Takao Koyama

(born in Akishima, Tokyo) is a Japanese screenwriter focusing on anime productions. He wrote the stories of all the Dragon Ball Z movies (including Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans and Dragon Ball: The Return of Son Goku and Friends!), with the exception of Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks and all of them from Dragon Ball: Episode of Bardock on.
==Biography==
Takao Koyama graduated from Waseda University in 1972 and joined Tatsunoko Production as a story creator and a screenwriter. He left from Tatsunoko in 1975, but he was related to the Time Bokan series, one of the most successful anime series of Tatsunoko, from Time Bokan in 1975 to the last series, Itadakiman in 1983.
After leaving from Tatsunoko, he wrote a lot of screenplays such as Dr. Slump and Arale-chan: Hoyoyo!! Follow the Rescued Shark..., Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Quest, Go! Go! Ackman, Saint Seiya, and Sailor Moon for Toei Animation, High School! Kimengumi for Gallop/Studio Comet, Yawara! for Kitty Films, and Galaxy Angel for Madhouse.
In parallel with works as screenwriter, he is endeavoring to bring up young talents. In 1986, he found "Anime Scenario House" to train the young anime scenario writers. By 1987, young screenwriters such as , Hiroyuki Kawasaki, Katsuyuki Sumisawa, and Aya Matsui graduated from Koyama's school. The school became Brother Noppo, a company to support screenwriters, in 1988.
Takao Koyama wrote the story of the first two side-stories based on the Dragon Ball Z anime: "In the Name of Piccolo Daimaō" (1989) and "Great Pride!! The Saiyan Prince Vegeta" (1991). With the illustrator Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru, Takao Koyama wrote a Dr. Slump follow-up manga titled Dr. Slump Returns, But Only For a Little While. The manga was serialized in V-Jump from 1994 to 1996, and has been collected into four tankōbon volumes. He later worked on the 1997 Dr. Slump remake. Koyama and Nakatsuru made a second follow-up of one of Akira Toriyama's series in 1998, titled New Cashman. This second follow-up manga was supervised by Akira Toriyama himself.
In 1999, he won the "Special/Lifetime Achievement" Award at the 4th Animation Kobe. He is a professor at the Osaka University of Arts, Character Design Department.
==Gallery==
==External links==
*Takao Koyama's biography (Japanese)
*Takao Koyama's biography (French)
*Takao Koyama's work, at animenewsnetwork.com (English)
*Brother Noppo official website (Japanese)
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