Skip to content
MovieCove
Masaaki Yuasa

Masaaki Yuasa

Director and writer, also producer · Born March 16, 1965 (61) · Fukuoka, Japan

Venice award nominee

Masaaki Yuasa is an anime television and film director, screenwriter, storyboard artist and animator known for his wild free form style. He was born on March 16, 1965, in Fukuoka, Japan. In June 2014, he announced that he, along with his close affiliate Eunyoung Choi, had founded an animation studio by the name of Science SARU. Yuasa retired as the president of Science SARU on March 25, 2020. On February 17, 2025, the launch of his second animation studio, ame pippin, was announced.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
March 16, 1965 (61)
From
Fukuoka, Japan
Works as
Director and writer, also producer
Titles
28 on MovieCove · 52 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 156 days to Oct 27Up 30% in 30 days

What are Masaaki Yuasa's films like?

Across their 11 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
36%
Bonds
25%
Ideas
14%
Survival
10%
Power
5%
Morality
5%
Society
5%
Identity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship3 titles, browse their movies with this themeArt2 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose3 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themeMemory2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 6 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 6 · Serious 0 · Dark 0

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

Grounded 0 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 5

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

Gentle 2 · Charged 2 · Intense 2

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

Steady 1 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 2

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

Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 1

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

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 2

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

Casual 1 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 2

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 3 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 1

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 1 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Contemplative
6
Tense
4
Absurd
3
Joyful
3
Dread
3
Other
12

How their films linger

Hopeful6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 4 with a twist

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet6
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous2
  • Cyclical1

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 Masaaki Yuasa's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 17 of their 28 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on HBO Max (8).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Masaaki Yuasa'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

52 credits, 28 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • The Tatami Time Machine Blues (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Original Concept

  • Tatami Time Machine Blues(2022)

    Show 6 episodes · Original Concept

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows

  • You0 DECO(2022)

    Show 12 episodes · Original Story

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Inu-Oh(2021)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Japan Sinks: 2020 Theatrical Edition (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Director

  • Japan Sinks: 2020(2020)

    Show 10 episodes · Director · Executive Producer · Series Director

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all shows

  • Pigtails, Li'l Spider Girl, Kick-Heart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Director

  • Super Shiro (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Show 48 episodes · Series Director

  • Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!(2020)

    Show 12 episodes · Director · Opening/Ending Animation · Series Composition · Series Director

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • Ride Your Wave(2019)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Devilman: Crybaby(2018)

    Show 10 episodes · Director · Key Animation · Series Director · Storyboard Artist · as Mob 11 (voice)

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows

  • Lu Over the Wall(2017)

    Director · Executive Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl(2017)

    Director · Storyboard Artist

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Crayon Shin-chan: Intense Battle! Robo Dad Strikes Back(2014)

    Animation

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Ping Pong the Animation(2014)

    Show 11 episodes · Director · Series Composition · Series Director · Storyboard Artist · Writer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Space Dandy(2014)

    Show 1 episode · Director · Animation Director · Creature Design · Key Animation · Storyboard Artist · Writer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows

  • Kick-Heart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Director · Original Film Writer · Writer

  • Photo Kano(2013)

    Show 1 episode · Storyboard Artist

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all shows

  • The Mystic Archives of Dantalian(2011)

    Show 1 episode · Key Animation

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all shows

  • Shin-Men (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Show 14 episodes · Director

  • The Tatami Galaxy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Show 11 episodes · Director · Opening/Ending Animation · Series Director · Storyboard Artist · Writer

  • Adventure Time(2010)

    Show 1 episode · Director · Storyboard Artist · Writer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Welcome to the Space Show(2010)

    Storyboard Artist

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Genius Party Beyond (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Show 1 episode · Key Animation

  • Kaiba(2008)

    Show 12 episodes · Director · Creator · Original Story · Screenplay · Series Director · Storyboard Artist · Writer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • Genius Party(2007)

    Director · Animation Director · Character Designer · Screenplay · Storyboard Artist

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Genius Party (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Show 1 episode · Director · Writer

  • Kemonozume (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Show 13 episodes · Director · Creator · Key Animation · Original Story · Series Composition · Series Director · Storyboard Artist · Writer

  • Junk Town (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Key Animation

  • Mind Game(2004)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • The Whale Hunt (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Key Animation

  • Cat Soup (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Animation Director · Scenario Writer · Screenplay

  • Keriyon Shin-chan: Oh, I'm Sorry!(2000)

    Character Designer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Slime Adventures: Yeah! The Sea! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Director

  • My Neighbors the Yamadas(1999)

    Key Animation

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Crayon Shin-chan: Explosion! The Hot Spring's Feel Good Final Battle(1999)

    Key Animation

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Vampiyan Kids (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Director · Storyboard Artist

  • Crayon Shin-chan: Blitzkrieg! Pig's Hoof's Secret Mission(1998)

    Key Animation

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Noiseman Sound Insect (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Animation Director · Animation Supervisor · Character Designer

  • AIKa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Show 1 episode · Key Animation

  • Crayon Shin-chan: Pursuit of the Balls of Darkness(1997)

    Key Animation

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Kureyon Shin-chan: Hendârando no daibôken(1996)

    Key Animation · Settings · Storyboard Artist

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Crayon Shin-chan: Unkokusai no Yabou(1995)

    Key Animation

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Kureyon Shinchan: Action Kamen vs Haigure Maô(1993)

    Key Animation · Set Designer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Chibi Maruko-chan: My Favorite Song (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Key Animation

  • Video Girl Ai (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Show 1 episode · Key Animation

  • Little Polar Bear: Shirokuma-kun, fune ni noru (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Animation Director · Character Designer

  • Chibi Maruko-chan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Key Animation

  • The Hakkenden: Legend of the Dog Warriors (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Show 2 episodes · Animation Director

  • Doraemon: Nobita and the Animal Planet(1990)

    Key Animation

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Osomatsu-kun (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Show 2 episodes · Key Animation

  • Daisy's Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director

Career shape

A full career of 52 titles, 51 of them dated from 1988 to 2022.

Biggest box office

Ride Your Wave (2019)

$4M worldwide

Highest rated

Mind Game (2004)

Midcredits 95th

Most popular right now

Devilman: Crybaby (2018)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 52: 0 only acting, 1 with another roleDirecting23 of 52: 7 only directing, 16 with another role · typical Midcredits score87thWriting16 of 52: 3 only writing, 13 with another role · typical Midcredits score88thProducing2 of 52: 0 only producing, 2 with another roleOther crew38 of 52: 25 only other crew, 13 with another role · typical Midcredits score82nd

52 titles, 17 with more than one role — other crew and directing overlap on 12 of them.

By decade

1980s1 · crew1990s17 · crew2000s10 · crew2010s14 · 1 acting · 14 crew2020s9 · 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.

Awards

Nominated for a Venice award in 2021, Best Film.

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Masaaki Yuasa's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 84th percentile, the median of all 17; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 90th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

90thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Approval · how many liked their films

78thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Reach · how many have seen their films

83rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Midcredits score across 28 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up21
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

17 of their 28 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved6
  • Universally Panned1
  • Crowd Pleaser17
  • Mixed4

Most loved · director, writer

Adventure Time (2010)

Midcredits 98th · 91% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 78/100 and the pacing 46/100 in their films, across 6 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.

Is Masaaki Yuasa's work okay for kids?

Across up to 7 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore and sex & nudity run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore5 titles10–87 · median 67 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity7 titles17–82 · median 59 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity3 titlesmedian 36 · moderateMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs4 titlesmedian 42 · moderateMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense4 titlesmedian 47 · moderateMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Masaaki Yuasa work with?

People who share at least 2 of Masaaki Yuasa's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Eunyoung Choi shares the most, 7.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers