A veteran presence in the anime industry is gone now as Studio Pierrot announced that its founder, Yuji Nunokawa, has passed away at age 75. His passing was announced along with a message from the studio for its founder.
Studio Pierrot Founder Yuji Nunokawa
It was revealed that Nunokawa died at age 75 on Christmas Day, December 25, 2022.
The statement announcing his death was shared on the following day, December 26. No cause of death was revealed in the statement, though it was mentioned that he died suddenly.
What was mentioned is that a funeral service for Nunokawa will be held, but only for close relatives, as per the wishes of his family.
Along with this, Studio Pierrot also plans to host a memorial service remembering Nunokawa’s life and works at a later date.
Yuji Nunokawa is an anime industry veteran. His career began after graduating from the Nihon Design School in 1967.
He soon worked as an animator and technical director at anime studios including Mushi Production, Studio Jack, and Tatsunoko Production.
Nunokawa directed episodes of various anime such as Casshan and Time Bokan. But in 1979, Nunokawa founded Studio Pierrot, an anime studio that will go on to animate some of the most iconic shows from the 80s all the way to the current decade.
Pierrot is the studio behind classic anime such as Urusei Yatsura and Yu Yu Hakusho. Though the studio is best known for creating anime shows based on iconic Shonen Jump titles such as Naruto, Bleach, and Black Clover.
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Studio Pierrot's Future
Nunokawa served as the Chairman and the Supreme Adviser of Pierrot ahead of his passing.
Though despite his passing, Pierrot is poised to continue being one of Japan’s most well-known studios.
Currently, Pierrot is animating the ongoing Boruto series as well as Kingdom.
The studio is also busy with Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, with many considering it Pierrot’s current flagship series.
Pierrot is known for its weekly anime series such as Boruto and Bleach’s previous run.
These shows aren't released by season but are instead released weekly with little to no breaks.
But with Thousand-Year Blood War, Pierrot has moved to a seasonal release schedule, allowing them to animate the series at a higher quality, according to fans.
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Source: Studio Pierrot Twitter account
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