Tsutomu Shibayama, historic director of Doraemon and Ranma 1/2, passes away

The Japanese animation industry is rapidly losing the pillars that built its golden age. Surviving the brutal production schedules of the last century does not guarantee biological immunity. This Tuesday, the Ajiado animation studio officially announced the passing of its former president and veteran anime director, Tsutomu Shibayama. The creative passed away on March 6 due to lung cancer at the age of 84, saying goodbye in a private funeral held exclusively for his family circle.

The monopoly on Japanese childhood

This director's name is tattooed on the visual subconscious of multiple generations. His impact on popular culture was consolidated thanks to his marathon work within the Doraemon franchise. Shibayama directed the feature films of the cosmic cat for over two uninterrupted decades. His final participation in this saga occurred in 2004 with the theatrical release of Doraemon the Movie: Nobita in the Wan-Nyan Spacetime Odyssey. He also helmed the main television series during a large part of its broadcast.

A heavy and chaotic resume

Outside of children's science fiction, the director's talent spanned much more frenetic works. In 1989, he took control of the first season of the hit martial arts comedy Ranma 1/2. Immediately after, he defined the visual style of the original Chibi Maruko-chan television adaptation between 1990 and 1992, in addition to directing its feature films. His directing history also includes leading massive projects of the era such as Nintama Rantaro and Kaiketsu Zorori.

Half a century between frames

The creative's career serves as a manual for corporate survival. He began drawing frames in 1963 for Toei Doga, the massive company that today dominates the market under the name Toei Animation. He moved to the offices of A Production in 1966 to animate titles such as Kyojin no Hoshi. Finally, in 1978, he co-founded Ajiado studio, climbing corporate positions until reaching the absolute presidency of the company. The Tokyo Anime Award Festival committee recognized this historical weight in 2018 by awarding him the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Considering the enormous number of classic franchises that passed through this director's hands, which of all these series do you think has aged best over the decades?