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|type1            =Dark
|type1            =Dark
|type2            =Fighting
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|header          ={{Gpdzilla}} {{Director}}
|name            =Shinji Higuchi
|name            =Shinji Higuchi
|image            =Shinji Higuchi.jpg
|image            =Shinji Higuchi.jpg
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|birthday        =September 22, 1965
|birthday        =September 22, 1965
|birthplace      =[[Tokyo]], [[Japan]]
|birthplace      =[[Tokyo]], [[Japan]]
|occupation      =Director, Special Effects Director, Storyboard Artist
|occupation      =Director, special effects director, storyboard artist
|first            =''[[Bye-Bye Jupiter]]'' (1984)
|first            =''[[Bye-Bye Jupiter]]'' (1984)
|notable          =''[[Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris]]'' (1999)
|notable          =''[[Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris]]'' (1999)
|imdb            =http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0383688/
|imdb            =http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0383688/
|wikipedia       =http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinji_Higuchi
|wikipedia-en    =http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinji_Higuchi
|wikipedia-jp    =https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/樋口真嗣
}}
}}
'''Shinji Higuchi''' {{Nihongo|樋口真嗣|Higuchi Shinji}} is a [[Japan]]ese [[Tokusatsu|tokusastsu]] special effects director and anime storyboard artist. He served as the director of special effects for the [[Heisei era|Heisei]] [[Gamera]] trilogy, directed both of the live-action ''Attack on Titan'' films, and was the co-director and special effects director for the [[2016]] film ''[[Shin Godzilla]]''. Along with [[Hideaki Anno]], he won a Japan Academy Prize for his work on ''Shin Godzilla''.
'''Shinji Higuchi''' {{Nihongo|樋口 真嗣|Higuchi Shinji}} is a [[Japan]]ese film director, [[tokusatsu]] special effects director, and artist. He first received widespread recognition for his work as the director of special effects on [[Shusuke Kaneko]]'s [[Heisei era|Heisei]] ''[[Gamera (franchise)|Gamera]]'' trilogy, receiving a Special Technology Award for ''[[Gamera the Guardian of the Universe]]'' at the [[1995]] [[wikipedia:Japan Academy Film Prize|Japan Academy Film Prize]]. He has since broken into dramatic directing, helming such projects as the [[2005]] submarine epic ''[[Lorelei: The Witch of the Pacific Ocean]]'', the [[2006]] disaster film ''[[Sinking of Japan]]'', and a [[Attack on Titan the Movie: Part 1|pair of]] [[Attack on Titan the Movie: Part 2|live action adaptations]] of [[wikipedia:Hajime Isayama|Hajime Isayama]]'s ''[[wikipedia:Attack on Titan|Attack on Titan]]'' in [[2015]]. Most prominently, Higuchi has (co-)directed two entries in longtime collaborator [[Hideaki Anno]]'s [[Shin series|''Shin'' series]] of films: [[2016]]'s ''[[Shin Godzilla]]'', for which he won the Japanese Academy Award for [[wikipedia:Japan Academy Film Prize for Director of the Year|Director of the Year]], and [[2022]]'s ''[[Shin Ultraman]]'', for which he received a Director of the Year nomination.
{{TOC}}
{{TOC}}
==Career==
==Career==
As a young man, Shinji Higuchi was one of the founding members of Daicon Films (now Gainax), along with his friend [[Hideaki Anno]]. Higuchi worked on storyboards for Daicon's early anime and [[tokusatsu]] productions in the 1980's, and eventually had the opportunity to join the creature unit of ''[[The Return of Godzilla]]'' in [[1984]] as an uncredited assistant. Though he did not work directly under special effects director [[Teruyoshi Nakano]], his duties included assisting the makers of the [[84Goji]] suit, helping [[Kenpachiro Satsuma]] in and out of the suit on set, and swinging [[Godzilla/Heisei|Godzilla]]'s tail. Higuchi and Nakano would eventually work together on the Kitakyushu theme park Space World, which opened in 1990. Previously, Higuchi had also worked as a production assistant on the Toho film ''[[Bye-Bye Jupiter]]'', where he worked with [[Koichi Kawakita]], who would go on to serve as the special effects director for the [[Heisei era|Heisei]] Godzilla films. The next year, Higuchi received his first major credit on a film as director of special effects for Daicon's low-budget comedy [[kaiju]] film [[wikipedia:Yamata no Orochi no Gyakushū|''The Giant Eight-Headed Serpent Strikes Back'']]. Higuchi worked on various other Daicon productions throughout the late 1980's and early 1990's as well as the [[Toho]]/[[Tsuburaya Productions|Tsuburaya]] co-production ''[[Mikadoroid]]''.
{{Need sources}}
As a young man, Shinji Higuchi was one of the founding members of Daicon Films (now Gainax), along with his friend [[Hideaki Anno]]. Higuchi worked on storyboards for Daicon's early anime and [[tokusatsu]] productions in the 1980s, and eventually had the opportunity to join the creature unit of ''[[The Return of Godzilla]]'' in [[1984]] as an uncredited assistant. Though he did not work directly under special effects director [[Teruyoshi Nakano]], his duties included assisting the makers of the [[84Goji]] suit, helping [[Kenpachiro Satsuma]] in and out of the suit on set, and swinging [[Godzilla (Heisei)|Godzilla]]'s tail. Higuchi and Nakano would eventually work together on the Kitakyushu theme park Space World, which opened in 1990. Previously, Higuchi had also worked as a production assistant on the Toho film ''[[Bye-Bye Jupiter]]'', where he worked with [[Koichi Kawakita]], who would go on to serve as the special effects director for the [[Heisei era|Heisei]] ''Godzilla'' films. The next year, Higuchi received his first major credit on a film as director of special effects for Daicon's low-budget comedy [[kaiju]] film ''[[wikipedia:Yamata no Orochi no Gyakushū|Orochi Strikes Again]]''. Higuchi worked on various other Daicon productions throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s as well as the [[Toho]], Tohokushinsha, and Tsuburaya Eizo co-production ''[[Mikadoroid]]''.


Higuchi's career began to take off in 1995, when he worked as a writer, assistant director, and storyboard artist for Hideaki Anno's immensely popular anime series [[wikipedia:Neon Genesis Evangelion|''Neon Genesis Evangelion'']]. The main character of the series, [[wikipedia:Shinji Ikari|Shinji Ikari]], was even named after Higuchi. That same year, Higuchi was hired to direct the special effects for [[Shusuke Kaneko]]'s reboot to the [[Gamera]] series, ''[[Gamera: Guardian of the Universe]]''. Despite having half the budget of ''[[Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla]]'', the most recent [[Godzilla (franchise)|Godzilla]] film, the film was a huge success, and Higuchi returned to perform the same position for its sequels, ''[[Gamera 2: Attack of the Legion]]'' and ''[[Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris]]'', experimenting with blending computer-generated imagery and traditional tokusatsu effects, which cemented his position as one of the top special effects technicians in Japan.
Higuchi's career began to take off in 1995, when he worked as a writer, assistant director, and storyboard artist for Hideaki Anno's immensely popular anime series ''[[wikipedia:Neon Genesis Evangelion|Neon Genesis Evangelion]]''. The main character of the series, [[wikipedia:Shinji Ikari|Shinji Ikari]], was even named after Higuchi. That same year, Higuchi was hired to direct the special effects for [[Shusuke Kaneko]]'s reboot to the ''[[Gamera (franchise)|Gamera]]'' series, ''[[Gamera the Guardian of the Universe]]''. Despite having half the budget of ''[[Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla]]'', the most recent ''[[Godzilla (franchise)|Godzilla]]'' film, the film was a huge success. Higuchi returned to perform the same position for its sequels ''[[Gamera 2: Attack of Legion]]'' and ''[[Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris]]'', experimenting with blending computer-generated imagery and traditional tokusatsu effects, which cemented his position as one of the top special effects technicians in Japan.


Higuchi worked on CG animation and storyboarding for some animated productions in the early 2000's. In 2005, Higuchi received his first directing credit for the box-office hit [[wikipedia:Lorelei: The Witch of the Pacific Ocean|''Lorelei: The Witch of the Pacific Ocean'']], and went on to direct remakes of two of Toho's classic films, ''[[Sinking of Japan]]'' (a remake of ''[[Submersion of Japan]]'') and [[wikipedia:Kakushi Toride no San-Akunin: The Last Princess|''The Three Villains of the Hidden Fortress: The Last Princess'']] (a remake of ''[[wikipedia:The Hidden Fortress|The Hidden Fortress]]'').
Higuchi worked on CG animation and storyboarding for some animated productions in the early 2000s. Higuchi made his directorial debut with ''Minimoni the Movie: The Great Sweets Adventure'' in [[2002]], and three years later directed the box-office hit ''[[Lorelei: The Witch of the Pacific Ocean]]''. He went on to direct remakes of two of Toho's classic films, ''[[Sinking of Japan]]'' (a remake of ''[[Submersion of Japan]]'') and ''[[wikipedia:Hidden Fortress: The Last Princess|Hidden Fortress: The Last Princess]]'' (a remake of ''[[wikipedia:The Hidden Fortress|The Hidden Fortress]]'').


More recently, Higuchi has worked as a storyboard artist for various anime series, including [[wikipedia:Rebuild of Evangelion|''Rebuild of Evangelion'']] and [[wikipedia:Kill la Kill|''Kill la Kill'']]. In 2015, Higuchi directed both parts of the Toho/[[Nikkatsu Corporation|Nikkatsu]]-produced [[Attack on Titan the Movie: Part 1|live-action]] [[Attack on Titan the Movie: Part 2|adaptations]] of the popular manga and anime series ''[[wikipedia:Attack on Titan|Attack on Titan]]'', using a combination of prosthetic makeup, [[suitmation]], puppetry, and CG enhancements to portray the giant [[Titan]] creatures. The same year, Toho announced that he would be the director of special effects and co-director of ''[[Shin Godzilla]]'', where he would work alongside his longtime friend and creative partner Hideaki Anno, the film's writer and other co-director. ''Shin Godzilla'' was a massive box office hit, and Higuchi and Anno were honored with the Director of the Year prize at the 40th Japan Academy Awards.
More recently, Higuchi has worked as a storyboard artist for various anime series, including ''[[wikipedia:Rebuild of Evangelion|Rebuild of Evangelion]]'' and ''[[wikipedia:Kill la Kill|Kill la Kill]]''. In 2015, Higuchi directed both parts of Toho, [[Nikkatsu]], et al.'s [[Attack on Titan the Movie: Part 1|live-action]] [[Attack on Titan the Movie: Part 2|adaptations]] of the popular manga and anime series ''[[wikipedia:Attack on Titan|Attack on Titan]]'', using a combination of prosthetic makeup, [[suitmation]], puppetry, and CG enhancements to portray the giant [[Titan (Attack on Titan)|Titan]] creatures. The same year, Toho announced that he would be the director of special effects and co-director of ''[[Shin Godzilla]]'', where he would work alongside his longtime friend and creative partner Hideaki Anno, the film's writer and general director. ''Shin Godzilla'' was a massive box office hit, and Higuchi and Anno were honored with the Director of the Year prize at the 40th Japan Academy Awards.
==Selected Filmography==
==Selected filmography==
*''[[Bye-Bye Jupiter]]'' (1984) - Production assistant
===Director of special effects===
*''[[The Return of Godzilla]]'' ([[1984]]) - Assistant creature unit [uncredited]
*''[[Orochi Strikes Again]]'' (1985)
*''[[wikia:w:c:ultra:Ultra Q The Movie: Legend of the Stars|Ultra Q The Movie: Legend of the Stars]]'' (1990) - Storyboarder
*''The Men Who Made Ultraman: A Moon Boat in the Forest of Stars'' (1989) [with Koichi Komura]
*''[[Mikadoroid]]'' (1991) - Director of special effects
*''[[The Cat]]'' (1991)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://area.autodesk.jp/case/creators_eye/higuchi/|title=Autodesk×Digicon6 コラボ企画 Top Creator's Eye ～CG業界のフロンティア達の視点～ 『のぼうの城』樋口 真嗣 監督 インタビュー|author=Horai, Sanae|date=2012|work=Area Japan}}</ref> [with [[Kazuo Sagawa]]; uncredited]
*''[[wikia:w:c:ultra:Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero|Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero]]'' (TV 1993-1994) - Concept artist
*''[[Mikadoroid]]'' (1991)
*''[[Gamera: Guardian of the Universe]]'' ([[1995]]) - Director of special effects
*''[[Gamera the Guardian of the Universe]]'' (1995)
*''[[Gamera 2: Attack of the Legion]]'' ([[1996]]) - Director of special effects
*''[[Gamera 2: Attack of Legion]]'' (1996)
*''[[Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris]]'' ([[1999]]) - Director of special effects
*''[[Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris]]'' (1999)
*''[[Sinking of Japan]]'' ([[2006]]) - Director
*''[[Sakuya (film)|Sakuya]]'' (2000)
*''[[Geharha: The Dark and Long Hair Monster]]'' ([[2009]]) - Executive producer
*''[[Lorelei: The Witch of the Pacific Ocean]]'' (2005) [with [[Hiroshi Butsuda]]]
*''[[Death Kappa (film)|Death Kappa]]'' ([[2010]]) - Actor
*''[[Shin Godzilla]]'' (2016) [visual effects]
*''[[Giant God Warrior Appears in Tokyo]]'' ([[2012]]) - Director
===Storyboard artist===
*''[[Attack on Titan the Movie: Part 1]]'' ([[2015]]) - Director
*''[[wikia:w:c:ultra:Ultra Q The Movie: Legend of the Stars|Ultra Q The Movie: Legend of the Stars]]'' (1990)
*''[[Attack on Titan the Movie: Part 2]]'' ([[2015]]) - Director
*''The Man Who Wanted to Be Ultraman'' (1993)
*''[[Shin Godzilla]]'' ([[2016]]) - Director [with [[Hideaki Anno]]], director of special effects
*''[[wikia:w:c:ultra:Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero|Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero]]'' (TV 1993-1994) [uncredited]
*''[[Shin Ultraman]]'' (2021) - Director <ref name="TsuPro">[https://en.tsuburaya-prod.co.jp/news/1397 Tsuburaya Productions Official Site: An opening to a new page of the History of ULTRAMAN is underway! “SHIN ULTRAMAN”, a dawning of a brand new entertainment presented for everyone around the world has just began!]</ref>
*''[[wikipedia:Betterman (TV series)|Betterman]]'' (TV 1999) [episode 24]
*''[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack]]'' (2001) [uncredited]
*''Monkey Magic'' (2007)
*''[[A Giant Warrior Descends on Tokyo]]'' (2012)
*''[[Attack on Titan the Movie: Part 1]]'' (2015)
*''[[Attack on Titan the Movie: Part 2]]'' (2015)
*''[[Shin Godzilla]]'' (2016)
*''[[Shin Ultraman]]'' (2022)
===Director===
*''[[Lorelei: The Witch of the Pacific Ocean]]'' (2005)
*''[[Sinking of Japan]]'' (2006)
*''[[Monster Magnitude: 9]]'' (TV 2010) [general director and episodes 6, 12-13]
*''[[A Giant Warrior Descends on Tokyo]]'' (2012)
*''[[Attack on Titan the Movie: Part 1]]'' (2015)
*''[[Attack on Titan: Signal to Strike Back]]'' (TV 2015) [general director]
*''[[Attack on Titan the Movie: Part 2]]'' (2015)
*''[[Shin Godzilla]]'' (2016) [co-director]
*''[[Dragon Pilot: Hisone and Masotan]]'' (TV 2018)
*''[[Shin Ultraman]]'' (2022)
*''[[Shin Ultra Fight]]'' (web 2022) [episodes 1-3, 8B]
===Actor===
*''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra]]'' (1992) as a man in the Nagoya TV Tower [uncredited]
*''[[GAMERA1999]]'' (1999) as himself
*''[[wikipedia:Returner|Returner]]'' (2000) as a scientist
*''[[Death Kappa (film)|Death Kappa]]'' (2010) as reporter
*''[[The Dawn of Kaiju Eiga]]'' (2019) as himself [interviewee]
*''[[The 12 Day Tale of the Monster that Died in 8]]'' (2020) as himself
*''[[wikipedia:Iké Boys|Iké Boys]]'' (2021) as ''Go! Great Decisive Battle at the End of the Century with Rainbows'' movie narrator (voice)
*''Continuation: Ultra Fight'' (web 2022) as himself [commentator]
*''[[Brush of the God]]'' (2024)<ref name="Brush">{{cite web|url=https://www.kaminofude.com/|title=Cast|work=Brush of the God official site|accessdate=27 February 2024}}</ref>


===Miscellaneous===
*''[[Bye-Bye Jupiter]]'' (1984) - Assistant special effects modeler [uncredited]
*''[[The Return of Godzilla]]'' (1984) - Assistant special effects modeler [uncredited]
*''[[wikia:w:c:ultra:Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero|Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero]]'' (TV 1993-1994) - Concept artist / special effects supervisor [uncredited] / miniature maintenance [uncredited]
*''[[Gamera 2: Attack of Legion]]'' (1996) - Monster designer [with [[Mahiro Maeda]]]
*''[[Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris]]'' (1999) - Monster designer [with Mahiro Maeda]
*''[[Geharha: The Dark and Long Haired Monster]]'' (2009) - Executive producer
*''[[Monster Magnitude: 9]]'' (TV 2010) - Screenwriter [episode 5]
*''[[The 12 Day Tale of the Monster that Died in 8]]'' (web 2020) - Original story
*''[[The 12 Day Tale of the Monster that Died in 8]]'' (2020) - Original story
*''[[Shin Ultraman]]'' (2022) - Cinematographer [with [[Katsuro Onoue]], Masayuki, Ikki Todoroki, [[Hideaki Anno]], Linto Ueda]
*''Ultra Fight Club'' (web 2022) - Director of audiography / sound effects [with Yuji Furuya] / music selection [with Junichiro Suzuki]
*''[[Shin Ultra Fight]]'' (web 2022) - Supervisor / director of audiography / sound effects [with Yuji Furuya] / music selection [with Junichiro Suzuki]
*''[[Shin Godzilla|SHIN GODZILLA:ORTHOchromatic]]'' (2023) - Supervisor [with Katsuro Onoue]
==Selected bibliography==
*''[[Fragment of Illusions: Toho Special Effects Films]]'' (2021) - Co-supervisor [with Yuji Nishimura]
*''[[Fragment of Illusions: Tsuburaya Productions]]'' (2021) - Co-supervisor [with Yuji Nishimura]
*''[[King Kong vs. Godzilla Completion]]'' (2022) - Cover designer
*''[[Mothra vs. Godzilla Completion]]'' (2022) - Cover designer
*''[[Shinji Higuchi Special Effect's Field Notes: Visual Plans and Sketches]]'' (2022) - Author
*''[[Fragment of Illusions Extra: The Art of "Rodan"]]'' (2023) - Co-supervisor [with Yuji Nishimura]
*''[[Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster Completion]]'' (2023) - Cover designer
==Gallery==
==Gallery==
<gallery widths="120" position="center" captionalign="center" spacing="small">
<gallery widths="120" position="center" captionalign="center" spacing="small">
Line 49: Line 101:
5438383838383.jpeg|Higuchi at the 40th Japan Academy Prize, where he and [[Hideaki Anno]] won Director of the Year for ''[[Shin Godzilla]]''
5438383838383.jpeg|Higuchi at the 40th Japan Academy Prize, where he and [[Hideaki Anno]] won Director of the Year for ''[[Shin Godzilla]]''
Shinji_in_front_of_Shingoji_track.jpg
Shinji_in_front_of_Shingoji_track.jpg
KongJP premiere.JPG|Shinji Higuchi with Yuji Kaida and [[Jordan Vogt-Roberts]]
File:Matt Frank and Shinji Higuchi.jpg|Shinji Higuchi and artist [[Matt Frank]]
KongJP premiere.JPG|Shinji Higuchi with Yuji Kaida and ''[[Kong: Skull Island]]'' director [[Jordan Vogt-Roberts]]
Shinji Higuchi with Hideo Kojima.jpg|Shinji Higuchi with [[wikipedia:Hideo Kojima|Hideo Kojima]]
Shinji Higuchi with Hideo Kojima.jpg|Shinji Higuchi with [[wikipedia:Hideo Kojima|Hideo Kojima]]
Shinji Higuchi with Dan Lemmon.jpg|Shinji Higuchi with [[wikipedia:Dan Lemmon|Dan Lemmon]] at a Japanese promotional event for ''[[wikipedia:War for the Planet of the Apes|War for the Planet of the Apes]]''
Shinji Higuchi with Dan Lemmon.jpg|Shinji Higuchi with [[wikipedia:Dan Lemmon|Dan Lemmon]] at a Japanese promotional event for ''[[wikipedia:War for the Planet of the Apes|War for the Planet of the Apes]]''
Higuchi, Tomiyama, and Iwase.jpg|Higuchi, [[Shogo Tomiyama]], and Masao Iwase at the Godzilla Cinema Concert on October 31, 2017
Higuchi, Tomiyama, and Iwase.jpg|Higuchi, [[Shogo Tomiyama]], and Masao Iwase at the Godzilla Cinema Concert on October 31, 2017
Shinji Higuchi holding godzilla figures.jpg|Shinji Higuchi holding a [[Bandai]] [[King of the Monsters (Bandai Japan Toy Line)|King of the Monsters Series]] [[ShinGoji|Godzilla 2016]] Climax Ver. figure and a [[Movie Monster (Bandai Japan Toy Line)|Movie Monster Series]] Godzilla 2016 figure
Shinji Higuchi holding godzilla figures.jpg|Shinji Higuchi holding a [[Bandai]] [[Movie Monster Series#King of the Monsters Series|King of the Monsters Series]] [[ShinGoji|Godzilla 2016]] Climax Ver. figure and a [[Movie Monster Series]] Godzilla 2016 figure
Kiyotaka Taguchi, Jordan Vogt-Roberts, and Shinji Higuchi.jpg|Higuchi with Jordan Vogt-Roberts and [[Kiyotaka Taguchi]]
Kiyotaka Taguchi, Jordan Vogt-Roberts, and Shinji Higuchi.jpg|Higuchi with Jordan Vogt-Roberts and [[Kiyotaka Taguchi]]
File:F6MMfPkXEAAbPWf.jpg|Shinji Higuchi and ''[[Godzilla Minus One]]'' director [[Takashi Yamazaki]]
File:F6D8ndebwAADBW3.jpg
</gallery>
</gallery>
==Videos==
==Videos==
{{Videos|
{{Videos|
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">dHEfKN0Qn7U</youtube>|Interview on the Gamera trilogy, Part 1}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">XOIwh6MlDRI</youtube>|G-Fest XXIV interview, part 1}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">_Im2Q0Np1T8</youtube>|Interview on the Gamera trilogy, Part 2}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">zbPkcWcLcYk</youtube>|G-Fest XXIV interview, part 2}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">oe9WkgG5dK4</youtube>|Interview on the Gamera trilogy, Part 3}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">loewxzW1lX8</youtube>|G-Fest XXIV interview, part 3}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XOIwh6MlDRI</youtube>|G-Fest XXIV Interview, Part 1}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">4s4RevZJgME</youtube>|G-Fest XXIV interview, part 4}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zbPkcWcLcYk</youtube>|G-Fest XXIV Interview, Part 2}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">asIzcrmr_ec</youtube>|Famous Monsters TV interview}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=loewxzW1lX8</youtube>|G-Fest XXIV Interview, Part 3}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">QI_Zc8F0MDA</youtube>|Higuchi voices himself in a<br>promotional video for Fussa, Tokyo}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4s4RevZJgME</youtube>|G-Fest XXIV Interview, Part 4}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">FNp0bMkp19g</youtube>|2020 Kaiju Masterclass panel}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=asIzcrmr_ec</youtube>|Famous Monsters TV Interview}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">QI_Zc8F0MDA</youtube>|Higuchi voices himself in a promotional video for Fussa, Tokyo}}
}}
}}
==Trivia==
==Trivia==
*Shinji Higuchi is a close friend of [[Hideaki Anno]], and reportedly convinced the latter to write the script for and help him direct ''[[Shin Godzilla]]'' after he previously refused when [[Toho]] first offered him the position.
*Shinji Higuchi is a close friend of [[Hideaki Anno]], and reportedly convinced the latter to write the script for and help him direct ''[[Shin Godzilla]]'' after he previously refused when [[Toho]] first offered him the position.{{Citation needed}}
==External Links==
==External links==
*[http://www.davmil.org/www.kaijuconversations.com/higuchi.htm Interview by David Milner and Guy Tucker (March 1995)]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20161018221558/http://www.davmil.org/www.kaijuconversations.com/higuchi.htm Interview by David Milner and Guy Tucker (March 1995, archived)]
*[http://www.kaijucast.com/2017/08/02/08-02-2017-shin-godzilla-director-shinji-higuchi/ Interview by Kyle Yount (August 2017)]
*[https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interview/2015-08-04/the-cast-and-crew-of-live-action-attack-on-titan/.91231 ''Anime News Network'' interview (August 2015)]
*[http://www.kaijucast.com/2017/08/02/08-02-2017-shin-godzilla-director-shinji-higuchi/ Kaijucast interview (August 2017)]
*[https://www.vulture.com/2022/07/an-interview-with-shin-ultraman-director-shinji-higuchi.html ''Vulture'' interview (July 2022)]
*[https://www.facebook.com/shinji.higuchi.54 Facebook account]
*[https://www.facebook.com/shinji.higuchi.54 Facebook account]
*[https://www.instagram.com/higuchishinji/ Instagram account]
*[https://www.instagram.com/higuchishinji/ Instagram account]
{{Real People}}
*[https://twitter.com/shinji_higuchi/status/1551186300015095808 Twitter account]
*[https://www.youtube.com/user/higuchinko/feed YouTube channel]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Real People|tab=Director}}
{{Comments}}
{{Comments}}
{{Era|REL}}
{{Era|REL}}

Latest revision as of 23:32, 27 February 2024

Shinji Higuchi
Shinji Higuchi
Born September 22, 1965
Tokyo, Japan
Occupation Director, special effects director, storyboard artist
First work Bye-Bye Jupiter (1984)
Notable work Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris (1999)
Imdb.pngWp EN.pngWp JA.png

Shinji Higuchi (樋口 真嗣,   Higuchi Shinji) is a Japanese film director, tokusatsu special effects director, and artist. He first received widespread recognition for his work as the director of special effects on Shusuke Kaneko's Heisei Gamera trilogy, receiving a Special Technology Award for Gamera the Guardian of the Universe at the 1995 Japan Academy Film Prize. He has since broken into dramatic directing, helming such projects as the 2005 submarine epic Lorelei: The Witch of the Pacific Ocean, the 2006 disaster film Sinking of Japan, and a pair of live action adaptations of Hajime Isayama's Attack on Titan in 2015. Most prominently, Higuchi has (co-)directed two entries in longtime collaborator Hideaki Anno's Shin series of films: 2016's Shin Godzilla, for which he won the Japanese Academy Award for Director of the Year, and 2022's Shin Ultraman, for which he received a Director of the Year nomination.

Career

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As a young man, Shinji Higuchi was one of the founding members of Daicon Films (now Gainax), along with his friend Hideaki Anno. Higuchi worked on storyboards for Daicon's early anime and tokusatsu productions in the 1980s, and eventually had the opportunity to join the creature unit of The Return of Godzilla in 1984 as an uncredited assistant. Though he did not work directly under special effects director Teruyoshi Nakano, his duties included assisting the makers of the 84Goji suit, helping Kenpachiro Satsuma in and out of the suit on set, and swinging Godzilla's tail. Higuchi and Nakano would eventually work together on the Kitakyushu theme park Space World, which opened in 1990. Previously, Higuchi had also worked as a production assistant on the Toho film Bye-Bye Jupiter, where he worked with Koichi Kawakita, who would go on to serve as the special effects director for the Heisei Godzilla films. The next year, Higuchi received his first major credit on a film as director of special effects for Daicon's low-budget comedy kaiju film Orochi Strikes Again. Higuchi worked on various other Daicon productions throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s as well as the Toho, Tohokushinsha, and Tsuburaya Eizo co-production Mikadoroid.

Higuchi's career began to take off in 1995, when he worked as a writer, assistant director, and storyboard artist for Hideaki Anno's immensely popular anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion. The main character of the series, Shinji Ikari, was even named after Higuchi. That same year, Higuchi was hired to direct the special effects for Shusuke Kaneko's reboot to the Gamera series, Gamera the Guardian of the Universe. Despite having half the budget of Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla, the most recent Godzilla film, the film was a huge success. Higuchi returned to perform the same position for its sequels Gamera 2: Attack of Legion and Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris, experimenting with blending computer-generated imagery and traditional tokusatsu effects, which cemented his position as one of the top special effects technicians in Japan.

Higuchi worked on CG animation and storyboarding for some animated productions in the early 2000s. Higuchi made his directorial debut with Minimoni the Movie: The Great Sweets Adventure in 2002, and three years later directed the box-office hit Lorelei: The Witch of the Pacific Ocean. He went on to direct remakes of two of Toho's classic films, Sinking of Japan (a remake of Submersion of Japan) and Hidden Fortress: The Last Princess (a remake of The Hidden Fortress).

More recently, Higuchi has worked as a storyboard artist for various anime series, including Rebuild of Evangelion and Kill la Kill. In 2015, Higuchi directed both parts of Toho, Nikkatsu, et al.'s live-action adaptations of the popular manga and anime series Attack on Titan, using a combination of prosthetic makeup, suitmation, puppetry, and CG enhancements to portray the giant Titan creatures. The same year, Toho announced that he would be the director of special effects and co-director of Shin Godzilla, where he would work alongside his longtime friend and creative partner Hideaki Anno, the film's writer and general director. Shin Godzilla was a massive box office hit, and Higuchi and Anno were honored with the Director of the Year prize at the 40th Japan Academy Awards.

Selected filmography

Director of special effects

Storyboard artist

Director

Actor

Miscellaneous

Selected bibliography

Gallery

Videos

G-Fest XXIV interview, part 1
G-Fest XXIV interview, part 2
G-Fest XXIV interview, part 3
G-Fest XXIV interview, part 4
Famous Monsters TV interview
Higuchi voices himself in a
promotional video for Fussa, Tokyo
2020 Kaiju Masterclass panel

Trivia

  • Shinji Higuchi is a close friend of Hideaki Anno, and reportedly convinced the latter to write the script for and help him direct Shin Godzilla after he previously refused when Toho first offered him the position.[citation needed]

External links

References

This is a list of references for Shinji Higuchi. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]

  1. ↑ Horai, Sanae (2012). "Autodesk×Digicon6 コラボ企画 Top Creator's Eye ～CG業界のフロンティア達の視点～ 『のぼうの城』樋口 真嗣 監督 インタビュー". Area Japan.
  2. ↑ "Cast". Brush of the God official site. Retrieved 27 February 2024.

Staff members
 
Directors
Drama directors
Adam Wingard • Daisuke Sato • Ernest Schoedsack • Eugène Lourié • Gareth Edwards • Hideaki Anno • Hirochika Muraishi • Hiroto Yokokawa • Hiroyuki Seshita • Ishiro Honda • John Guillermin • Jordan Vogt-Roberts • Jun Fukuda • Kazuhiro Nakagawa • Kazuki Omori • Kensho Yamashita • Kimiyoshi Yasuda • Kiyotaka Taguchi‎‎ • Kobun Shizuno • Koji Hashimoto • Kunio Miyoshi • Masaaki Hisamatsu • Masaaki Tezuka • Masaji Nonagase • Merian C. Cooper • Michael Dougherty • Minoru Kawasaki • Motoyoshi Oda • Noriaki Yuasa • Okihiro Yoneda • Peter Jackson • Roland Emmerich • Ryuhei Kitamura • Ryuichi Ichino • Shinji Higuchi • Shinpei Hayashiya • Shizuo Nakajima • Shusuke Kaneko • Takao Okawara • Takashi Miike • Takashi Yamazaki • Takeshi Yagi • Takuya Uenishi • Tomoo Haraguchi • Tokuzo Tanaka • Willis O'Brien • Yoshikazu Ishii • Yoshimitsu Banno • Yusuke Ishida
Effects directors
Assistant directors
 
Artists
Production designers
Illustrators
Propmakers

 
 
V • T • E

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