The animated film "Venus Wars," directed by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, was screened on March 15th as an invited work at the Tokyo Anime Award Festival 2026 (TAAF2026), an international animation film festival (organized by the festival's executive committee and the Japan Animation Association). During the screening, Yasuhiko spoke about his "full-fledged return" to directing anime, which has become a hot topic.
◇ "Venus Wars" was a turning point
Yasuhiko was born on December Getsuku, 1947, and is 78 years old. In 1970, he entered the training school of Mushi Production and began his career as an animator. After Mushi Production went bankrupt, he participated in works such as "Zero Tester," "Space Battleship Yamato," "Brave Raideen," and "Super Electromagnetic Robot Combattler V."
Yasuhiko is best known for his work as animation director, character designer, and animation supervisor for "Mobile Suit Gundam," which began airing in 1979. However, his achievements extend far beyond that. He made his debut as a manga artist in 1979 with "Arion" and also directed anime such as "Arion," "Crusher Joe," and "Giant Gorg."
The turning point came with the theatrical anime film "Venus Wars," released in 1989. Other theatrical anime films released that year included "Kiki's Delivery Service," "Mobile Police Patlabor: The Movie," and "The Five Star Stories." "Venus Wars" did not perform well at the box office, and feeling out of sync with the trends in anime at the time, Yasuhiko decided to take a break from the anime industry.
"Venus Wars" was long considered a "phantom anime" because Yasuhiko had declared it would be "sealed away." However, on the 30th anniversary of its release, Yasuhiko declared that the seal had been lifted, and the opening of the negative film also became a major topic of conversation.
◇"Gundam" is "a return to the anime world to retrieve something that was left behind."
After that, Yasuhiko shifted his main focus to manga. He received high praise for his historical manga such as "Namuji," "Yamato Takeru," "Jeanne," "Jesus," "Rainbow Trotsky," and "The Royal Dog." Then, for about 10 years from 2001 to 2011, he serialized "Mobile Suit Gundam THE ORIGIN," a manga that he himself re-imagined from the anime "Mobile Suit Gundam."
In 2015, "Mobile Suit Gundam THE ORIGIN" was adapted into an anime. Yasuhiko served as the general director for the series, marking his "return" to the anime industry after approximately 25 years. He also directed the 2022 theatrical anime film "Mobile Suit Gundam: Cucuruz Doan's Island," but Yasuhiko said, "I'm a manga artist. I made 'ORIGIN' and 'Cucuruz Doan's Island,' and it's called a return, but I came back to the anime world to retrieve something I left behind. I had lingering regrets about 'Gundam.'"
While the public perceived his "return" to anime with "THE ORIGIN" and "Cucuruz Doan's Island," Yasuhiko himself considered it merely a "return to retrieve something he had forgotten," and not a full-fledged "comeback."
At the recent screening, he expressed his strong desire to make a full comeback, saying, "I'm over 77 years old and still active, and for the past two or three years I've wanted to do something without being limited to 'Gundam.' If I do that, I think it will be a comeback. If it's possible, I'd like to make it happen as soon as possible so that people can see it."
◇It was supposed to be the "last new series"...
Yasuhiko is someone who "keeps drawing." His manga "Inui and Tatsumi - The Transbaikal War Chronicles," which ran in "Afternoon" (Kodansha) from September 2018 to May 2024, was announced at the start of its serialization as Yasuhiko's "last new series," but ultimately it did not turn out to be his "last."
In March 2025, he began a short-term serialization of the manga "Gin-iro no Michi - Handa Ginzan Ibun -" in "Weekly Young Jump" (Shueisha). The serialization, which lasted about a year, concluded in the 16th issue of the magazine, released on March 19th. The 78-year-old master remains an active artist, still working energetically. The passion he has poured into drawing is now being directed once again towards anime.
Currently, a retrospective exhibition of Yoshikazu Yasuhiko's work, "Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, the Painter," is being held at the Niigata Prefectural Museum of Modern Art (Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture) until May 24th. The exhibition, which has previously toured Kobe, Shimane, Aomori, Hokkaido, and Tokyo, has received a great response in each location. Standing before the overwhelming brushwork on display, one can surely feel the greatness of this "man who continues to paint." (Mitsuru Anima/MANTANWEB)
