Studio Pierrot announced that its founder Yūji Nunokawa died at age 75 on Dec. 25.
The studio posted the announcement on Dec. 26 to its official Twitter account. The statement, released in Japanese and English, read: “It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Yuji Nunokawa, the former Chairman and the Supreme Adviser of Pierrot. Mr. Nunokawa passed away on December 25th. He was 75. He will be sorely missed for his leadership, commitment and passion.”
According to his family’s wishes, only close relatives will attend his funeral. Studio Pierrot will hold a memorial service for Nunokawa at a later date.
Born in Sakata city in Yamagata prefecture, Nunokawa graduated from Japan Design School in 1967 before going on to work as an animator, and technical director at Mushi Production, Studio Jack and Tatsunoko Production. During his time with Tatsunoko Production, he worked on Time Bokan, Casshan and The Funny Judo Champion. Nunokawa went on to found Studio Pierrot in 1979, where he served as its chair and chief advisor, in addition to working as an animator and anime director.
In 2019, his work with Studio Pierrot earned him Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs award. The award honors “individuals who have made distinguished accomplishment in artistic and cultural activities” and rarely goes to people working in the anime and manga industries.
Studio Pierrot is Nunokawa’s Legacy
Thanks to hard work and a series of hits, Studio Pierrot became a mainstay in the anime industry. Not long after its founding, the studio worked on titles such as Magical Angel Creamy Mami, Magical Fairy Persia, Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs, Osomatsu-kun and Kimagure Orange Road. Most notably, Studio Pierrot has worked on adapting Weekly Shōnen Jump titles, including Yū Yū Hakusho, which recently released a special Blu-Ray box set ahead of its 30th anniversary, Bleach, Naruto, Beelzebub and Black Clover. Earlier this year, the studio paid homage to Naruto as the anime celebrated its 20th anniversary with a video called “ROAD OF NARUTO” that reanimated iconic scenes from the series. Most recently, they released a compilation video of all the ninja running scenes from the anime.
Studio Pierrot has not released any information regarding Yūji Nunokawa’s memorial service.
Source: Twitter
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