Biography
Hiroyuki Imaishi was born on October 4, 1971, in Tokyo [1]. He entered the industry at Gainax in 1995 as an in-between animator on Neon Genesis Evangelion, working his way up through storyboarding and animation direction on projects like FLCL and Diebuster before making his directorial debut with the 2004 film Dead Leaves [1]. He gained wide recognition directing Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann in 2007 and Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt in 2010, both known for their kinetic, Yoshinori Kanada-influenced animation style [1]. In 2011 Imaishi left Gainax to co-found Studio Trigger alongside producer Masahiko Ohtsuka and Kazuya Masumoto [2], where he directed the studio's first original television series, Kill la Kill, in 2013 [3]. He has since directed Promare (2019) and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (2022). Imaishi has said he deliberately avoids repeating himself: "I try to do something new for every project so that I don't get bored" [3]. Gurren Lagann earned an Excellence Prize at the 2007 Japan Media Arts Festival [1].
I try to do something new for every project so that I don't get bored.
