Masayuki Kojima
Masayuki Kojima (小島 正幸, Kojima Masayuki; born March 11, 1961) is a Japanese animator, storyboard artist, and director, best known for directing the acclaimed anime series Monster and Made in Abyss.
Life and career
Kojima, a native of Yamanashi, Yamanashi, was born on March 11, 1961.[1] He decided to enter the anime industry due to his love for visual media;[2] although he could have worked in live-action media, he also drew manga and felt that animation offered the most direct way to combine his own drawings with visual storytelling.[1] He enrolled at Tokyo Designer Academy with the goal of becoming an animation director.[1][3] After graduating, he joined an animation production company.[1]
In 1982, he made his directorial debut with the tenth episode of Gyakuten! Ippatsuman, produced at Tatsunoko Production.[4] He went on to direct episodes for various Tatsunoko Production titles as well as series such as Moomin.[1][3] During this time, his involvement was in television products mostly as an episode director. After joining Madhouse in the 1990s, he took part in dozens of productions as an animator, as well as helming several TV series, two films, a theatrical short, and a TV special. He has since left the studio and joined Kinema Citrus in 2011.
Since coming to work for Madhouse, Kojima has been primarily a drama director, and one who specializes in lengthy series. He has directed two adaptations of Naoki Urasawa's manga, Master Keaton and Monster, both of which have received critical acclaim. He directed a full-length theatrical film, Piano no Mori, which was released in Japan on July 21, 2007[5] and received a nomination for the 2008 Japan Academy Film Prize for Animation of the Year.[6] In 2011, he joined several other Madhouse crew members for the film Tibetan Dog, which he directed.[7] In 2017, he directed the first season of the anime Made in Abyss,[8][9] while also storyboarding nine of the season's episodes.[10] He later led it through its second season, which was released in 2022.[11] He also directed the 2020 film Made in Abyss: Dawn of the Deep Soul.[12]
Kojima attended Anime Central 2019 in Rosemont, Illinois.[13]
Artistry
Kevin Cirugeda of SakugaBlog called him a "chameleonic creator", remarking that "adaptability is his forte".[14] Dominic Laeno of THEM Anime Reviews praised Kojima's directorial expertise on Monster, citing his ability to convey storytelling, animation, and character personality and designs.[15] Carl Kimlinger of Anime News Network similarly praised both Kojima's faithfulness to the original Monster manga and use of live-action dubbers as voice actors.[16] Bamboo Dong, also of Anime News Network, stated that Kojima's involvement in Black Bullet was a rare upside of an otherwise weak anime.[17] A study by University of Arkansas-Fayetteville doctoral student Tsutomu Doiguchi assigned Kojima with a director HC (managerial human capital) of 181, the highest in a sample of anime films from 2000 to 2022, for Made in Abyss: Dawn of the Deep Soul.[18]
Kojima cites Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata as influences.[1]
Filmography
Director
- Azuki-chan (1995–1998) — Series Director,[19] Storyboard,[20] Animation Director
- DNA Sights 999.9 (1998) — Director, Storyboard
- Master Keaton (1998–1999) — Series Director,[21] Storyboard (eps. 1–2, 4, 13), Episode Director (eps. 2, 13)
- Leave it to Kero! Theatrical Version (2000) — Director[20]
- Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi (2002) — Series Director,[20] Storyboard (eps. 2, 10, 12), Episode Director (ep. 2)
- Hanada Shōnen Shi (2002) — Director[20]
- Monster (2004–2005) — Director,[20] Storyboard (eps. 1–2, 6, 8, 38, 67, 73-74), Episode Director (eps. 1, 73), Key Animation
- A Spirit of the Sun (2006) — Director, Storyboard[20]
- Piano no Mori (2007) — Director,[5] Storyboard
- The Tibetan Dog (2011) — Director,[7] Storyboard
- Busou Shinki: Moon Angel (2011–2012) — Director, Storyboard,[20] Episode Director
- Oshiri Kajiri Mushi (2012–2013) — Director[20]
- Black Bullet (2014) — Director,[17] Key Animation (ep. 13)
- Made in Abyss (2017–2022) — Director,[22] Storyboard (eps. 1–3, 5, 8-10, 12-13), Episode Director (ep. 12)
- Made in Abyss: Dawn of the Deep Soul (2020) — Director, Storyboard[12]
- My Happy Marriage season 2 (2025) — Director[23]
- Made in Abyss: Mezameru Shinpi (2026) — Director[24]
Other
- Cybot Robotchi (1982–1983) — Episode Director
- Okawari-Boy Starzan S (1984) — Storyboard, Episode Director[20]
- Aru Kararu no Isan OVA (1993) — Storyboard[20]
- Cardcaptor Sakura (1998) — Storyboard[20] (ep. 2)
- Reign: The Conqueror (1999) — Storyboard
- Sakura Wars (2000) — Animation Director[20]
- Shingu: Secret of the Stellar Wars (2001) — Storyboard
- Space Pirate Captain Herlock The Endless Odyssey OVA (2002) — Storyboard (eps. 7-8)
- Trava: Fist Planet OVA (2003) — In-Between Animation
- Texhnolyze (2003) — Storyboard (ep. 7)
- Gungrave (2003–2004) — Key Animation (eps. 1–2, 8, 18)
- Gunslinger Girl (2003–2004) — Storyboard[20] (ep. 3)
- Gokusen (2004) — Storyboard[20]
- Samurai Champloo (2004–2005) — Key Animation (eps. 5, 22)
- Trinity Blood (2005) — Storyboard
- Black Lagoon (2006) — Key Animation
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 其の三 小島正幸 （１）. Madhouse (in Japanese). Archived from the original on June 21, 2007. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
- ↑ Kawauchi, Fumihiro (August 28, 2022). 『メイドインアビス』小島正幸監督（インタビュー後編）. Web Seiyū Men with Girl (in Japanese). Futabasha. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
- 1 2 Kojima, Masayuki; Okada, Kozue (August 14, 2007). 『ピアノの森』小島正幸&岡田こずえインタビュー 前編. Web Anime Style (Interview) (in Japanese). Interviewed by Oguro, Yūichirō; Hayakawa, Yū; Okamoto, Atsushi. 株式会社スタイル. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
- ↑ Kawauchi, Fumihiro (August 27, 2022). 『メイドインアビス』小島正幸監督（インタビュー前編）. Web Seiyū Men with Girl (in Japanese). Futabasha. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
- 1 2 実写でもいける？アニメ「ピアノの森」豪華キャストが舞台挨拶. Eiga.com (in Japanese). July 23, 2007. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
- ↑ 2008年（第31回）日本アカデミー賞 主な優秀賞. Oricon News (in Japanese). February 15, 2008. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
- 1 2 Sevakis, Justin (September 2, 2014). "Pile of Shame - The Tibetan Dog". Anime News Network. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
- ↑ 『メイドインアビス』つくしあきひと先生×小島正幸監督対談！ TVアニメ最終回から原作者が受け取ったモノ. Animate Times (in Japanese). Retrieved July 26, 2026.
- ↑ 「メイドインアビス」テレビアニメ化 監督は小島正幸 キャラクターデザインは黄瀬和哉. Anime! Anime! (in Japanese). December 22, 2016. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
- ↑ Disgaeamad (December 30, 2017). "A Look at the Sakuga and Animation of 2017". Sakuga Blog. Archived from the original on August 17, 2025. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
- ↑ Kojima, Masayuki (June 28, 2022). 2期放送直前！『メイドインアビス』を振り返る特集 監督・小島正幸インタビュー. Febri (Interview) (in Japanese). Interviewed by Miya, Shōtarō. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
- 1 2 Morrissy, Kim (January 28, 2020). "Made in Abyss: Dawn of the Deep Soul". Anime News Network. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
- ↑ "Anime Central 2019 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
- ↑ Cirugeda, Kevin (August 6, 2020). "Re:Zero Starting Life in Another World Season 2 – Production Notes S2 01-05 (26-30)". SakugaBlog. Archived from the original on September 4, 2025. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
- ↑ Laeno, Dominic. "Monster". THEM Anime Reviews. Archived from the original on June 13, 2025. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
- ↑ Kimlinger, Carl (January 4, 2010). "Monster DVD Box Set 1". Anime News Network. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
- 1 2 Chapman, Hope; Dong, Bamboo; Kimlinger, Carl; Silverman, Rebecca; Martin, Theron (April 8, 2014). "The Spring 2014 Anime Preview Guide - Black Bullet". Anime News Network. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
- ↑ Doiguchi, Tsutomu (2025). The Role of Managerial Human Capital in Resource Acquisition and Deployment: A Study of the Japanese Anime Film Industry (PhD thesis). University of Arkansas-Fayetteville.
- ↑ Clements, Jonathan; McCarthy, Helen (2006). The anime encyclopedia: a guide to Japanese animation since 1917 (Rev. & expanded ed.). Berkeley, Calif.: Stone Bridge Press [u.a.] p. 40. ISBN 1933330104. OCLC 191730292.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 小島正幸. Allcinema (in Japanese). Retrieved August 2, 2026.
- ↑ Luster, Joseph (February 10, 2015). "Manga Review: Master Keaton vol 1". Otaku USA. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
- ↑ Creamer, Nick (October 25, 2017). "Made in Abyss Episodes 1-13 Streaming". Anime News Network. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
- ↑ 『わたしの幸せな結婚』第二期、2025年1月放送スタート、ティザービジュアル＆ティザーPV公開！ 追加声優に置鮎龍太郎さん・井上喜久子さん・内田夕夜さん、コメント到着. Animate Times (in Japanese). September 23, 2024. Retrieved August 8, 2026.
- ↑ 「メイドインアビス 目覚める神秘」本予告映像、追加キャストに諸星すみれ＆星野貴紀. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. August 7, 2026. Retrieved August 8, 2026.
External links
- Masayuki Kojima at Anime News Network's encyclopedia