Osamu Dezaki Directed Anime Watchlist
Anime
Osamu Dezaki was a Japanese anime director.
Dezaki started out as a manga artist while still in high school. In 1963 he joined Mushi Production, which was founded by manga and anime pioneer Osamu Tezuka. He made his debut as a director in 1970 with Ashita no Joe.
Dezaki was known for his distinct visual style, which makes use of split screen, stark lighting, extensive use of dutch angle, and pastel freeze frames that he called "postcard memories", which may be his most famous trademark. They feature a process whereby the screen fades into a detailed "painting" of the simpler original animation. Many of his techniques became popular and came to be seen as special techniques of Japanese animation. He particularly influenced Yoshiaki Kawajiri, Yoshiyuki Tomino, Ryūtarō Nakamura, Kunihiko Ikuhara, Akiyuki Shinbo, and Yutaka Yamamoto.
Dezaki started out as a manga artist while still in high school. In 1963 he joined Mushi Production, which was founded by manga and anime pioneer Osamu Tezuka. He made his debut as a director in 1970 with Ashita no Joe.
Dezaki was known for his distinct visual style, which makes use of split screen, stark lighting, extensive use of dutch angle, and pastel freeze frames that he called "postcard memories", which may be his most famous trademark. They feature a process whereby the screen fades into a detailed "painting" of the simpler original animation. Many of his techniques became popular and came to be seen as special techniques of Japanese animation. He particularly influenced Yoshiaki Kawajiri, Yoshiyuki Tomino, Ryūtarō Nakamura, Kunihiko Ikuhara, Akiyuki Shinbo, and Yutaka Yamamoto.
Ashita no Joe
Tomorrow's Joe

TV, 1970,
79 eps
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Author:10
The first TV series is based on the first 14 volumes of the manga of the same name written by Asao Takamori and illustrated by Tetsuya Chiba. Because the anime caught up with the manga, it ended with an anime original ending. Episodes 54-79 of this series were later remade as the first 12 episodes of the second TV series.
Ashita no Joe (Movie)
Tomorrow's Joe The Movie

Movie, 1980,
1 ep
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Author:7
The movie version re-edits episodes 1-51 of the first TV series, released in 1980 to provide back-story for the second TV series to new fans who were not familiar with the first TV series or the manga.
Ashita no Joe 2
Tomorrow's Joe 2

TV, 1980,
47 eps
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Author:10
Although it is a sequel to the previous TV series, it is positioned as a continuation of the re-edited movie version described above, so the story begins after the end of the film. The second TV series is based on volumes 9-20(End) of the original manga by Asao Takamori and Tetsuya Chiba, with significant changes. The first 12 episodes of this series are remakes of episodes 54-79 of the first TV series.
Ashita no Joe 2 (Movie)
Tomorrow's Joe 2 The Movie

Movie, 1981,
1 ep
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Author:7
A sequel to the previous film, the first half is a re-edit of the second TV series. The final part was produced and released ahead of the TV series that was currently airing, and was later reused in the TV series.
Karate Baka Ichidai
Karate Master

TV, 1973,
47 eps
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The TV series is based on the manga of the same name drawn by Jirō Tsunoda and Jōya Kagemaru, with the story written by Ikki Kajiwara.
Ace wo Nerae!
Aim for the Ace!

TV, 1973,
26 eps
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Author:8
The TV series covers half of the first part of the manga by Sumika Yamamoto. The series was originally supposed to consist of 52 episodes, but they were cut in half due to low ratings. However, a few years later, the anime reruns achieved good ratings.
Ace wo Nerae! (1979)
Aim for the Ace!: The Movie

Movie, 1979,
1 ep
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Author:8
The feature film is a new adaptation of the first part of Sumika Yamamoto's manga of the same name, which has already been adapted into two different anime TV series, the first of which was also directed by Dezaki and in which a large part of the staff of this film had participated.
Ace wo Nerae! 2
Aim for the Ace!: Another Match

OVA, 1988,
13 eps
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Author:8
The first OVA series is positioned as a sequel to the 1979 feature film. It is an adaptation of the second part of the manga created again by first series staff.

OVA, 1989,
12 eps
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Author:8
The second OVA series picks up from the end of the previous series until the conclusion of the story, and presents an almost completely original plot compared to the manga.
Gamba no Bouken
Adventure of Gamba

TV, 1975,
26 eps
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The TV series is based on the 1972 novel The Adventurers: Gamba and His Fifteen Companions) by Atsuo Saitō.
Ie Naki Ko
Nobody's Boy Remi

TV, 1977,
51 eps
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Author:9
The TV series is based upon French author Hector Malot's 1878 novel Sans Famille.
Takarajima
Treasure Island

TV, 1978,
26 eps
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Author:8
The TV series is based on Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel of the same name.
Versailles no Bara
The Rose of Versailles

TV, 1979,
40 eps
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Author:9
The TV series is based on the manga of the same title by Riyoko Ikeda. There are significant differences between the manga and the anime. Episodes 1-12 of the series were directed by Tadao Nagahama, while episodes 19-40 were directed by Osamu Dezaki.
Space Adventure Cobra
Space Adventure Cobra: The Movie

Movie, 1982,
1 ep
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Author:7
The film is based on the first arc of Buichi Terasawa's 1978 manga Cobra. It also serves as a pilot to the following TV series.
Space Cobra
Space Adventure Cobra

TV, 1982,
31 eps
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Author:7
The TV series is loosely based on the first eight volumes of the original manga written by Buichi Terasawa.
Golgo 13
Golgo 13: The Professional

Movie, 1983,
1 ep
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Author:8
The film is based on the manga of the same name by Takao Saito. It uses various elements from multiple stories of the manga, particularly "The Emperor's Trap" story.
1 Pound no Fukuin
One Pound Gospel

OVA, 1988,
1 ep
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The OVA is adapted from early chapters of the original manga by Rumiko Takahashi.

OVA, 1990,
3 eps
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The OVA series is based on the manga by Osamu Ishiwata.
Kasei Yakyoku
Nightsong of Splendor

OVA, 1989,
4 eps
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The OVA series is based on the manga written by Makiko Hirata.
Oniisama e...
Dear Brother

TV, 1991,
39 eps
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Author:10
The TV series is based on the 1975 manga of the same name by Riyoko Ikeda. Since the anime is much longer than the manga, the characters and their stories are also given enough space, which is limited in the manga.
Lupin III: Bye Bye Liberty - Kiki Ippatsu!
Lupin III: Goodbye Lady Liberty

TV Special, 1989,
1 ep
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Author:6
The TV Specials are based on the manga Lupin III by Monkey Punch.
Lupin III TV Specials 1/5
Lupin III TV Specials 1/5
Lupin III: Hemingway Paper no Nazo
Lupin III: The Hemingway Papers

TV Special, 1990,
1 ep
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Author:7
Lupin III TV Specials 2/5
Lupin III: Napoleon no Jisho wo Ubae
Lupin III: Napoleon's Dictionary

TV Special, 1991,
1 ep
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Author:7
Lupin III TV Specials 3/5
Lupin III: Russia yori Ai wo Komete
Lupin III: From Siberia With Love

TV Special, 1992,
1 ep
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Author:6
Lupin III TV Specials 4/5
Lupin III: Harimao no Zaihou wo Oe!!
Lupin III: The Pursuit of Harimao's Treasure

TV Special, 1995,
1 ep
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Author:8
Lupin III TV Specials 5/5

OVA, 1993,
12 eps
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Author:9
The OVA series is loosely based on Osamu Tezuka's original manga. It differs greatly from that of the manga, being much more detailed and realistic than Tezuka's original trait. OVAs 11-12 were released in 2011 and were referred to as Black Jack Final where Osamu Dezaki was posthumously credited as honorary director.
Black Jack the Movie
Black Jack: The Movie

Movie, 1996,
1 ep
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Author:8
This movie follows the flow of the OVA series, and was produced as an original story for theaters that is not in the original manga.
Watch after Episode 6
Watch after Episode 6
Tezuka Osamu no Kyuuyaku Seisho Monogatari: In the Beginning
In The Beginning: The Bible Stories

TV, 1997,
26 eps
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The TV series is based on The Bible's Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) created by Osamu Tezuka. Tezuka spent two years working on a pilot film but Tezuka died in 1989 before it was finished. The remainder of the production for the pilot film and the subsequent 26-episode television series was supervised by director Osamu Dezaki.
Hakugei Densetsu
Hakugei: Legend of the Moby Dick

TV, 1997,
26 eps
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The TV series is based on Herman Melville's 1851 novel Moby-Dick. However, this adaptation used futuristic outer space as the setting, with "whales" being large abandoned spaceships instead.

OVA, 1998,
1 ep
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The OVA is based on the manga of the same name by Takao Saito.
Yuki no Joou (TV)
The Snow Queen

TV, 2005,
36 eps
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The TV series is based on the 1844 children's story of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen.

TV, 2008,
12 eps
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The TV series is loosely based on the 2006 science fiction film Ultraviolet, written and directed by Kurt Wimmer.
Genji Monogatari Sennenki
Millennium Old Journal: Tale of Genji

TV, 2009,
11 eps
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The TV series is an adaptation of The Tale of Genji. Originally, it was meant to be an anime adaptation of Waki Yamato's The Tale of Genji manga, but director Osamu Dezaki decided to make it a direct adaptation of the original tale. The character designs are still taken from Yamato's manga.