Kunihiko Ikuhara



"This is just between you and me, but when I was fourteen, I saw a UFO."

"That UFO telepathically told me this prophecy:"When you grow up, you will direct an anime about girls revolutionizing various things.""

"Surely you jest."

""You must not tell anyone about me. If you ever do...""

"Wh-What will happen to me?"

""People will call you a sketchy guy.""

Auteur anime director, most famously of the TV series Revolutionary Girl Utena and its movie The Adolescence of Utena, plus Sailor Moon R, Sailor Moon S and Sailor Moon SuperS as well as the R movie. Also notoriously evasive about giving straight answers to his more surreal works. Kanashimi no Belladonna has been cited as an influence of his, which is quite easily seen in Utena.

His latest work, Mawaru Penguindrum, aired from July to December of 2011 as part of that year's summer anime lineup.

Official website (English)

Worked on:

 * Aoi Hana (opening)
 * Goldfish Warning
 * Nodame Cantabile (opening)
 * Maple Town Monogatari
 * Mawaru Penguindrum
 * Revolutionary Girl Utena
 * Sailor Moon (Episodes 60 - 166)
 * Schell Bullet

Tropes associated with him:
"All of you have enjoyed making your predictions. Now, I'll tell you the truth. Yes. Just as all of you have predicted all along: the Penguindrum is a pink washing machine."
 * Cloudcuckoolander - Understatement of the century.
 * Dream Team: He would like to collaborate with David Lynch. Just...think about that for a second.
 * Then there's his collaboration with Mamoru Nagano on Schell Bullet. A perfect storm of FABULOUS!
 * Jossed - Often looked to by fans for answers, often takes gleeful delight in disappointing them.
 * Lying Creator - Possibly, when asked about Utena.
 * Probably the best example is his response via Twitter to people asking about Mawaru Penguindrum:


 * Mind Screw
 * Prima Donna Director - He's been known to be difficult to work with.
 * Shrug of God - Obviously!
 * Trolling Creator - Big time!
 * Wholesome Crossdresser - He's been known to cosplay as Sailor Mars.
 * Yuri Fan - He openly admitted on the commentary for the Utena movie that the ending is "the sort of thing I thought about a lot when I was younger." Said ending, by the way, involves two naked girls speeding away on the remains of a car when said car was one of the girls moments before.