Since, as some of you are aware, we have an Animation Director Thread, I figured I'd take a shot at getting people aware of the different storyboarders that work on this series by making a storyboarder thread.
My attempt to briefly explain what a [wp]storyboard artist[/wp] does is that he or she basically sketches out an episode scene by scene, showing stuff like camera angles and character poses. These sort of things I've noticed have been incorrectly credited to the animatiors, who are actually in charge of making what's sketched out in storyboards into the actual animation.
And now, here are a few of the storyboard artists currently working on the series:
Masamitsu Hidaka - former general director for the Pokémon anime, and currently DP's most active storyboard artist, having done 36 episodes of the current series. Some of these episodes were done alongside another storyboarder, Tamayo Yamamoto.
Most recent episodes: [bp=DP155]Double Battle! Mammoo and Hinoarashi!![/bp] and [bp=DP166]Liftoff! Nagisa Tower!![/bp] in Japan; [bp=DP146]Dressed for Jess Success![/bp] and [bp=DP147]Bagged Then Tagged![/bp] in the US.
Yūji Asada - does most of Masaaki Iwane's episodes, and has experience dating all the way back to [bp=EP003]Ash Catches a Pokémon[/bp] at the very beginning of the anime.
Most recent episodes: [bp=DP162]Double Battle! VS Prasle & Minun!![/bp] and [bp=DP167]The Beach Pokémon School![/bp] in Japan; [bp=DP142]Where No Togepi Has Gone Before![/bp] in the US.
Hiroyuki Yamada - does most of the episodes animation-directed by Makoto Shinjō and Kunihiko Natsume. This is the guy responsible for all the wacky facial expressions common in episodes by these two animation directors.
Most recent episodes: [bp=DP164]Pochama Goes Astray![/bp] in Japan; [bp=DP151]The Needs of Three![/bp] in the US.
Upcoming episode: [bp=DP170]Kikuno of the Elite Four! Kabarudon VS Dodaitose!![/bp]
Masaru Koyama - experience dates back to the end of AG. Most recent episode in Japan is [bp=DP161]The Curtain Rises! Pokémon Contest - Asatsuki Tournament!![/bp]; in the US, [bp=DP143]An Egg Scramble![/bp]; next episode in Japan will be [bp=DP169]Pokémon Ranger! Heatran Rescue Mission!![/bp]
Shigeru Ueda - the storyboarder for [bp=DP168]next week's episode[/bp] with Mai/Marley and Shaymin. Also did [bp=DP149]Sticking With You Know Who![/bp] and [bp=DP159]Roaring Freezing Punch! Buoysel VS Barrierd!![/bp]
One thing I've noticed is that in the movies and most non-contest-oriented TV episodes since Journey to the Unown!, Hikari/Dawn has been usually seen holding Pochama/Piplup in her arms a la Togepi, with the exceptions generally being any episode storyboarded by Asada or Yamada. In those episodes it's more common to see the little penguin either on her head or shoulder, like Satoshi's/Ash's Pikachu.
Anyway, I'll finish off this initial post by listing the upcoming episodes and who's storyboarding them, even though I've mentioned them above:
DP168 - Shigeru Ueda
DP169 - Masaru Koyama
DP170 - Hiroyuki Yamada
DP171 - Takaomi Kanezaki
My attempt to briefly explain what a [wp]storyboard artist[/wp] does is that he or she basically sketches out an episode scene by scene, showing stuff like camera angles and character poses. These sort of things I've noticed have been incorrectly credited to the animatiors, who are actually in charge of making what's sketched out in storyboards into the actual animation.
And now, here are a few of the storyboard artists currently working on the series:
Masamitsu Hidaka - former general director for the Pokémon anime, and currently DP's most active storyboard artist, having done 36 episodes of the current series. Some of these episodes were done alongside another storyboarder, Tamayo Yamamoto.
Most recent episodes: [bp=DP155]Double Battle! Mammoo and Hinoarashi!![/bp] and [bp=DP166]Liftoff! Nagisa Tower!![/bp] in Japan; [bp=DP146]Dressed for Jess Success![/bp] and [bp=DP147]Bagged Then Tagged![/bp] in the US.
Yūji Asada - does most of Masaaki Iwane's episodes, and has experience dating all the way back to [bp=EP003]Ash Catches a Pokémon[/bp] at the very beginning of the anime.
Most recent episodes: [bp=DP162]Double Battle! VS Prasle & Minun!![/bp] and [bp=DP167]The Beach Pokémon School![/bp] in Japan; [bp=DP142]Where No Togepi Has Gone Before![/bp] in the US.
Hiroyuki Yamada - does most of the episodes animation-directed by Makoto Shinjō and Kunihiko Natsume. This is the guy responsible for all the wacky facial expressions common in episodes by these two animation directors.
Most recent episodes: [bp=DP164]Pochama Goes Astray![/bp] in Japan; [bp=DP151]The Needs of Three![/bp] in the US.
Upcoming episode: [bp=DP170]Kikuno of the Elite Four! Kabarudon VS Dodaitose!![/bp]
Masaru Koyama - experience dates back to the end of AG. Most recent episode in Japan is [bp=DP161]The Curtain Rises! Pokémon Contest - Asatsuki Tournament!![/bp]; in the US, [bp=DP143]An Egg Scramble![/bp]; next episode in Japan will be [bp=DP169]Pokémon Ranger! Heatran Rescue Mission!![/bp]
Shigeru Ueda - the storyboarder for [bp=DP168]next week's episode[/bp] with Mai/Marley and Shaymin. Also did [bp=DP149]Sticking With You Know Who![/bp] and [bp=DP159]Roaring Freezing Punch! Buoysel VS Barrierd!![/bp]
One thing I've noticed is that in the movies and most non-contest-oriented TV episodes since Journey to the Unown!, Hikari/Dawn has been usually seen holding Pochama/Piplup in her arms a la Togepi, with the exceptions generally being any episode storyboarded by Asada or Yamada. In those episodes it's more common to see the little penguin either on her head or shoulder, like Satoshi's/Ash's Pikachu.
Anyway, I'll finish off this initial post by listing the upcoming episodes and who's storyboarding them, even though I've mentioned them above:
DP168 - Shigeru Ueda
DP169 - Masaru Koyama
DP170 - Hiroyuki Yamada
DP171 - Takaomi Kanezaki
