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Osamu Dezaki

Osamu Dezaki

Director and writer · Died April 17, 2011, aged 67 · Meguro, Tokyo, Japan

Osamu Dezaki (November 18, 1943 – April 17, 2011) also known as Makura Saki (崎枕 Saki Makura), Kan Matsudo (松戸完 Matsudo Kan), Toru Yabuki (矢吹徹 Yabuki Toru) or Kuyou Sai (斉九洋 Sai Kuyou), was a Japanese anime director and screenwriter. He is acknowledged to be one of the best and most influential Anime directors and popularized various techniques that are now considered standard in Japanese animation. Dezaki developed a highly distinctive Signature Style and is credited with inventing the Pastel-Chalked Freeze Frame.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
November 18, 1943
Died
April 17, 2011 (aged 67)
From
Meguro, Tokyo, Japan
Works as
Director and writer
Titles
21 on MovieCove · 66 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 26% in 30 days

What are Osamu Dezaki's films like?

Across their 18 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
24%
Bonds
23%
Power
16%
Morality
14%
Survival
12%
Society
8%
Ideas
2%
Romantic love4 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed3 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief3 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age2 titles, browse their movies with this themeObsession2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 14 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 7 · Serious 3 · Dark 4

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 1 · Stylized 10 · Heightened 3

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 2 · Charged 8 · Intense 4

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 5 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 2

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 3

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 8 · Relentless 2

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

A split, not a type: Casual 6 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 0

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 7 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 4

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 13 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Thrilling
9
Melancholic
7
Tense
7
Joyful
4
Warm
3
Other
15

How their films linger

Bittersweet7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy6
  • Bittersweet11
  • Ambiguous1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Osamu Dezaki's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 11 of their 21 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Osamu Dezaki's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

66 credits, 21 with a MovieCove page.

  • Genji Monogatari Sennenki(2009)

    Show 1 episode · Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Ultraviolet: Code 044 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Show 12 episodes · Director · Series Director · Storyboard Artist

  • Clannad(2007)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Air: The Motion Picture(2005)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Hamtaro: Fairy Tale (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Director

  • Astro Boy: The Glorious Earth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Director

  • Hamtaro: Miracle in Aurora Valley (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Director · Writer

  • Astro Boy: Ivan's Planet - Robot and Human Friendship (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Director

  • The Secret of Astro Boy’s Birth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Director

  • Hamtaro: The Captive Princess (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Director

  • The Lady Oscar Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Director

  • Hamtaro: Adventures in Ham-Ham Land (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Director

  • Golgo 13: Queen Bee(1998)

    Director · Storyboard

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Hakugei: Legend of the Moby Dick(1997)

    Show 26 episodes · Director · Creator · Storyboard Designer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Historias de la Biblia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Show Creator

  • Black Jack: The Movie(1996)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • The Heroic Elegy of Confucius (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Director

  • Lupin III: The Pursuit of Harimao's Treasure(1995)

    Director · Storyboard

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Black Jack(1993)

    Show 12 episodes · Director · Screenplay · Storyboard

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all shows

  • Treasure Island Memorial (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Director · Screenplay

  • In the Beginning: The Bible Stories (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Show 26 episodes · Director · Series Director

  • Lupin the 3rd: From Siberia with Love(1992)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Lupin the 3rd: Napoleon's Dictionary(1991)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Dear Brother(1991)

    Show 39 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all shows

  • Sword for Truth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Director

  • Burning Blood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Show 3 episodes · Director · Creator

  • Lupin the 3rd: The Hemingway Papers(1990)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Aim For The Ace! Final Stage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Show 12 episodes · Director · Writer

  • Lupin the Third: Bye Bye, Lady Liberty(1989)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Nightsong of Splendor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Show 4 episodes · Creator · Series Director · Storyboard

  • One Pound Gospel(1988)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Aim for the Ace! Another Match (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Show 13 episodes · Storyboard Artist · Supervising Animator

  • Ace wo Nerae! 2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Show 12 episodes · Director

  • Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Show 13 episodes · Director

  • Treasure Island: The Movie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Director

  • Bionic Six (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Show 65 episodes · Director

  • Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland Pilot 3 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Director

  • The Blinkins: The Bear and the Blizzard(1987)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Sweet Sea (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Director

  • Mighty Orbots (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Show 13 episodes · Director

  • The Adventurers Gamba and His Seven Friends (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Director

  • Mighty Orbots: Magnetic Menace (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Director

  • Golgo 13: The Professional(1983)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Space Cobra (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Show 31 episodes · Series Director · Storyboard

  • Space Adventure Cobra(1982)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Tomorrow's Joe 2(1981)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • The Rose and Women of Versailles (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Director

  • Botchan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Producer

  • Nobody's Boy: Remi (Movie) (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Director

  • Tomorrow's Joe The Movie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Director

  • The Rose of Versailles (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Show 40 episodes · Director · Storyboard Artist

  • Aim for the Ace! The Movie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Director

  • Young Eleven (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Writer

  • Animated Travels: Marco Polo's Adventures (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Show Creator

  • Treasure Island (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Show 26 episodes · Director

  • Nobody's Boy: Remi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Show 51 episodes · Director

  • Manga Fairy Tales of the World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Show 245 episodes · Director · Character Designer

  • The Thunder God and the Mulberry Tree (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Director

  • Adventure of Gamba (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Show 26 episodes · Director · Creator

  • The★Fire G-Men (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Director

  • Aim for the Ace(1973)

    Show 26 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all shows

  • Belladonna of Sadness(1973)

    Key Animation

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Tomorrow's Joe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Show 126 episodes · Director · Script · Storyboard · Writer

  • Frosty the Snowman(1969)

    Animation Director

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Dororo and Hyakkimaru (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

  • Adventures of the Monkey King (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Director

Career shape

A full career of 66 titles from 1966 to 2009.

Biggest box office

Golgo 13: The Professional (1983)

$87 worldwide

Highest rated

Tomorrow's Joe 2 (1981)

Midcredits 92nd

Most popular right now

Dear Brother (1991)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing57 of 66: 41 only directing, 16 with another role · typical Midcredits score68thWriting12 of 66: 1 only writing, 11 with another role · typical Midcredits score69thProducing1 of 66: 1 only producing, 0 with another roleOther crew15 of 66: 5 only other crew, 10 with another role

66 titles, 18 with more than one role — directing and other crew overlap on 8 of them.

By decade

1960s3 · crew1970s13 · crew1980s23 · crew1990s15 · crew2000s12 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Osamu Dezaki's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 69th percentile, the median of all 16; across their 14 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 65th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

65thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Approval · how many liked their films

70thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Reach · how many have seen their films

63rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Midcredits score across 21 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up6
  • 50th to 74th12
  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

15 of their 21 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Loved with Detractors1
  • Crowd Pleaser15
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed4

Most divisive · director

The Blinkins: The Bear and the Blizzard (1987)

87th percentile spread · 18% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director, writer

Tomorrow's Joe 2 (1981)

Midcredits 92nd · 78% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 66/100 and the pacing 43/100 in their films, across 10 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Osamu Dezaki work with?

People who share at least 2 of Osamu Dezaki's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Masatoshi Tsurubuchi shares the most, 8.

Directors

Writers

Actors

  • Kiyoshi Kobayashi6 titles    See all 6 shared titles with Kiyoshi Kobayashi
  • Eiko Masuyama5 titles    See all 5 shared titles with Eiko Masuyama
  • Gorô Naya5 titles    See all 5 shared titles with Gorô Naya
  • Makio Inoue5 titles    See all 5 shared titles with Makio Inoue

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers