2004 | Tetsujin 28-gou | Yasuhiro Imagawa | Palm Studio | No | No | No | Yes | |
| 2004 | This Ugly yet Beautiful World | Shouji Saeki | Gainax Shaft | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
| 2004 | Tsukuyomi: Moon Phase | Akiyuki Shinbo | Shaft | No | No | No | No | Assistant animation director (Blu-ray version) |
| 2005 | Pani Poni Dash! | Akiyuki Shinbo Shin Oonuma | Shaft | No | No | Yes | Yes | Assistant animation director Eyecatch |
| 2006 | REC | Ryūtarō Nakamura | Shaft | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
| 2006 | Negima!? | Akiyuki Shinbo Shin Oonuma | Shaft | No | No | Yes | Yes | Assistant animation director |
| 2007 | Hidamari Sketch | Akiyuki Shinbo Ryouki Kamitsubo | Shaft | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2007 | Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei | Akiyuki Shinbo | Shaft | No | Yes | No | Yes | |
| 2007 | Ef: A Tale of Memories | Shin Oonuma | Shaft | No | No | Yes | Yes | Assistant animation director |
| 2008 | Hidamari Sketch x 365 | Akiyuki Shinbo | Shaft | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2008 | Ef: A Tale of Melodies | Shin Oonuma | Shaft | No | No | Yes | No | |
| 2009 | Natsu no Arashi! | Akiyuki Shinbo Shin Oonuma | Shaft | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2009 | Maria Holic | Akiyuki Shinbo Yukihiro Miyamoto | Shaft | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
| 2009 | Bakemonogatari | Akiyuki Shinbo Tatsuya Oishi | Shaft | No | No | Yes | Yes | Assistant animation director |
| 2009 | Zan Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei | Akiyuki Shinbo Yukihiro Miyamoto | Shaft | No | No | No | Yes | |
| 2010 | Hidamari Sketch x Hoshimittsu | Akiyuki Shinbo Kenichi Ishikura | Shaft | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2010 | And Yet the Town Moves | Akiyuki Shinbo | Shaft | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
| 2011 | Hidamari Sketch x SP | Akiyuki Shinbo | Shaft | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Storyboard artist |
| 2011 | Puella Magi Madoka Magica | Akiyuki Shinbo Yukihiro Miyamoto | Shaft | No | No | Yes | Yes | Assistant animation director |
| 2012 | Hidamari Sketch x Honeycomb | Akiyuki Shinbo Yuki Yase | Shaft | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2012 | Nisemonogatari | Akiyuki Shinbo Tomoyuki Itamura | Shaft | No | No | Yes | No | |
| 2013 | Monogatari Series Second Season | Akiyuki Shinbo Tomoyuki Itamura Naoyuki Tatsuwa Yuki Yase | Shaft | No | No | Yes | No | Assistant animation director |
| 2014 | Nisekoi | Akiyuki Shinbo Naoyuki Tatsuwa | Shaft | No | No | Yes | Yes | Assistant animation director |
| 2014 | Mekakucity Actors | Akiyuki Shinbo Yuki Yase | Shaft | No | No | No | Yes | |
| 2014 | Hanamonogatari | Akiyuki Shinbo Tomoyuki Itamura | Shaft | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
| 2015 | Gourmet Girl Graffiti | Akiyuki Shinbo Naoyuki Tatsuwa | Shaft | No | No | Yes | Yes | Meal designer Meal animation director |
| 2015 | Nisekoi: | Akiyuki Shinbo Yukihiro Miyamoto | Shaft | No | No | No | Yes | |
| 2015 | Owarimonogatari | Akiyuki Shinbo Tomoyuki Itamura | Shaft | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
| 2016 | March Comes In like a Lion | Akiyuki Shinbo Kenjirou Okada | Shaft | No | No | No | Yes | Assistant animation director |
| 2017 | March Comes In like a Lion 2nd Season | Akiyuki Shinbo Kenjirou Okada | Shaft | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
| 2018 | Fate/Extra: Last Encore | Akiyuki Shinbo Yukihiro Miyamoto | Shaft | No | No | Yes | Yes | Assistant animation director 2nd key animator |
| 2019 | The Quintessential Quintuplets | Satoshi Kuwabara | Tezuka Productions | No | No | No | Yes | |
| 2019 | Zoku Owarmonogatari | Akiyuki Shinbo | Shaft | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
| 2020 | Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story | Doroinu Yukihiro Miyamoto Kenjirou Okada Midori Yoshizawa | Shaft | No | No | Yes | No | Main animator |
| 2020 | Lapis Re:Lights | Hiroyuki Hata | Yokohama Animation Lab | No | No | Yes | No | |
| 2020 | Assault Lily Bouquet | Shouji Saeki Hajime Ootani | Shaft | No | No | Yes | No | 2nd key animator |
| 2021 | Pretty Boy Detective Club | Akiyuki Shinbo Hajime Ootani | Shaft | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
| 2021 | Magia Record: The Eve of Awakening | Doroinu Yukihiro Miyamoto | Shaft | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2022 | Magia Record: Dawn of a Shallow Dream | Doroinu Yukihiro Miyamoto | Shaft | No | No | No | Yes | |
| 2022 | RWBY: Ice Queendom | Toshimasa Suzuki Kenjirou Okada | Shaft | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2022 | Luminous Witches | Shouji Saeki | Shaft | No | No | No | No | Assistant animation director |
| 2023 | Mashle | Tomonari Tanaka | A-1 Pictures | No | No | Yes | No | |
| 2023 | Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead | Kazuki Kawagoe | Bug Films | No | No | Yes | No | |
| 2024 | Mashle: The Divine Visionary Candidate Arc | Tomonari Tanaka | A-1 Pictures | No | No | Yes | No | |

### OVAs/ONAs

| Year | Title | Director(s) | Studio | CD | CAD | AD | KA | Other roles and notes |
| 1987 | Taiman Blues: Naoto Shimizu-hen | Takao Yotsuji | Shaft | No | No | No | No | In-between animator |
| 1990 | Hidan no O'Clock!! | Osamu Inoue Hiroaki Inoue | Toei Animation | No | No | No | Yes | |
| 1994 | Baki the Grappler | Yuuji Asada [ja] | Knack | No | No | No | Yes | |
| 1995 | Inma Youjo | Kazuma Muraki | Magic Bus | No | No | No | Yes | |
| 1995 | SM Girls: Saber Marionette R | Koji Masunari | Zero-G Room | No | No | No | Yes | |
| 1995 | Weather Report Girl | Kunihiko Yuyama | Pastel | No | No | No | Yes | |
| 1995 | Legend of the Galactic Heroes | Noboru Ishiguro Masatoshi Tahara Keizou Shimizu | Shaft | No | No | No | Yes | |
| 1996 | Shadow Skill | Hiroshi Negishi | Zero-G Room | No | No | No | Yes | |
| 1997 | Legend of Crystania: The Chaos Ring | Ryūtarō Nakamura | Triangle Staff | No | No | No | Yes | |
| 1998 | Legend of the Galactic Heroes Gaiden | Noboru Ishiguro | Shaft | No | No | No | Yes | |
| 2000 | Kita e. Pure Session | Mitsuko Kase [ja] | Studio D-Volt | No | No | Yes | No | |
| 2002 | Arcade Gamer Fubuki | Yuuji Mutou | Shaft | No | No | Yes | Yes | Assistant chief animation director Preview animation |
| 2003 | Papillon Rose | Shinji Tobita [ja] | Studio Kelmadick | No | No | Yes | No | |
| 2006 | Negima: Spring Special | Akiyuki Shinbo Shin Oonuma | Shaft | No | No | No | Yes | Assistant animation director |
| 2008 | Goku Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei | Akiyuki Shinbo Yukihiro Miyamoto | Shaft | No | No | Yes | No | Assistant animation director |
| 2011 | Katteni Kaizō | Akiyuki Shinbo Naoyuki Tatsuwa | Shaft | No | No | Yes | Yes | Assistant chief animation director Assistant animation director |
| 2012 | Palutena's Revolting Dinner | Akiyuki Shinbo | Shaft | No | No | Yes | No | |
| 2013 | Hidamari Sketch: Sae & Hiro's Graduation Arc | Akiyuki Shinbo Yuki Yase | Shaft | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2015 | Magical Suite Prism Nana | Yukihiro Miyamoto (1) | Shaft | No | No | No | No | Main animator |
| 2016 | Koyomimonogatari | Akiyuki Shinbo Tomoyuki Itamura | Shaft | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
| 2024 | Monogatari Series Off & Monster Season | Akiyuki Shinbo Midori Yoshizawa | Shaft | No | No | Yes | Yes | |

### Films

| Year | Title | Director(s) | Studio | CD | CAD | AD | KA | Other roles and notes |
| 1988 | Bikkuriman: Muen Zone no Hihou | Junichi Sato | Toei Animation | No | No | No | No | In-between animator |
| 1988 | Hiatari Ryōkō! Kasumi: Yume no Naka ni Kimi ga Ita | Kimiharu Ogawa | Group TAC | No | No | No | No | In-between animator |
| 1996 | Tenchi the Movie: Tenchi Muyo in Love | Hiroshi Negishi | AIC | No | No | No | Yes | |
| 1999 | Adolescence of Utena | Kunihiko Ikuhara | J.C.Staff | No | No | No | Yes | |
| 2007 | Kino's Journey: Country of Illness | Ryūtarō Nakamura | Shaft | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2013 | Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Rebellion | Akiyuki Shinbo Yukihiro Miyamoto | Shaft | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
| 2017 | Kizumonogatari III: Reiketsu | Akiyuki Shinbo Tatsuya Oishi | Shaft | No | No | No | Yes | |
| 2017 | Fireworks | Akiyuki Shinbo Nobuyuki Takeuchi | Shaft | No | No | No | Yes | 2nd key animator |