The founder of Madhouse Studios, Masao Maruyama has had a hand in the Japanese animation industry for almost forty years. Maruyama-san was born in 1941 in the Miyagi Prefecture. After graduation from Hosei University in 1963, he went to work as an animator 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-san had a direct hand in the establishment of the burgeoning new animation studio MADHOUSE, and in 1980 he was inducted into the board of directors.

No matter the wide range of mediums in which Madhouse Studios deals including television, OAV, and theatrical release, Maruyama brings the same level of quality to every production. Regardless of the subject matter, Madhouse 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 Madhouse; under his creative guidance, talents like Satoshi Kon and Atsuko Ishizuka have flourished.

Since Madhouse’s inception, Maruyama-san has produced an amazing library of animation including Barefoot Gen, Dagger of Kamui, Record of Lodoss Wars, Urusei Yatsura, Vampire Hunter D, Ninja Scroll, Card Captor Sakura, Trigun, Perfect Blue, X, Boogiepop Phantom, Chobits, Pita Ten, Abenobashi Maho Shotengai, Ninja Scroll, Dragon Drive, Gungrave, Gunslinger Girl, Black Lagoon, Kiba, NANA, Tokyo Tribe 2, Beck, Monster, Highlander: Search for Vengeance, Devil May Cry, Death Note, and the upcoming Red Line. One of Mr. Maruyama’s more recent projects is Otakon’s animated short, expected to debut later this year.

One of Otakon’s few recurring guests and a longtime friend of the convention, Masao Maruyama returns for his sixth visit to Baltimore. For more information about MADHOUSE, visit http://www.madhouse.co.jp.

ABOUT OTAKON AND OTAKORP, INC.: Now entering its fifteenth year, Otakon is an annual celebration of Japanese and East Asian popular culture, and also one of the largest gatherings of fans in the United States. Otakon celebrates popular culture as a gateway to deeper understanding of Asian culture, and has grown along with the enthusiasm for anime, manga, video games, and music from the Far East. Since 1999, Otakon has been held in Baltimore, Maryland; currently, Otakon is one of Baltimore’s few large, city-wide events, drawing over 22,000 individual members for three days each year (for a paid attendance of over 60,000 “turnstile” attendees). Otakon is a membership-based convention sponsored by Otakorp, Inc., a Pennsylvania-based, 501(c)3 educational non-profit whose mission is to promote the appreciation of Asian culture, primarily through its media and entertainment. Otakorp, Inc. is directed by an all-volunteer, unpaid staff – we are run by fans, for fans.