Tatsuya Ishihara

After graduating from Osaka Designers' College in the late '80s, Ishihara joined Kyoto Animation and began his career as an animator. In 1991, he made his debut as a director with Shiawasette Naani. After that, he switched his focus to directing. Back then Kyoto Animation was still a sub-contracting studio, so therefore Ishihara could only get a handful of opportunities directing. Some of the shows in which Ishihara got to direct multiple episodes were Tenchi Muyou!, Aka-chan to Boku, Hyper Police, and Inuyasha. He also storyboarded the majority of the episodes he directed.

In 2003, Kyoto Animation started their transformation into a full-fledged animation studio producing their first anime series, Fullmetal Panic? Fumoffu. Ishihara directed and storyboarded the 7th episode of the show. Two years later in 2005, he made his proper directorial debut directing the studio's second TV show, Air. The following year he directed the award winning anime series, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. From here Ishihara has gone on to direct multiple of Kyoto Animation's acclaimed works.