Yōichi Kotabe


Yōichi Kotabe, is a Japanese animator and character designer and has worked on several anime films from the 1960s and 1970s. as well as working on the Super Mario video game series and the Pokémon television series and films. Kotabe worked as an employee on Nintendo for two decades doing illustrations, character designs and supervising those from 1985 to 2007, when he began to work as a freelancer for the anime and video game industry, including for Nintendo again, this time as a freelancer.

Biography

Kotabe became interested in animation after watching the short film Momotarō no Umiwashi as a child. He was fascinated with how the fighter moved in the film. His father, who was an oil painter, and also influenced his decision to work as an artist. Kotabe found oil painting to be difficult, so he instead worked in watercolor painting.
In order to continue working in watercolors, he adopted the nihonga, or Japanese‐style, of painting, and began studying at the Tokyo University of the Arts where they had a Japanese‐style painting department. While attending the university, he was impressed by the film The Tale of the White Serpent and the animator Yasuji Mori, and immediately applied to work at Toei Animation.
His first project there was where he met Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. He left Toei along with Miyazaki and Takahata in order to work at A Pro, and they began work on an adaptation of Pippi Longstocking. That project was eventually cancelled, and work began on the two-film series Panda! Go, Panda!.
Kotabe then worked as character designer on two anime television series from Nippon Animation: Heidi, Girl of the Alps and 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother, with Miyazaki working on scene design and layout and Takahata working as series director and storyboard artist.
In 1985, he was scouted by Nintendo and assumed the position of the game development adviser where he created package illustrations for Super Mario Bros.. Until that time, he was not familiar with video games.

Works

YearTitleCrew roleNotesSource
25.12.1959Magic BoyAnimator
14.08.1960Alakazam the GreatAnimator
21.07.1962Animator
25.11.1963-65Animation director
21.12.1963Doggie MarchKey animation
07.06.1964-65Shōnen Ninja Kaze no FujimaruAnimation director, key animationAlso film
01.11.1965-66Hustle PunchAnimation director, key animation
03.04.1966-67Rainbow Sentai RobinAnimation director
05.12.1966-68Sally the WitchAnimation director
21.07.1968The Great Adventure of Horus, Prince of the SunKey animation
18.03.1969Puss 'n BootsKey animation
20.07.1969Flying Phantom ShipAnimation director
18.07.1971Ali Baba and the Forty ThievesKey animation
05.04.1972-73Animation supervisor assistant
17.12.1972Panda! Go, Panda!Animation director
17.03.1973Panda! Go, Panda!: The Rainy-Day CircusAnimation director
06.01.1974Heidi, Girl of the AlpsCharacter design, animation directorAlso related films
04.01.19763000 Leagues in Search of MotherCharacter design, animation director, animation
02.01.1977Rascal the RaccoonAnimation
17.03.1979Tatsu no ko TaroCharacter design, animation director
11.04.1981-83Jarinko ChieAnimation director, Character design <-- キャラクター設計 -->film and TV series
01.07.1983Serendipity the Pink DragonAnime character design
08.11.1983-85Key animation
11.03.1983Nausicaä of the Valley of the WindKey animation
04.10.1984-85Adventures of the Little KoalaAnimation director
08.04.1985-86Bumpety BooAnimation director
19.05.1986'Character designTV special film
18.07.1998'Animation supervisorAlso Pikachu's Vacation short
03.04.1999Marco: 3000 Leagues in Search of MotherOriginal character
15.07.2000'Animation supervisor
21.06.2012-13'Animation supervisor
10.10.2013-16Pokémon XYAnimation supervisor
09.07.2014'Animation supervisorAlso Pikachu short
08.07.2015'Animation supervisor

Awards and nominations