Hiroshi Sasagawa


Hiroshi Sasagawa is a Japanese animator and cartoonist known for directing several anime series including Time Bokan, Speed Racer, The Genie Family, Ninja Hattori-Kun, and Tekkaman: The Space Knight.

Early life

Sasagawa made his debut as a manga artist in 1958 with the serialization of Detective School in the magazine Shōnen Gahōsha. After working as an assistant to Osamu Tezuka, he became a director from the founding of Tatsunoko Production. He was one of the key figures in Tatsunoko's golden age from the 1970s to the 1980s. His representative works include the Time Bokan series. He handled many gag works and excelled at directing gags that utilized repetition. He was known as the "Emperor of Gag Anime" and "Kin-chan of the Anime World". However, he himself reportedly preferred serious stories like Neo-Human Casshern. From the 1980s to the early 1990s, after leaving Tatsunoko Production, he worked on many Fujiko Fujio works, including Ninja Hattori-kun, Perman, Obake no Q-Taro, and Pokonyan!.
At Tatsunoko Production, as a director and head of the directing department, he recruited trainees in 1975 and hired Koichi Mashimo,, Mizuho Nishikubo, and Mamoru Oshii as directors. At his personal office, Hiroshi Sasagawa Office, he fostered numerous talents, including Osada Not, Futago Kamikita, Yasuhiro Imagawa, and Tomosato Motegi.
"Doctor Sasayabu" and "Sasayaki Reporter" who appear in the Time Bokan series are modeled after Sasagawa. Additionally, the intellectual members of the villainous trio in the same series, excluding Julie Kokematsu, are also said to be partially modeled after Sasagawa.

Career

Born in Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, he is well known as one of creators of Time Bokan series, he has directed several animation works in the fantasy and science fiction genre, many of them with Tatsunoko Production.

List of works

Space Ace Speed Racer Oraa Guzura Dado Dokachin the Primitive Boy The Genie Family The Funny Judo Champion Hyppo and Thomas Science Ninja Team Gatchaman Demetan Croaker, The Boy Frog The Song of Tentomushi Tekkaman: The Space Knight Time Bokan Paul's Miracle Strategy Plan Yatterman Ippatsu Kanta-kun Zenderman Rescueman Space Battleship Yamato III Maeterlinck's Blue Bird: Tyltyl and Mytyl's Adventurous Journey Yattodetaman Beast King Go-Lion Bremen 4: Angels in Hell Gyakuten! Ippatsuman Tokimeki Tonight Itadakiman Starzan S Ox Tales Wowser Dokkan! Robotendon Cinderella Monogatari