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Kenji Kamiyama

Kenji Kamiyama
神山 健治
Kamiyama in 2023
Born (1966-03-20) March 20, 1966 (age 58)
Saitama Prefecture, Japan[1]
Occupation(s)director, writer
Years active1987-present
Websitewww.ph9.jp

Kenji Kamiyama (神山 健治, Kamiyama Kenji, born on March 20, 1966) is a Japanese director and writer, best known for Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.

Career

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After working as a background artist for productions such as Akira and Kiki's Delivery Service, Kamiyama joined Production I.G, contributing the screenplay of Blood: The Last Vampire and working as an animation director for Jin-Roh. In 2002, Kamiyama made his directorial debut with MiniPato, followed by Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. Stand Alone Complex was produced with an 800 million yen investment, and Kamiyama decided to make the series as a "relative" to the manga and film, serving as a separate parallel world from both.[2] The series was followed by Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG. In 2007, after almost six years of working on the Stand Alone Complex world, he directed the TV series Guardian of the Sacred Spirit. In 2008, it was announced that Kamiyama would direct and write Eden of the East. The series ran in 2009 from April 9 to June 18.[3]

Kamiyama and Shinji Aramaki directed Blade Runner: Black Lotus, an anime for Adult Swim and Crunchyroll, which was released in 2021 and 2022.[4][5][6] On August 2, 2021, it was announced that Kamiyama would act as both director and writer of the feature-length anime work, Eien no 831 (transl. Eternal 831). The movie was broadcast in January 2022 on Wowow.[7] Kamiyama directed The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, which released on December 13, 2024. Kamiyama described the film as an unprecendented opportunity despite the challenges that come from developing such project and being different from the thematic approaches he took on his other works.[8] For the main character, Héra, Kamiyama suggested the writers take inspiration from the historical female leader Æthelflæd as she played a similar role, and Tolkien was inspired by such historical figures.[9][10]

Filmography

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Television series and OVA

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Year Title Role Ref.
1987 DuckTales backgrounds [11]
1988–1989 Patlabor [11]
1990–1991 The Hakkenden art director
1991 Burn Up!
1993–1995 The Hakkenden: A New Saga
1994 Genocyber
1999–2000 Wild Arms: Twilight Venom scripts for episodes 3, 10 and 21
Medabots storyboards for episodes 19, 34, 41, 48 and episode director for 34, 41, 48
2002 Mini Pato director
2002–2003 Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex director, series composition, script, storyboard, chief writer [11]
2004–2005 Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG
2007 Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit director, script [11]
2009 Eden of the East director, series composition, screenplay, storyboard, chief writer
2014 Mou Hitotsu no Mirai O. director
2019–2023 Ultraman director
2020–2022 Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 director [12]
2021 Star Wars: Visions director, script short The Ninth Jedi
2021–2022 Blade Runner: Black Lotus director

Film

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Year Title Role Ref.
1991 Roujin Z assistant art director [11]
1998 Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade unit director
2000 Blood: The Last Vampire screenplay, planning assistance
2006 Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Solid State Society director, script, storyboard [11]
2007 Eat and Run: 6 Beautiful Grifters segment director Dandelion: Mabu of the Dining Hall [11]
2009 Eden of the East: The King of Eden director, screenplay
2010 Eden of the East: Paradise Lost
2012 009 Re:Cyborg director, script
2016 Cyborg 009: Call of Justice chief director
2017 Napping Princess director, screenplay
2022 Eien no 831 [7]
2024 The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim director [13]

References

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  1. ^ "神山監督、2020年の日本を予測する!!". Retrieved 2017-07-21.
  2. ^ "Into the Network: The Ghost in the Shell Universe". Production I.G. Archived from the original on 17 May 2011. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
  3. ^ ノイタミナ: 攻殻・神山とハチクロ・羽海野がタッグ アニメ｢東のエデン｣が09年4月から (in Japanese). JP: Mainichi Shimbun. 2008-11-27. Archived from the original on 2008-12-25. Retrieved 2024-12-19.
  4. ^ Otterson, Joe (November 29, 2018). "Blade Runner Anime Series". Variety. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
  5. ^ Gurwin, Gabe (November 29, 2018). "BLADE RUNNER ANIME SERIES COMING TO CARTOON NETWORK, CRUNCHYROLL". IGN. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
  6. ^ Yoo, Noah (November 29, 2018). "Adult Swim Announces New "Blade Runner" Anime Series". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
  7. ^ a b Loo, Egan (August 3, 2021). "Kenji Kamiyama's Original Anime Feature Eien no 831 to Premiere Next January". Anime News Network. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  8. ^ Loveridge, Lynzee (December 13, 2024). "Director Kenji Kamiyama Calls The War of the Rohirrim an 'Unprecedented Opportunity' for Anime". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
  9. ^ Motamayor, Rafael (June 13, 2023). "The Lord Of The Rings: The War Of Rohirrim Gives Us Middle-Earth Anime, And We Can't Wait [Annecy 2023]". /Film. Archived from the original on June 13, 2023. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
  10. ^ "Exclusive: Philippa Boyens talks The War of The Rohirrim with TheOneRing.net". TheOneRing.net. June 28, 2022. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g Wong, Amos (January 2008). "Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex". Newtype USA. Vol. 7, no. 1. pp. 58–61. ISSN 1541-4817.
  12. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (August 2, 2018). "New Ghost in the Shell Anime Will Have 2 Seasons". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
  13. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (February 14, 2022). "Kenji Kamiyama's The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim Film Opens in April 2024". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
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