DIRECTOR ASATOU:


click for larger version Director Asatou is an animation director who appears only in episode 021. He works for Studio Dive creating a new Sailor V anime, and two animators on his team are the young friends Hiromi Matsuno and Kazuko Tadashita. Throughout the episode Asatou is shown carrying a small baby on his back. The first time he is shown, he is meeting with Hiromi and Kazuko. He tells Hiromi that her drawings lack "a certain passion," pointing specifically to a line drawn on Sailor V's leg. Hiromi asks, "Are you suggesting that we make her sexier?" He becomes flustered and says, "Don't be ridiculous! I'm a father! I would never say such an indecent thing!" Hiromi confesses to Kazuko that she is often baffled by Asatou's comments because he speaks in such abstract terms. Later, Nephrite puts his evil crest on one of Hiromi's animation pencils, causing the girl to reach her peak energy output. She obsessively creates drawings, even working overnight. Asatou responds to her new productivity positively, and even asks her to work on the final scene of the anime. Unfortunately, Nephrite's influence has caused Hiromi to become angry and volatile, and she tells the director that she has decided Sailor V will be killed in the final scene because "that's the kind of thrilling story children want these days." Asatou is outraged, but when he calls to discuss things, Hiromi hangs up on him.

Asatou was based on the real person Junichi Satou, who was one of the animation directors for the Sailor Moon anime. In this episode, Director Asatou's seiyuu was Michitaka Kobayashi.


See also:
Episode 021 - Protect the Childrens' Dream! A Frienship Tied by Anime
Hiromi Matsuno
Kazuko Tadashita
Michitaka Kobayashi
Studio Dive