Mitsuo Iso
磯光雄
About
A pioneer in the field of realist animation, and then digital processing.
Debuted uncredited as an in-betweneer on Zeta Gundam. He made his initial splash in Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket, and continued to develop his approach to animation which he calls "full limited," which eliminated the pose-to-pose feel of conventional keyframe animation. His characteristic animation can be seen in Ghost in the Shell and End of Evangelion.
In Blood: The Last Vampire, Iso experimented with digital processing of his hand-drawn fire effects, elevating it to uncanny realism. Iso then got his first taste of directing in RahXephon episode 15, which he largely animated and also digitally processed himself.
His animation sensibilities, process innovations, experience in multiple levels of anime production, and interest in technology culminated in the 2007 sci-fi series, Dennou Coil, his veritable brainchild. During its production, there was a rumored falling-out with key staff. For the next several years, Iso would quietly animate under the pseudonym Mikio Odagawa.
Took part as a key animator on Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill: Vol. 1" in 2003.
In 2018, he announced his retirement as an animator to focus exclusively on directing.
