Akio Sugino
- Animation Department
- Writer
- Director
Started his career as contributor in "gekiga" (adult cartoon) magazines
as "Kage" and "Machi" in 1961. He also met cartoonist Moribi Murano,
who in 1964 recommended him to Osamu Tezuka, also cartoonist and
president of Mushi Production Animation Company. So Sugino began to
work in Mushi as animator and later met acclaimed director Osamu
Dezaki. In 1970 Sugino was promoted to director of animation (jointly
with Shingo Araki and Akihiro Kanayama) and character designer of the
TV Series "Joe of Tomorrow". This was the first official collaboration
between Dezaki as director, and Sugino. This relation was followed by
many masterpieces of animation during more than 30 years. When Mushi
went bankrupt in 1972, the couple began to work as an independent unit
within Tokyo Movie Animation Company. Sugino participated in the
foundation of the Madhouse Animation Company in 1972. After a couple of
short films, he debuted in film direction of animation with the big
screen version of "Aim for the Ace!" (1979), directed by Dezaki. The
legend has only begun...
