Biography
Itsuro Kawasaki is a Japanese director, animator, storyboard artist, and screenwriter born in Tokyo [1][2]. He trained at the Tatsunoko Animation Technical Institute before joining Production I.G in its early years, and he has said his interest in animation began after watching Hayao Miyazaki's Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro in his third year of middle school [2]. He made his directorial debut in 1996 with the OVA Toki Kuu Boken Nuumamonja at age 30, and his career since has spanned television series, OVAs, films, and video-game cinematics from the mid-1990s onward [1][2]. He served as series director on the video-game adaptation Wild Arms: Twilight Venom (1999-2000) and directed titles including L/R: Licensed by Royalty (2003), Rental Magica (2007-2008), Chrome Shelled Regios (2009), and Sengoku Basara: Samurai Kings (2009) [1][2]. He also directed the Pokemon Origins mini-series (2013) and, more recently, The Yakuza's Guide to Babysitting (2022) and Kono Oroka na Boku mo Kimi wo Aishiteru (2024) [1][2]. He has worked out of Production I.G and, later, Zexcs, continuing to take on storyboard, series composition, and screenwriting duties alongside directing [2].