View source for Kunihiko Ikuhara

{{Short description|Japanese director, writer, artist, and music producer}}
{{Redirect|Ikuni|the company formerly known as iKuni|AiLive}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name             = Kunihiko Ikuhara 
| native_name      = 幾原 邦彦
| native_name_lang = ja
| birth_name       = 
| birth_date       = {{birth date and age|1964|12|21}}
| birth_place      = [[Osaka Prefecture]], Japan
| death_date       = 
| death_place      = 
| nationality      = Japanese
| occupation       = {{Hlist|Director|music producer|novelist}}
| years_active     = 1986–present
| known_for        = {{ubl|''[[Revolutionary Girl Utena]]''|''[[Penguindrum]]''|''[[Yurikuma Arashi]]''|''[[Sarazanmai]]''}}
| website          = {{Official URL}}
}}
{{Anime and manga}}
{{nihongo|'''Kunihiko Ikuhara'''|幾原 邦彦|Ikuhara Kunihiko|born December 21, 1964}}, also known by the nickname '''Ikuni''', is a Japanese director, writer, artist, and music producer. He has created and collaborated on several notable [[anime]] and [[manga]] series, including ''[[Sailor Moon (TV series)|Sailor Moon]]'', ''[[Revolutionary Girl Utena]]'', ''[[Penguindrum]]'', ''[[Yurikuma Arashi]]'', and ''[[Sarazanmai]]''.

==Early life==
Ikuhara was born on December 21, 1964, in [[Osaka Prefecture]]. He graduated from Kyoto University of Art and Design in 1985.<ref name="school"/>

==Career==
===Toei Animation and ''Sailor Moon'' (1986–1996)===
After graduating, Ikuhara began work at [[Toei Animation]], where he served as assistant director to [[Junichi Sato]] on ''[[Maple Town|Maple Town Monogatari]]'', ''[[Akuma-kun]]'', ''Toushou!! Ramen-man'' and ''[[Mōretsu Atarō]]'', and episode director on ''[[Goldfish Warning!|Kingyo Chuuihou!]]''.

Ikuhara's most famous work with Toei was on the [[Sailor Moon (TV series)|TV anime adaptation]] of ''Sailor Moon''. He served as director of many episodes over the course of the series' run, and took over the position of series director from Junichi Sato during the second season, ''[[Sailor Moon R]]''. Additionally, Ikuhara served as the director of the first ''Sailor Moon'' theatrical movie, called ''[[Sailor Moon R: The Movie|Sailor Moon R]]''.

===''Revolutionary Girl Utena'' (1997–1999)===
Displeased over the lack of creative control granted to him, Ikuhara left Toei after the fourth season of ''Sailor Moon'' in 1996 to form his own creative group, [[Be-Papas]], consisting of himself, the [[shōjo]] [[manga]] artist [[Chiho Saito]], animator [[Shinya Hasegawa]], writer [[Yōji Enokido]], and producer Yuuichiro Okuro. Be-Papas collaborated to produce the anime and manga series ''[[Revolutionary Girl Utena]]'' (''Shōjo Kakumei Utena'').

Ikuhara had much more creative control over the anime, which he directed, than he did over the manga, which was written and illustrated by Chiho Saito. Notably, he also recruited composer [[J. A. Seazer]], who provided the series' distinctive duel chorus tracks. Ikuhara stated that he had always admired Seazer, who had enjoyed popularity during Japan's 1960s student protest movement, and felt that Seazer's work, with its themes of revolution and changing the world, was perfectly suited to ''Utena''.

The series was a success, winning the "Best Television Series Award" and the "Kobe Award" at Animation Kobe '97. Be-Papas collaborated again in 1999 to produce a ''Revolutionary Girl Utena'' movie, ''[[Adolescence of Utena|Adolescence Mokushiroku]]'' ("Adolescence Apocalypse", released in English as ''Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Movie''), with an accompanying manga, again authored by Saito. Ikuhara also helped supervise the production of other ''Utena''-related works, including a [[Sega Saturn]] video game and a stage musical. Be-Papas disbanded after the release of the movie.

Ikuhara supervised the production of the English dub of the ''Utena'' movie, checking the quality of the translation; he expressed strong distaste for the idea of his work being censored or changed to seem more "American", and made sure such changes were not apparent in the U.S. release.

===Hiatus (2000–2010)===
Ikuhara's post-''Utena'' works include the manga ''[[World of the S&M]]'' (released in English as ''The World Exists for Me''), on which he collaborated with Chiho Saito; the novel ''[[Schell Bullet]]'', which he co-wrote with [[Mamoru Nagano]]; and the ''Schell Bullet''-based concept album ''Thanaphs 68''.

===Return to directing (2011–present)===
In 2011, Ikuhara returned as an anime series director with ''[[Penguindrum]]'', which began airing in July 2011.

He is currently writing the manga ''[[Nokemono to Hanayome]]'', illustrated by artist [[Asumiko Nakamura]] and published monthly in Japanese fashion magazine ''[[KERA (magazine)|KERA]]''.

In 2015, Ikuhara released ''[[Yurikuma Arashi]]'', which consists of an anime series produced by [[Silver Link]] and a manga series illustrated by Akiko Morishima. The anime began airing on January 5, 2015.

In 2019, Ikuhara released ''[[Sarazanmai]]''; it was produced by [[MAPPA (studio)|MAPPA]] and [[Lapin Track]]. The anime began airing on April 11, 2019.<ref name="ANN2019"/>

As of October 10, 2020, Ikuhara has mentioned he is working on a new anime,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2020-10-10/utena-kunihiko-ikuhara-is-working-now-on-his-next-work/.165014|title=Utena's Kunihiko Ikuhara Is Working Now on His Next Work|publisher=Anime News Network|date=October 10, 2020|last=Mateo|first=Alex|access-date=May 18, 2021}}</ref> but has not provided any further detail.

Ikuhara will return to direct ''[[Penguindrum|Re:cycle of Penguindrum]]'', a compilation film for ''Penguindrum''.

On March 31, 2022, Ikuhara announced that he was changing his name to "Bonsoir Ikuhara", later revealing it to be a pseudonym for Teiko Bon Bon, a music project with Bonjour Suzuki and Teiko.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Loveridge |first1=Lynzee |title=Utena, Penguindrum Director Ikuhara Announces Name Change |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2022-03-30/utena-penguindrum-director-ikuhara-announces-name-change/.184200 |website=Anime News Network |access-date=March 30, 2022 |date=March 30, 2022}}</ref>

==Personal life==
===Interests===
He has expressed interest in the possibility of collaborating on a project with [[David Lynch]] someday.<ref name="ANN2001"/>

As with fellow directors [[Hayao Miyazaki]] and [[Yoshiyuki Tomino]], Ikuhara's works (especially ''[[Penguindrum|Mawaru Penguindrum]]'' and ''[[Yurikuma Arashi]]'') contain certain criticisms of the capitalist system.<ref name="Harvey2014"/> In Ikuhara, such criticisms are often accompanied by a more or less latent distrust towards the whole social order, or even human nature itself.

===Interaction with fans===
Ikuhara has attended several [[Fan convention|conventions]] and similar events, given interviews to fans and reporters, and, along with Chiho Saito, provided commentary tracks for the DVD releases of ''Utena''. He often dresses in brightly colored clothes when socializing with fans. He has [[cosplay]]ed as [[Sailor Mars]] on a few occasions.<ref name="nyaf"/>

==References==
{{Reflist
|refs=
<ref name="nyaf">{{cite web|title=Interview with Kunihiko Ikuhara |url=http://uranime.nekomusume.net/misc/ikuhara_interview.iphtml |date=October 8, 2000 |website=UR Anime Club |access-date=January 29, 2008 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120715071012/http://uranime.nekomusume.net/misc/ikuhara_interview.iphtml |archive-date=July 15, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

<ref name="ANN2019">{{cite web |last1=Loveridge |first1=Lynzee |title=Utena, Sarazanmai's Ikuhara Likely Directed TMNT Episodes |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2019-05-15/utena-sarazanmai-ikuhara-likely-directed-tmnt-episode/.146728 |website=Anime News Network |access-date=November 8, 2019 |language=en |date=May 15, 2019}}</ref>

<ref name="ANN2001">{{cite web|last1=Sevakis|first1=Justin|title=Interview with Utena creator Kunihiko Ikuhara|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2001-04-22|website=[[Anime News Network]]|date=April 22, 2001|access-date=November 8, 2019}}</ref>

<ref name="school">{{cite web |title=【在学生＆卒業生限定】幾原邦彦氏 特別講義「時代とアニメ、僕たちの移りゆく感性と欲望」開催のお知らせ |trans-title=[Current Students & Graduates Only] Announcement of Kunihiko Ikuhara Special Lecture: "Eras and Animation, Our Changing Sensitivities and Desires" |url=https://www.kyoto-art.ac.jp/student/event/news/190928-3359/ |website=京都造形芸術大学 在学生専用サイト |publisher=[[Kyoto University of Art and Design]] |access-date=November 8, 2019 |language=ja |date=September 28, 2019}}</ref>

<ref name="Harvey2014">{{cite book|last=Brienza|first=Casey|editor=Graham Harvey|title=The Handbook of Contemporary Animism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hV1_BAAAQBAJ|access-date=November 8, 2019|date=September 11, 2014|publisher=Routledge|location=New York|language=en|isbn=978-1-317-54450-0|pages=488–490|chapter=Objects of otaku affection: animism, anime fandom, and the gods of … consumerism?}}</ref>
}}

==External links==
*{{Twitter}}
*{{Official website}}
*{{ann|people|245}}
*{{jmdb name|id=0071180|name=幾原邦彦 (Kunihiko Ikuhara)}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060825044806/http://www.akadot.com/section.php?id=3&s=16 Ikuni Observation Journal]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20010608204804/http://www.geocities.com/ayamehimura/profiles1.html Brief Biography of Ikuhara]

{{Kunihiko Ikuhara}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ikuhara, Kunihiko}}
[[Category:Japanese film directors]]
[[Category:Anime directors]]
[[Category:1964 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Tokushima Prefecture]]
[[Category:Kyoto University of the Arts alumni]]