View source for Hiroyuki Kitakubo

{{Character Infobox
|title           = Hiroyuki Kitakubo
|image           = [[File:Hiroyuki Kitakubo Infobox.png|{{ImageSize}}]]
|ja_kanji        = 北久保 弘之
|ja_romaji       = Kitakubo Hiroyuki
|alias           = 
|age             =
|birthday        = November 15, 1963<ref name="media">https://web.archive.org/web/20110825063805/http://plaza.bunka.go.jp/english/festival/2000/animation/000357/</ref>
|birthplace      = 
|gender          = Male {{Gender|Male}}
|height          = 
|blood           = A
|nation          = Japanese {{Flag|Japan}}
|occupation      = Director <br />Screenwriter <br />Storyboard Artist<br />Animator
|hobby           = 
|colors          = StardustCrusaders
|jojodebut       = [[JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (OVA)]]
|website         = {{#widget:Twitter Follow Button|user=LawofGreen}}
}}
{{nihongo|'''Hiroyuki Kitakubo'''|北久保 弘之|Kitakubo Hiroyuki}} is a {{W|Japanese people|Japanese}} director, {{W|screenwriter}}, {{W|storyboard artist}} and animator credited for his work on the OVA adaptation of [[JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (OVA)|JoJo's Bizarre Adventure]] by [[Studio A.P.P.P.]]. He primarily wrote, storyboarded and directed several of its episodes.

==Biography==
Born on November 15, 1963,<ref name="media"/> Hiroyuki Kitakubo first broke into the animation industry after graduating middle school, working as an inbetweener for the first 1979 {{W|Mobile Suit Gundam}} Animation Series.<ref>Pacific Friend Volume 29, Issues 1-12. Jiji Gaho Sha, Inc. 2001. p. 46.</ref> Despite only being a teenager, Kitakubo worked on various notable shows, including {{W|Urusei Yatsura}} and {{W|Doraemon}}. In 1985, Kitakubo would gain notoriety after making his directorial debut on the fourth episode of {{W|Cream Lemon}}, titled [https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=7083 "Pop Chaser"], which was part of an ero-OVA series produced by [[A.P.P.P.]].

During the early stages of his career, Kitakubo worked at various studios such as [https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/company.php?id=231  Nakamura Pro] and [https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/company.php?id=1453 Neo Media] before establishing his own freelance animator group, "Studio MIN",{{Ref-Note|Short for Studio Minimum}} with four others in 1982.<ref>https://aninomiyako.wordpress.com/2010/10/26/satria-hiroyuki-kitakubo-stuff/</ref> Other well known animators in the group included {{W|Nobuteru Yūki|Nobuteru Yuki}}, {{W|Yuji Moriyama}} and [https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=11540 Hideki Tamura]. Studio MIN fell through in 1991 around the time Kitakubo worked on and directed {{W|Roujin Z}}, which was written by {{W|Akira (manga)|AKIRA}} creator {{W|Katsuhiro Otomo}}.

Kitakubo is credited as director for numerous animated series such as {{W|Robot Carnival}}, {{W|Golden Boy (manga)|Golden Boy}}, and {{W|Blood: The Last Vampire}}. He has also been particularly praised for the intro sequence to {{W|Patlabor|Mobile Police Platabor: Early days}}, which he key animated.
[[File:Ghost in the Shell Official Art book Pg. 22.jpg|thumb|180px|Kitakubo's Art for {{W|Ghost in the Shell (video game)|Ghost in the Shell (PS1)}}]]
With {{W|Blood: The Last Vampire}} being his most notable work, its success in 2001 would prompt him to win the 'Individual Award' at the {{W|Animation Kobe|6th Animation Kobe}}. The movie itself won two prizes, one in 2000 which was a grand prize at the {{W|Japan Media Arts Festival}} and another coming in as a first prize at the ''2001 World Animation Celebration''.

Kitakubo is also known for his involvement with the likes of {{W|Shirow Masamune}}, creator of the manga series, {{W|Ghost in the Shell (manga)|Ghost in the Shell}}. He first worked with Masamune as the director of the 1987 OVA adaptation of {{W|Black Magic (manga)|Black Magic}}, titled BLACK MAGIC M66, and once more in 1997 with writing and co-designing of the {{W|PlayStation (console)|PS1}} {{W|Ghost in the Shell (video game)|Ghost in the Shell}} video game.<ref>https://twitter.com/vgdensetsu/status/854459701999927296</ref>

==Credits==
*[[JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (OVA)]]
**Script: {{AButton|Link=Episode 8 (OVA)|Episode 8}}{{AButton|Link=Episode 9 (OVA)|Episode 9}}{{AButton|Link=Episode 10 (OVA)|Episode 10}}{{AButton|Link=Episode 11 (OVA)|Episode 11}}{{AButton|Link=Episode 13 (OVA)|Episode 13}}
**Episode Director: {{AButton|Link=Episode 8 (OVA)|Episode 8}}{{AButton|Link=Episode 9 (OVA)|Episode 9}}{{AButton|Link=Episode 13 (OVA)|Episode 13}}
**Storyboard: {{AButton|Link=Episode 13 (OVA)|Episode 13}}
{{-}}
==Interviews==
{{Interview|Special Talk: Hirohiko Araki vs. Hiroyuki Kitakubo (July 1994)}}

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Hiroyuki Kitakubo Sketch.png
OVA Storyboard 13-1.png
OVA Storyboard 13-2.png
OVA Storyboard 13-3.png
</gallery>
<gallery>
4 VJUMP - 1992-11 Hiroyuki X Araki.png|[[V Jump]] 11/1992, Interview with [[Hirohiko Araki]] 1/2
5 VJUMP - 1992-11 OVA Spread 2.png|11/1992, Interview with Araki 2/2
9 VJUMP - 1993-02 SFC Interview 1.png|V Jump 02/1993, [[JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (SFC Game)]] Interview
5 VJUMP - 1993-04 OVA Spread.png|V Jump 04/1993 Interview
5 VJUMP - 1993-07 OVA Spread.png|V Jump 07/1993 Interview
V Jump August 1993 OVA Promo.png|V Jump 08/1993 Interview 
V Jump September 1994 OVA Spread.png|V Jump 08/1993, Interview with Araki
2 Animage February 1994 OVA Spread.png|[[Animage]] Feb 1994 Interview
</gallery>

==Video==
{{#ev:nicovideo|http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm23997261|600}}

==Trivia==
*Famous artist {{W|Katsuya Terada}}, who is known for his {{W|The Legend of Zelda|Legend of Zelda}} artwork in American magazine {{W|Nintendo Power}}, worked with Kitakubo on his movie ''{{W|Blood: The Last Vampire}}''. Terada was commissioned by Kitakubo to draw character designs and eventually drew promotional art for the movie.

==See also==
*[[Junichi Hayama]]
*[[Takahiro Kishida]]
*[[Satoshi Kon]]
*[[Marco d'Ambrosio]]

==Notes==
{{Notes}}

==References==
{{References}}

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