Yoshiji Kigami (Japanese: 木上 益治, Hepburn: Kigami Yoshiji, 28
December 1957 â€" 18 July 2019) was a Japanese animator, director and
storyboarder. He started working at Shin-Ei Animation, later became
part of Animaruya and then he became affiliated with Kyoto
Animation.When he was young, Kigami was a big fan of Disney movies and
anime shows based on the manga series of Osamu Tezuka, and this lead
him to becoming an animator. He started working at Shin-Ei Animation
before joining Kyoto Animation. Kigami became well known in the
industry for his work on Grave of the Fireflies and Akira as a key
animator. In 2003, Kigami directed his first work, Munto, and later
became an instructor at Kyoto Animation's teaching program. In Kyoto
Animation productions, he used the pen name Ichirou Miyoshi
(三好一郎) when storyboarding, and Fumio Tada (多ç"°æ–‡ç"·) when
doing key animation.On 18 July 2019, during the Kyoto Animation arson
attack, Kigami was killed alongside 34 of his colleagues, with 33
others wounded; Kigami was initially declared missing after the attack
due to his mother declaring that he could not be contacted immediately
following the fire. His death was confirmed on 2 August 2019.
December 1957 â€" 18 July 2019) was a Japanese animator, director and
storyboarder. He started working at Shin-Ei Animation, later became
part of Animaruya and then he became affiliated with Kyoto
Animation.When he was young, Kigami was a big fan of Disney movies and
anime shows based on the manga series of Osamu Tezuka, and this lead
him to becoming an animator. He started working at Shin-Ei Animation
before joining Kyoto Animation. Kigami became well known in the
industry for his work on Grave of the Fireflies and Akira as a key
animator. In 2003, Kigami directed his first work, Munto, and later
became an instructor at Kyoto Animation's teaching program. In Kyoto
Animation productions, he used the pen name Ichirou Miyoshi
(三好一郎) when storyboarding, and Fumio Tada (多ç"°æ–‡ç"·) when
doing key animation.On 18 July 2019, during the Kyoto Animation arson
attack, Kigami was killed alongside 34 of his colleagues, with 33
others wounded; Kigami was initially declared missing after the attack
due to his mother declaring that he could not be contacted immediately
following the fire. His death was confirmed on 2 August 2019.
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