#Sayuri Ichiishi

[trainerjoshie]

Pokémon TCG e-series Japanese Exclusive Promo (2002) Pichu Bros. Illustration by Sayuri Ichiishi 😍😍😍

[kudotsurugi]

Random Thought: Why does all "90's Anime style" fanart just look like Sailor Moon?

Okay, obviously not all fanart looks like it. But if you were to type in "90s anime style" here on Tumblr or DeviantArt at the time of this post, it at least seems to be the majority stand-in for 90s anime aesthetic, right? Especially in the characters' eyes.

Don't me wrong, this is not a knock against Sailor Moon. It is a great anime, and the collective character designs by Kazuko Tadano, Ikuko Ito, and Mari Tominaga among other staff are iconic. So iconic that Tadano was brought back as the character designer for the latest Sailor Moon movies. That is quite the staying power.

But let's be fair, there are plenty of 90s anime out there that can also be used as inspiration. So, here are the names of 11 character designers alongside some gifs of shows/projects they worked on in that role. Some you may not know but you've seen their work, and others you probably know for their distinct art style or association with a franchise.

Things worth noting: First, the years listed here with some anime may reflect when the artists' work started airing, rather than when the anime itself actually started. Some folks listed here enter their projects mid-production in other roles, while others are in the role from the start. Second, each entry will list 1 or 2 projects aired/released during the 90s, but it will be noted if the artist's role continues beyond that with certain franchises. Lastly, these artists are listed in no particular order, so no "top 11" hierarchy. With that said, here's our examples:

Hisashi Eguchi (Roujin Z[1991], Sonic the Hedgehog CD [1993])

2. Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru(Dragon Ball franchise (Z [1993-96], GT [1996], Daima [2024]), Digimon franchise [1999-2002, 2019-2023])

3. Kumiko Takahashi (Cardcaptor Sakura [1998-2000], Birdy The Mighty[1996])

4. Takahiro Yoshimatsu (Trigun[1998], Slayers franchise[1995-97])

5. Atsuko Nakajima (Ranma 1/2[1989-1992], You're Under Arrest[1996])

6. Sayuri Ichiishi (Pokémon[Pokémon design: 1996-present, human character design: 1996-2017])

7. Atsuko Ishida (Magic Knight Rayearth[1994-1995])

8. Masaya Onishi (Yu Yu Hakusho[1993-1994])

9. Toshihiro Kawamoto(Cowboy Bebop[1998-1999], Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team[1996])

10. Hiroshi Osaka(Gundam franchise[Mobile Suit Victory Gundam: 1993-1994, Mobile Fighter G-Gundam:1994-1995])

11. Yoshiyuki Sadamoto(Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water[1990-1991], Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise[1995-1997, 2007-2021])

Might've leaned a bit more on the Shonen side of things than Shojo, but I hope you can see my point😅. There are tons of 90s anime out there with their own unique feel and aesthetic. These are only 11 names that I found.

For anyone drawing 90s anime style fanart, I hope this has given you some inspiration, and I encourage anyone reading this to look up your favourite anime on Anime News Network's encyclopedia and see who's responsible for helping bring your favorite characters to life on screen and what other shows they've worked on.

[igdra-tenshi]

When you can't help but imagine your characters in a 90's style opening

Just *chef kiss*

Newtwo would look great with Ichiishi Sayuri's classic style

[hirespokemon]

Sayuri Ichiishi's settei for Bruno's character in the 1998 episode "To Master the Onixpected!". Has anyone ever found Lorelei/Prima's sheet? :o

[animarchive]

Animage (10/1992) - Ushio & Tora illustrated by Sayuri Ichiishi.

[jadeazora]

Sayuri Ichiishi, the lead characters designer for the Pokemon anime, has uploaded this art to her Twitter in celebration of the new year. (Also, strongly implying Ash gets Grookey?)

And a New Year's greetings from the Anipoke Twitter.

[helluvabossy33]

Model sheets of Satoshi/Ash from the Pokémon movies! Character Designers: •I Choose You! - Sayuri Ichiishi/一石小百合 & Norihiro Matsubara/松原徳弘

Artwork Upscale

[maskedkitsune]

Unconfirmed episode titles

June 15th: SM30 - Enter Ilima, the Honor Student from the Class Next Door! (unconf)

Another student also gets the best score on a test held one day alongside Lillie. Ash hears this Trainer is a person of certified skill as well, so he decides to challenge this much-talked-about honor student to a battle. Screenplay 面出明美 (Akemi Omode) Storyboard 牧野吉高 (Yoshitaka Makino) Episode Director 牧野吉高 (Yoshitaka Makino) Animation Director 篠原隆 (Takashi Shinohara) Animation Director 中矢利子 (Toshiko Nakaya) Animation Director 一石小百合 (Sayuri Ichiishi)

June 22nd: SM31 - A New Trial! Challenge Akala Island! (unconf)

Ash goes to meet Island Kahuna Olivia in order to receive the Akala Island trial he heard about from Gladion earlier. However, Olivia tells Ash there are three trials in all, so when he returns to Melemele Island he wonders which of them he should start with. Screenplay 冨岡淳広 (Atsuhiro Tomioka) Storyboard 高橋知也 (Tomoya Takahashi) Episode Director 浅田裕二 (Yūji Asada) Animation Director 藤田正幸 (Masayuki Fujita) Animation Director 菊池功一 (Koichi Kikuchi)

Like I said, they’re unconfirmed, so take with a grain of salt for now

[hotwaterandmilk]

Series: Pokémon Artist: Ichiishi Sayuri Publication: Animedia Magazine (01/1998) Source: Scanned from personal collection

[hotwaterandmilk]

Series: Wedding Peach Artist: Ichiishi Sayuri Publication: Animage Magazine (01/1996) Source: Scanned from personal collection

[hotwaterandmilk]

Series: Wedding Peach DX Artist: Ichiishi Sayuri Publication: Anime V Magazine (11/1996) Source: Scanned from personal collection

[hirespokemon]

Wooden Golem Celebi セレビィ ゴーレム settei and other Celebi studies and sheets from the 2001 movie "Pokémon 4ever" possibly by Saiyuri Ichiishi 一石小百合 . Found this settei online in an auction listing, this seems to be one of many Golem Celebi settei, tho, as it's titled "Celebi Golem 3rd stage 2" do you happen to know where to find the other ones or have you purchased these?

[hirespokemon]

1997, probably by Sayuri Ichiishi  一石小百合, Kanto Elite 4 members, Lorelei, Bruno, Agatha and Lance as they appeared in the 1997 Pokémon Board Game (released in 1999 as Pokémon Master Trainer in the west). These designs are quite interesting, they were never used for the anime (although Lorelei’s and Br uno’s are quite similar) and Lance is based off Sugimori’s model . Furthermore they were used for Pokémon Stadium in 1998. So... a little conspiracy theory, are they traced upon some unreleased Sugimori art? 

[animarchive]

Animedia (10/1997) - Pokemon - illustrations by Sayuri Ichiishi.

[hotwaterandmilk]

Feature on the first Wedding Peach DX OVA featuring artwork of all four fighter angels by OVA character designer, Ichiishi Sayuri. This piece was originally published in the December 1996 issue of Animedia magazine and scanned from my personal collection.

[hotwaterandmilk]

Audio cassette labels featuring the heroines of Wedding Peach in illustrations by teams of KSS staff  This insert was originally published in the March 1996 issue of Animedia magazine and has been scanned from my personal collection.