Morio Asaka

Director

March 11, 1967 (59 years)

Hyogo, Japan

Biography

Morio Asaka is an anime director at studio Madhouse. Many of his works take on a female perspective for the telling of the story, with a feminine protagonist as the central focus. This has contributed to him becoming the main director at Madhouse for handling the more serious series featuring female characters or targeting the female market. However, his works are also known for often elaborate action sequences, and even his most serious stories are frequently laced with comedy.

Filmography

8.8

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End

After the party of heroes defeated the Demon King, they restored peace to the land and returned to lives of solitude. Generations pass, and the elven mage Frieren comes face to face with humanity’s mortality. She takes on a new apprentice and promises to fulfill old friends’ dying wishes. Can an elven mind make peace with the nature of life and death? Frieren embarks on her quest to find out.

7.6

Chihayafuru

Chihaya Ayase has spent most of her life supporting her sister’s model career. When she meets a boy named Arata Wataya, he thinks Chihaya has potential to become a great karuta player. As Chihaya dreams of becoming Japan's best karuta player, she is soon separated from her karuta playing friends. Now in high school, Chihaya still plays karuta in the hope that she will one day meet her friends again.

8.5

NANA

Nana Osaki and Nana Komatsu meet while traveling to Tokyo in pursuit of their respective dreams, and decide to be roommates. Although drastically different people, the two become very close and together they find out if their biggest dreams have room for their best friend.

8.6

Cardcaptor Sakura

Sakura Kinomoto, an elementary school student who discovers that she possesses magical powers after accidentally freeing a set of magical cards from the book they had been sealed in for years. She is then tasked with retrieving those cards in order to avoid an unknown catastrophe from befalling the world.

8.0

My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999

Recently dumped, Akane is just about to quit the game she used to play with her boyfriend, when she meets Yamada in the same RPG. Yamada in real life turns out to be somewhat of a legend. The only problem is - he is ONLY interested in the game. As Akane's feelings grow, will Yamada's focus stay on the game?

8.4

My Love Story!!

Takeo Goda is a giant guy with a giant heart. Too bad the girls don't want him! (They always go for his good-looking best friend, Makoto Sunakawa.) Used to being on the sidelines, Takeo simply stands tall and accepts his fate. But one day when he saves a girl named Rinko Yamato from a harasser on the train, his (love!) life suddenly takes an incredible turn! Takeo can hardly believe it when he crosses paths with Rinko again, and he finds himself falling in love with her... But with handsome Suna around, does Takeo even stand a chance?

8.0

Chobits

Tokyo is abuzz with persocoms – humanoid computers that are virtually perfect. The socially and technologically inept Hideki is dying to get his hands on one. When he finds Chii abandoned in the trash, she’s cuter than any current model he’s ever seen before. But when he gets her home and turns her on, she has no data and only a single learning program installed. While Hideki puts his whole heart into teaching Chii the ins and outs of humanity, a mystery unfolds as a dark secret within her awakens.

7.1

Gunslinger Girl

The Social Welfare Agency saves the lives of terminal patients using cybernetic implants. Then it teaches them to kill. After surviving the slaughter of her family, young Henrietta awakens to her new life at the Agency with a rebuilt body and no memory. Teamed with Jose, who is responsible for turning her into the perfect assassin, Henrietta’s been given a second chance—but at what cost?

7.6

A Hundred Scenes of AWAJIMA

At Awajima Opera School, girls from across Japan strive to earn a place on stage. Wakana is driven by her love of musical theater, while Kinue studies with quiet discipline. Scholarship student Emi draws attention from all—but especially from Keiko, who struggles with admiration and comparison. Through shifting perspectives, their intertwined days explore ambition, friendship, and self-discovery.

6.9

Birdy the Mighty

Tsutomu, an average middle school kid busy studying for the final exams to enter high school runs into a man running from someone and gets caught up in the chase. In all the confusion he gets accidentally killed. Luckily Birdy (an interplanetary agent) knows a way to save him, unfortunately that means joining bodies to become one. So now he is stuck with this officer and along for the ride capturing criminals and saving lives.

6.8

Street Fighter

A new challenger approaches in Street Fighter II: The Animated Series! Discipline! Justice! Commitment! That's the code that the secret international peacekeeping force "Street Fighter" adheres to! Made up of the top martial artists from around the world, Street Fighter opposes criminal activities anywhere, at any time. William F. Guile, the leader of Street Fighter, conducts himself with honor even as he blows away bad guys at the speed of sound with his "Sonic Boom"! Meanwhile, the bestial Blanka shocks his opponents all too literally, and Chun-Li's furiously flying fleet feet take down anything that gets between her and justice! They'll need all the help they can get against the villainous Shadaloo, whose leader M.Bison is one of the strongest, most vile criminals around! Fortunately for Street Fighter, they've got Ryu and Ken to back them up.

8.3

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card

Sakura had managed to capture all of the Clow Cards which could bring disaster to the world and turned them into her own Sakura Cards. Now it’s spring. With cherry trees in full blossom, Sakura is just entering middle school. Her beloved Syaoran has returned from Hong Kong, and Sakura was thrilled to be going to school with him again. But one night, something strange happens to her Cards...

6.2

Phantom Quest Corp.

Ayaka Kisaragi is a beautiful woman descended from a long line of Japanese exorcists. However, bored with their traditions, she started her own business, Phantom Quest Corp. Although she is very competent with her skills, Ayaka's own bad habits often cut into the company's meager earnings and interfere with paying the various experts whose help she usually depends upon.

7.7

Cardcaptor Sakura: The Movie

Sakura Kinomoto, a Card Captor, wins a game of chance and is awarded a trip to Hong Kong, along with her best friend Tomoyo and her rival, Syaoran Li. It turns out that the ancient rival of Clow Reed, the creator of the mysterious and powerful Clow Cards, summoned them, and she's out for revenge. A battle ensues, and secrets are revealed about Clow Reed's shady past and Sakura's connection to him.

8.1

Cardcaptor Sakura: The Sealed Card

All of the Clow Cards have been captured, and Sakura Kinomoto, the new Master of the Cards, is preparing to play the lead in the play for the town festival. However, a new evil force is causing mysterious events all over Tomoeda, including the disappearance of Sakura's cards. With Syaoran's help, Sakura must figure out the cause of these events, and save her town.

6.9

Cyber City Oedo 808

In the city of Oedo 2808a.d., three Cyber criminals are given two choices, to either rot in jail or to join a special force of the Cyber Police to get possibly one more chance at freedom ever again. For each criminal apprehended, and for each successful mission done, the state will agree to reduce their sentences. Lead by Hasegawa, the new recruits: Sengoku, Gogul, and Benton will bring some hard justice to Oedo and possibly taste freedom again.

6.5

Ningen Shikkaku: Director's Cut-ban

A theatrical film version of Madhouse's Aoi Bungaku Series anime. The film will re-edit the four episodes based on Osamu Dazai's No Longer Human (Ningen Shikkaku) novel, which have character designs inspired by manga artist and novel illustrator Takeshi Obata. This "director's cut" will include new "navigation" footage which is being created specifically for the film with narrator Masato Sakai.

6.6

Gold Kingdom and Water Kingdom

Once upon a time, there were two neighboring countries that did not get along. They bickered over trivial things day in and day out. Finally, they went to war over the issue of cleaning up dog feces. God intervened in a hurry and said to the chiefs of the two countries. Country A gives its most beautiful girl to Country B as a bride and Country B gives its wisest young man to Country A as a bridegroom. Then, the princess of country A, Saara, happens to meet a young man from country B...!

6.5

Final Fantasy VII: Last Order

After the destruction of Nibelheim at the hands of Sephiroth, Zack and Cloud are on the run from Shinra Inc. As they make their way back to Midgar, they recall the horrible events that happened at Nibelheim, as well as fight for survival against Shinra.

6.0

Mermaid's Scar

According to an ancient Japanese legend, mermaid flesh may grant immortality if eaten. However, there is a much greater chance that consumption will lead to death or transformation into a damned creature known as a Lost Soul (or Deformed Ones in the English dub). Mermaid Saga tells the tale of Yuta, an immortal who has been alive for five hundred years, who is wandering across Japan searching for a cure and meeting others whose lives have also been ruined by mermaid flesh in the process.