Animator Manabu Ohashi has passed away at age 73.
Ohashi's death was announced via the animator and director's personal Twitter account on Feb. 15. Ohashi created "Cloud," one of the shorts featured in the classic 1987 anime anthology Robot Carnival. The artist wrote, directed, animated, and designed the characters for the acclaimed short. Ohashi was known for his distinctive visual style and for being part of the group of animators that founded animation studio Madhouse in 1972. The announcement of Ohashi's passing was accompanied by a message, which when translated reads, "There were so many things I wanted to do and ideas, but I'm sorry that I haven't had enough years. Thank you for all your love during your lifetime."
大橋学が2月12日に他界しました。
— 大橋学(MAOラムド) (@MaoCloud) February 14, 2022
やりたい事やアイデアが溢れるほどあったのですが年月が足りず、残念でなりません。
生前にはたくさんの愛情をありがとうございました。
永遠の少年・大橋学73才永眠 pic.twitter.com/44hkrOexKC
Ohashi, who was often credited under the name Mao Lamdo, got his start in 1964 at Toei Douga (later renamed Toei Animation,) when he was only 15 years old. He went on to have a storied career in the anime industry that spanned several decades, where he worked on numerous beloved TV series and movies, including the 1989 sci-fi cult-classic Venus Wars and 1991's Roujin Z, which was written by Akira creator Katsuhiro Otomo. Ohashi also worked as an animator on many of the anime industry's biggest franchises, including the original anime adaptation of Naoko Takeuchi's Sailor Moon, and the Doraemon and Golgo 13 movies. Many of Ohashi's works were among the first anime to be broadcast on network and cable TV within the United States and are now credited with helping to establish an interest for the medium in the early 1990s.
The animator was among the group of artists that left Mushi Production, the animation studio founded by anime and manga pioneer Osamu Tezuka, to establish the renowned studio Madhouse. In the decades since it was founded, Madhouse has worked on numerous critical and commercial hits, including the anime adaptations of Trigun, Death Note and One-Punch Man. The studio recently produced the critically acclaimed Sonny Boy, directed by Shingo Natsume, in 2021, and also collaborated with studio MAPPA on the production of the hit sci-fi series Takt Op.Destiny.
In his later years, he also worked as an art and animation lecturer. The final works of animation that Ohashi worked on himself were featured in the 2019 Japanese drama Natsuzora, a TV series that explored the origins of Japan's animation industry. The show was inspired by the life of Reiko Okuyama, one of the country's first professional female animators.
