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Kô Matsuo

Kô Matsuo

Director and writer · Born July 13, 1968 (58) · Gifu, Japan

Ko Matsuo (松尾 衡, Matsuo Kō, July 13, 1968) is a Japanese anime director and storyboard artist born in Gifu. He is now a freelancer, formerly he was at Madhouse.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 13, 1968 (58)
From
Gifu, Japan
Works as
Director and writer
Titles
29 on MovieCove · 50 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 64 days to Oct 27Up 73% in 30 days

What are Kô Matsuo's films like?

Across their 8 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Survival
32%
Self
30%
Morality
14%
Power
10%
Ideas
8%
Bonds
7%
War5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

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

Light 1 · Serious 1 · Dark 4

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

Grounded 0 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 1

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

A split, not a type: Gentle 1 · Charged 1 · Intense 4

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

Steady 2 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 1

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0

Relentless: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their relentless movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 4

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 1 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 3

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

A split, not a type: Resolved 4 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
7
Melancholic
4
Thrilling
3
Absurd
2
Dread
2
Other
1

How their films linger

Bittersweet5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Bittersweet4
  • Ambiguous4

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 Kô Matsuo's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 23 of their 29 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Crunchyroll (17).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Kô Matsuo'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

50 credits, 29 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Grisaia: Phantom Trigger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Show 1 episode · Storyboard Artist

  • Pluto(2023)

    Show 1 episode · Storyboard Artist

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows

  • Kawagoe Boys Sing(2023)

    Show 1 episode · Storyboard Artist

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Spy Classroom(2023)

    Show 1 episode · Storyboard Artist

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all shows

  • Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury(2022)

    Show 1 episode · Storyboard Artist

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all shows

  • Gundam Reconguista in G Movie V: Beyond the Peril of Death (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Director

  • Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway(2021)

    Second Unit Director

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Koikimo(2021)

    Show 1 episode · Storyboard Artist

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all shows

  • Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon(2020)

    Show 1 episode · Storyboard Artist

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all shows

  • Mobile Suit Gundam G40 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Director

  • Carole & Tuesday(2019)

    Show 1 episode · Storyboard Artist

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows

  • Tsukumogami Kashimasu(2018)

    Show 1 episode · Storyboard Artist

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Dragon Pilot: Hisone and Masotan(2018)

    Show 1 episode · Storyboard Artist

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all shows

  • Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt: Bandit Flower(2017)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Road to You (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Show Creator

  • Orange(2016)

    Show 2 episodes · Storyboard Artist

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all shows

  • Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt: December Sky(2016)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • My Hero Academia(2016)

    Show 8 episodes · Storyboard Artist

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Show 8 episodes · Director · Script · Series Composition · Series Director

  • Concrete Revolutio(2015)

    Show 1 episode · Storyboard Artist

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all shows

  • Terror in Resonance(2014)

    Show 1 episode · Storyboard Artist

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows

  • Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun(2014)

    Show 12 episodes · Sound Director

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all shows

  • Gundam Reconguista in G(2014)

    Show Director

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all shows

  • Valvrave the Liberator (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Show 24 episodes · Director · Series Director · Series Writer

  • Amnesia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Show 2 episodes · Storyboard Artist

  • Natsuyuki Rendezvous (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Show 11 episodes · Screenplay · Series Director

  • Kids on the Slope (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Show 1 episode · Storyboard Artist

  • Model Suit Gunpla Builders Beginning G (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Show 3 episodes · Director · Series Director · Storyboard Artist

  • Durarara!!(2010)

    Show 1 episode · Storyboard Artist

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all shows

  • Mobile Suit Gundam Battlefield Record: Avant-Title (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Director

  • Yozakura Quartet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Show 9 episodes · Director · Storyboard Artist

  • Kure-nai (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Show 12 episodes · Director · Series Composition · Series Director · Storyboard Artist · Writer

  • Red Garden: Dead Girls(2007)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Sola (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Show 2 episodes · Storyboard Artist

  • Red Garden(2006)

    Show 22 episodes · Director · Series Director · Storyboard Artist

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all shows

  • Gintama(2005)

    Show 4 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • Ergo Proxy(2006)

    Show 2 episodes · Storyboard Artist

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows

  • Mobile Suit Z Gundam III: A New Translation - Love Is the Pulse of the Stars(2006)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Zoids: Genesis (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Show 1 episode · Storyboard Artist

  • Mobile Suit Z Gundam II: A New Translation - Lovers(2005)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Rozen Maiden (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Show 24 episodes · Director · as 監督

  • Mobile Suit Z Gundam: A New Translation - Heirs to the Stars(2004)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Gungrave (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Show 4 episodes · Director · Storyboard Artist

  • Texhnolyze (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Show 1 episode · Director · Storyboard Artist

  • Millennium Actress(2001)

    Co-Director

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Witch Hunter Robin(2002)

    Show 3 episodes · Storyboard Artist

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all shows

  • X(2001)

    Show Director

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows

  • Master Keaton (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Show 2 episodes · Director · Storyboard Artist

  • Initial D (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Show 1 episode · Storyboard Artist

  • TRIGUN (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Show 1 episode · Director · Storyboard Artist

Career shape

A full career of 45 titles from 1998 to 2025.

Biggest box office

Mobile Suit Z Gundam: A New Translation - Heirs to the Stars (2004)

$7.3M worldwide

Highest rated

Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt: December Sky (2016)

Midcredits 91st

Most popular right now

X (2001)

Film career

  • 2004Screen debut· Rozen Maiden

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 45: 0 only acting, 1 with another roleDirecting19 of 45: 6 only directing, 13 with another role · typical Midcredits score78thWriting5 of 45: 0 only writing, 5 with another roleOther crew36 of 45: 25 only other crew, 11 with another role · typical Midcredits score68th

45 titles, 14 with more than one role — other crew and directing overlap on 10 of them.

By decade

1990s3 · crew2000s14 · 1 acting · 14 crew2010s18 · crew2020s10 · 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 Kô Matsuo's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 69th percentile, the median of all 8; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 66th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

66thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Approval · how many liked their films

66thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Reach · how many have seen their films

66thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Midcredits score across 29 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up11
  • 50th to 74th10
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th5

Shape of the crowd

17 of their 29 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Universally Panned1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser17
  • Mixed7

Most divisive · director

Red Garden: Dead Girls (2007)

74th percentile spread · 27% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

Millennium Actress (2001)

Midcredits 97th · 87% liked

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 Kô Matsuo work with?

People who share at least 2 of Kô Matsuo's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Yoshiyuki Tomino shares the most, 6.

Directors

  • Yoshiyuki Tomino6 titles · 4 as director    See all 6 shared titles with Yoshiyuki Tomino

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers