Hatano Morio (畑野森生)? is a director and storyboard artist affiliated with Toei Animation.
History[]
- "Toei is unlike any other company in Japan, with the exception of Sunrise, in that they make original animation for an entire year or more. Most anime is made for one or two cours, and this is to limit risk, but it’s too short to really get invested in the characters or setting, in my opinion. Toei offered the opportunity to create something really big and original, even if it was somewhat linked to another work. This is the appeal of this studio."
– Hatano Morio, from a personal interview conducted by Bryan Hikari Hartzheim for his thesis (pg. 267).
Hatano liked animation from a young age, drawing manga in school, but soon developed a passion for film. He joined Toei Animation in 2001 after dropping out of graduate school, enrolling in a program that would train him to become a director. He believes that a key point of working at Toei was the opportunity to make original work rather than adapt the source material of other artists (pp. 266-267). Hatano is a very diligent worker. For example, during the year of 2013, he had taken only three days off from work, one of which he was severely bedridden for (pg. 267). While working as series director for "Saint Seiya Omega," he stayed at the studio for about 17-18 hours a day (pg. 269). In his storyboards, Hatano typically sketches "short shots," shots that comprise a single drawing with little to no dialogue, being brief in length when animated. As anime production times make it difficult to do long and detailed character animation, these "short shots" are an adaptation to that crunch (pg. 277).[1]
Work on Heartcatch Pretty Cure![]
Wakabayashi Go, who was an assistant producer representing Toei on Heartcatch Pretty Cure!, recalled that the episodes Hatano directed were "dynamic, possessing camerawork and layouts uncharacteristic for a girls' anime[...]" (pg. 266).[1]
Work in Pretty Cure[]
| Series | Year | Episode Director | Storyboard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heartcatch Pretty Cure! | 2010 - 2011 | 05, 15, 23, 33, 37, 44 | 05, 15, 23, 33, 44 |
| Suite Pretty Cure♪ | 2011 - 2012 | 02, 10, 20, 36 | 02, 10, 20, 36, 43 |
| Happiness Charge Pretty Cure! | 2014 - 2015 | 04, 43 | |
| Go! Princess Pretty Cure | 2015 - 2016 | 10, 18, 47 | |
| KiraKira☆Pretty Cure A La Mode | 2017 - 2018 | 31, 40 | |
| HUGtto! Pretty Cure | 2018 - 2019 | 11, 24, 35 | |
| Star☆Twinkle Pretty Cure | 2019 - 2020 | 02, 40 | |
| Healin' Good♥Pretty Cure | 2020 - 2021 | ❌ | Miracle Leap |
| Hirogaru Sky! Pretty Cure | 2023 - 2024 | 17, 33, 48 | |
| Wonderful Pretty Cure! | 2024 - 2025 | 12, 29, 49 | |