Baltimore’s Otakon Announces Madhouse Founder Masao Maruyama As Special Guest
Baltimore, MD (July 12, 2012) — Otakon welcomes back producer and honorary Otakon staffer, Masao Maruyama!
The founder of Madhouse Studios, Masao Maruyama has had a hand in the Japanese animation industry for almost forty years. Maruyama was born in 1941 in the Miyagi Prefecture. After graduation from Hosei University, he went to work for Mushi Production. He later went on to help produce Unico, based on a story by Osamu Tezuka, of Astro Boy fame. In 1972, Maruyama had a direct hand in the establishment of the burgeoning new animation studio Mad House and led the team as a creative producer for many years.
No matter the wide range of mediums in which Madhouse Studios dealt including television, OAV, and theatrical release, Maruyama brought the same level of quality to every production. Regardless of the subject matter, Murayama always brings something new to the table, and he is internationally known for exceptional animation. Maruyama is also acknowledged for his eye in finding young talent to bring into Mad House; under his creative guidance, talents like Satoshi Kon and Atsuko Ishizuka flourished.
Since Mad House’s inception, Maruyama has produced an amazing library of animation including Barefoot Gen, Dagger of Kamui, Record of Lodoss War, Vampire Hunter D, Ninja Scroll, Card Captor Sakura, Trigun, Perfect Blue, X, Boogiepop Phantom, Chobits, Pita Ten, Abenobashi Maho Shotengai, Gungrave, Gunslinger Girl, Black Lagoon, Kiba, NANA, Tokyo Tribe 2, Beck, Monster, Highlander: Search for Vengeance, Devil May Cry, Death Note, RAINBOW and Red Line.
Maruyama has also overseen production of critically acclaimed films such as Paprika and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.
Otakon 2012 will be held July 27 — 29 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland.
