Mahiro Maeda
Mahiro Maeda (前田 真宏 "Maeda Mahiro"; born March 14, 1963) is a Japanese anime director, character designer, and animator. Helen McCarthy in "500 Essential Anime Movies" called him "one of the most imaginative visualists in anime". He also worked on Concept Art and Design for "" (2015), which won six Academy Awards. He has been one of the top contributors at the anime studio GONZO for many years, having directed "Blue Submarine No. 6", "" and "". His design work ranges from 2 of the "Angels" in "Neon Genesis Evangelion" to production and mechanical design for such series as , "The Vision  of Escaflowne" and "Last Exile". He was also one of the designers for "Gate Keepers 21". His earlier years were spent mostly at the famed Studio Ghibli, where he helped animate classics such as "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind", "Castle in the Sky", and "Porco Rosso". Maeda is one of the select Japanese directors to actively collaborate with the international film media on various projects. He provided key animation for the animation sequence in Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill Vol. 1". His directorial work has also been featured in such exclusive package films as "The Animatrix" (segment: "The  Second Renaissance Parts I and II"), "Genius Party Beyond" (segment: "Gala"), and "Ani*Kuri15" (segment: "Princess Onmitsu"). He has also visited the American Anime Expo convention in 2000 and 2003.