Hiroyuki Yamaga

Hiroyuki Yamaga is a director, writer, and anime producer, and is best known for being president and representative director of studio Gainax that he established together with fellow Osaka University of Arts students [Takami Akai](https://anilist.co/staff/102032/) and [Hideaki Anno](https://anilist.co/staff/100111/). After directing the successful DAICON III Opening Animation, he went professional at Studio Nue's request, joining the production staff of 1982's [Macross](https://anilist.co/anime/1088/). In 1984 he began working on the production of Gainax' first professional work, [Ouritsu Uchuugun: Honneamise no Tsubasa](https://anilist.co/anime/1034/), an alternate universe retelling of the first space shuttle launch. The movie was released in 1987 and despite its initial domestic box office failure, the film and Yamaga's bold vision garnered a lot of attention and it later became a cult classic remembered as one of the defining works of science fiction in anime. Yamaga's creative output slowed down after Honneamise. He directed [Mahoromatic](https://anilist.co/anime/276/) and [Abenobashi Mahou Shoutengai](https://anilist.co/anime/306/), but he would mostly keep himself to managerial duties after failing to get several projects off the ground. In 2019, he directed the second season of [Piano no Mori](https://anilist.co/anime/103049/), working as a series directed for the first time since Mahoromatic's second season in 2002.