Naoko Yamada
Directing
Born: November 28, 1984 (age 41) · Kyoto, Japan
Biography
Naoko Yamada (山田 尚子) is a Japanese animator, television and film director. Working at Kyoto Animation, she directed the K-On! and Tamako Market anime series, and the anime films A Silent Voice and Liz and the Blue Bird. Yamada intended to work in film after university, but she decided to join Kyoto Animation after seeing an advertisement. Her first assignment at KyoAni was drawing inbetween frames for Inuyasha. She was eventually promoted to a key animator for Air. After working as an episode director of Clannad, she was asked to make her chief directorial debut with K-On!, an adaptation of a slice-of-life manga. The series was very successful, spurring a second season and a film. In 2013, she directed Tamako Market, and followed it with the film Tamako Love Story in 2014. For Tamako Love Story, she was awarded the New Face Award at the Japan Media Arts Festival. She storyboarded the entire film herself, and also wrote the lyrics for the opening theme song, Everybody Loves Somebody. Yamada's next project was the feature film A Silent Voice, an adaptation of the manga of the same name, that reflected on elements of bullying and physical impairment in Japan. The film opened at #2 in the Japanese Box Office and grossed a total of ¥2.3 billion, the 19th highest-grossing film in Japan in 2016. The film also received multiple award nominations, including Best Animation Film in the Mainichi Film Awards and the Excellent Animation of the Year in the Japan Academy Prize. For Yamada, the most important part of being a director is to observe people. She describes herself as a "method" director, emphasizing the minds of the characters. On July 18, 2019, a man started a fire at the main studio of Kyoto Animation, killing 36 of Yamada's colleagues and wounding 33 others. Yamada was reported not to have been hurt in the fire. In 2020, Yamada left KyoAni to join Science SARU, where she directed 2021's The Heike Story. Source: Wikipedia
Known for
A Silent Voice: The Movie
2016
Violet Evergarden
2018
Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid
2017
Kaguya-sama: Love Is War
2019
Clannad
2007
Violet Evergarden: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll
2019
Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions!
2012
Hyouka
2012
Beyond the Boundary
2013
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
2006
The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya
2010
Free!
2013
Photos (4)
Directing (37)
Clannad
Assistant Director
Clannad
Director
Sound! Euphonium
Series Director
Sound! Euphonium
Director
Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid
Director
Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia
Other
K-ON!
Series Director
K-ON!
Director
Hyouka
Director
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Director
A Silent Voice: The Movie
Director
The Heike Story
Series Director
The Heike Story
Director
Free!
Director
Beyond the Boundary
Director
Tsurune
Director
Nichijou: My Ordinary Life
Director
Tamako Market
Series Director
Tamako Market
Director
Violet Evergarden: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll
Second Unit Director
The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya
Second Unit Director
Modern Love Tokyo
Director
The Colors Within
Director
The Colors Within
Second Unit Director
Tamako Love Story
Second Unit Director
Tamako Love Story
Director
Liz and the Blue Bird
Second Unit Director
Liz and the Blue Bird
Director
K-ON! The Movie
Director
K-ON! The Movie
Second Unit Director
Sound! Euphonium the Movie - Our Promise: A Brand New Day
Second Unit Director
Sound! Euphonium The Movie: May the Melody Reach You!
Series Director
Sound! Euphonium The Movie: May the Melody Reach You!
Second Unit Director
Sound! Euphonium The Movie: Welcome to the Kitauji High School Concert Band
Series Director
Sound! Euphonium The Movie: Welcome to the Kitauji High School Concert Band
Second Unit Director
Garden of Remembrance
Director
Modern Love Tokyo: He's Playing Our Song
Director
Writing (3)
Other Crew (38)
Kaguya-sama: Love Is War
Opening/Ending Animation
Clannad
Storyboard Artist
Clannad
Key Animation
Sound! Euphonium
Storyboard Artist
Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid
Storyboard Artist
K-ON!
Storyboard Artist
K-ON!
Opening/Ending Animation
K-ON!
Key Animation
Hyouka
Storyboard Artist
Violet Evergarden
Storyboard Artist
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Storyboard Artist
Lucky Star
Key Animation
Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions!
Storyboard Artist
A Silent Voice: The Movie
Storyboard Artist
The Heike Story
Storyboard Artist
The Heike Story
Opening/Ending Animation
Free!
Opening/Ending Animation
Free!
Storyboard Artist
Beyond the Boundary
Opening/Ending Animation
Beyond the Boundary
Storyboard Artist
Tsurune
Storyboard Artist
Myriad Colors Phantom World
Storyboard Artist
Nichijou: My Ordinary Life
Storyboard Artist
Nichijou: My Ordinary Life
Opening/Ending Animation
Kanon
Key Animation
Tamako Market
Storyboard Artist
The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya
Key Animation
Modern Love Tokyo
Storyboard Artist
Visual Prison
Opening/Ending Animation
The Colors Within
Storyboard Artist
Tamako Love Story
Storyboard Artist
Liz and the Blue Bird
Storyboard Artist
K-ON! The Movie
Storyboard Artist
Sound! Euphonium the Movie - Our Promise: A Brand New Day
Key Animation
Sound! Euphonium The Movie: May the Melody Reach You!
Storyboard Artist
Sound! Euphonium The Movie: Welcome to the Kitauji High School Concert Band
Storyboard Artist
Munto 2: Beyond the Walls of Time
Animation
The Last War of the Heavenliods and Akutoliods
Key Animation