Ask John: Are There Directors that Work on Anime and Live Action?

Question:
Have any film directors crossed over from live action to anime or vice versa?

Answer:
The closest instance of an establish live action director moving into animation I could think of is director Takeshi Miike, who helmed the live-action adaptation of the Ichi the Killer manga and also served as a voice actor in the anime prequel Ichi the Killer: The Animation Episode Zero. “smhardy” contributed an exact example I wasn’t aware of. Director Seijun Suzuki, the famous film maker behind yakuza classics including Tokyo Drifter (1966) and Branded to Kill (1967), co-directed the 1984 Lupin the 3rd motion picture “Babyron No Ougon Densetsu” (Golden Legend of Babylon) with third Lupin TV series director Shigetsugu Yoshida. Suzuki worked on the Lupin film under the pseudonym “Kiyoshi Suzuki.” Since that singular anime effort, Suzuki has returned from semi-retirement to direct live action films in 1991 and 1993, and the critically acclaimed 2001 yakuza revival film Pistol Opera.

Two of the best known animators to break into directing live action features are Mamoru Ohsii and Hideaki Anno. Mamoru Oshii’s first breakthrough was directing duty on the classic Urusei Yatsura anime TV series from 1981. He later went on to direct several live action films including two Panzer Cops movies and the critically acclaimed sci-fi action/drama Avalon. Presently he’s back in the realm of anime, directing the upcoming film Innocence: Ghost in the Shell 2. Hideaki Anno began his career in the animation industry working on the Macross TV series, later working as an animator at Studio Ghibli before moving to Gainax Studios and creating Neon Genesis Evangelion. Anno is also well known for his live action films including Love & Pop and Shiki-Jitsu. Most recently, Anno has directed the Anime Tenchou shorts for Animate and worked on Gainax’s Mahoromatic anime. Akira creator and director Katsuhiro Otomo has also ventured into directing live action once with the 1991 horror comedy World Apartment Horror. Presently Otomo is wrapping up work on his anime feature film Steam Boy.