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Katsuya Kondo

Known For
Visual Effects

Known Credits
1

Gender
Male

Birthday
June 2, 1963 (63 years old)

Place of Birth
Ehime, Japan

Katsuya Kondo

Biography

Katsuya Kondō (近藤 勝也, born June 2, 1963, in Ehime Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese manga artist, character designer, animator, and animation director. He is best known for his character design work on the Studio Ghibli films Kiki's Delivery Service and Ocean Waves, as well as the PlayStation game Jade Cocoon. His character designs are considered the epitome of the Studio Ghibli style.

After graduating from high school, he began working for Osamu Dezaki and Akio Sugino at their Studio Annapuru. Under the direction of Shinji Ōtsuka, Kondō worked as a key animator of the TV anime series Cat's Eye. He then worked as a free agent on such shows as The Mighty Orbots, Rainbow Brite, and Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears. His first work with Studio Ghibli was as a key animator on Castle in the Sky. After working on the Gainax film The Wings of Honneamise and the OVAs Devilman and Meikyū Bukken File 538, Kondō began to be known for the high quality of his work.

Kondō collaborated with Ken'ichi Sakemi on a manga retelling of the Joan of Arc story, as well as doing the character designs for the Jade Cocoon video game series. He also collaborated with Sakemi by creating the character designs for the 1990 NTV TV movie Like the Clouds, Like the Wind (based on Sakemi's novel Kōkyū Monogatari), which tells the story of a young country girl who is chosen to become one of the Emperor's concubines. He also worked with Tomomi Mochizuki on the NHK Minna no Uta music video titled Kaze no Tōri Michi, produced by Ajia-do Animation Works for Sayuri Horishita. In 2007, he was announced as the supervising animator of the Studio Ghibli film Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea. He also wrote the lyrics for the film's theme song.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Katsuya Kondō, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For

Visual Effects

2026Samurai Ballerina -L'étoile de Paris en fleur-...Character Designer
2026Samurai Ballerina -L'étoile de Paris en fleur-...Key Animation
2023The Boy and the Heron...Key Animation
2022Zen - Grogu and Dust Bunnies...Animation
2021Earwig and the Witch...Character Designer
2014Ronja, the Robber's Daughter...Character Designer
2014When Marnie Was There...Key Animation
2013The Wind Rises...Key Animation
2011From Up on Poppy Hill...Character Designer
2010The Secret World of Arrietty...Key Animation
2008Ponyo...Animation Director
2007Den-noh Coil...Key Animation
2006House Hunting...Animation Director
2004Howl's Moving Castle...Animation Supervisor
2004Howl's Moving Castle...Key Animation
2000The Aurora...Character Designer
1999My Neighbors the Yamadas...Key Animation
1997Princess Mononoke...Animation
1994Pom Poko...Key Animation
1993Ocean Waves...Character Designer
1993Ocean Waves...Animation Director
1992Porco Rosso...Key Animation
1991Only Yesterday...Animation Director
1990Like the Clouds, Like the Wind...Character Designer
1990Like the Clouds, Like the Wind...Animation Director
1990Devilman - Volume 2: Demon Bird...Key Animation
1989Kiki's Delivery Service...Animation Director
1989Kiki's Delivery Service...Character Designer
1988My Neighbor Totoro...Key Animation
1987Devilman - Volume 1: The Birth...Key Animation
1987Royal Space Force - The Wings of Honneamise...Key Animation
1987Twilight Q...Key Animation
1987Twilight Q...Character Designer
1986Castle in the Sky...Key Animation
1986Amon Saga...Key Animation

Directing

2022Zen - Grogu and Dust Bunnies...Director
2016The Journey Continues...Director
2016Balance...Director
2016Encounter...Director

Creator

1992Everything Ghibli Special Short Shorts...Creator

Acting

2008NEWS ZERO Spinoff: "Ponyo on the Cliff" Close-Up! Five Genius Craftmenas Self