Animator and Director Tsutomu Shibayama Passes Away at 84

Director and animator Tsutomu Shibayama passed away at the age of 84, studio Ajia-Do announced. Shibayama's funeral was held in private, with a memorial planned for a later date. He had lung cancer.

Shibayama, best known for his work on multiple Doraemon movies, co-founded the studio alongside Osamu Kobayashi and Michishiro Yamada. He was the representative director of the studio's Ajia-Do Contents subsidiary.

He started his career in the anime industry at Toei Animation in 1963 before moving to A Production (now Shin-Ei Production) in 1966. Ajia-do was established in 1978.

The first movie Shibayama directed was Ganbare!! Tabuchi-kun!! 1979. Over the years, he has received praise for his storyboards and layouts (especially for the Lupin the 3rd: The Mystery of Mamo movie). After taking up the helm at Ajia-Do Contents, he did less animation-related work. Shibayama was the recipient of the Agency for Cultural Affairs Award in 2012.

Source: Ajia-Do
Featured image: Doraemon: Nobita in the Wan-Nyan Spacetime Odyssey, ©Fujiko Pro/Shogakukan ©Fujiko Pro/Shogakukan/TV Asahi/Shin-Ei/ADK