Yoshinori Kanada

Yoshinori Kanada (金田 伊功) was an influential Japanese animator originally from Nara, Japan. He is best known for his popular 1984 work, Birth, one of the first original video animations released in the market. He may not have done many character designs, but he is famous for his character animation skills. His work in Galaxy Express 999 (1979) and Harmagedon (1983) has been very influential to an entire generation of animators in Japan. These two works also served as partial inspiration for Takashi Murakami's Superflat art movement. During the 80s and 90s, he worked closely with the famous director Hayao Miyazaki on several movies from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind to Princess Mononoke. Also, he is known for breaking down the directorial system in animation, allowing individual key animators to exert their own style into a particular work. He died at the age of 57 of a heart attack on July 21, 2009.

Anime works
Partial List (he was involved in over 50 TV, OVA series and movies since the 70s, and also involved in many Squaresoft and Square-Enix works)
 * Mahou no Mako-chan (Animation)
 * Sarutobi Ecchan (Animation)
 * GeGeGe no Kitaro (OP Animator)
 * Birth (Character Design, Animation director, Lead Animator)
 * Blue Submarine No. 6 (Key Animator)
 * Fushigi Yuugi (OP Animator)
 * Galaxy Express 999 (Key Animator)
 * Toward The Terra (Key Animator)
 * Harmegeddon (Key Animator)
 * My Neighbor Totoro (Key Animator)
 * Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (Key Animator)
 * Kiki's Delivery Service (Key Animator)
 * Porco Rosso (Key Animator)
 * Princess Mononoke (Key Animator)
 * X2 (Key Animator)
 * Vampire Hunter (Key Animator)
 * Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals (Key Animator)
 * CLAMP School Detectives (Key Animator for Opening Animation)
 * Hanjuku Hero Tai 3D (Opening Animation Director)
 * Hanjuku Hero 4: 7-Jin no Hanjuku Hero (Opening Animation Director)
 * Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (Key Animator, Layout Artist)
 * Final Fantasy XIII (Storyboard Director)
 * Full Metal Alchemist : Daughter of the Dusk (Key Animator, One of his last works)