New Delhi. Popular veteran anime director Tsutomu Shibayama has become. He died at the age of 84. Doraemon, directed by him, is a favorite anime of people aged between 8 to 80. He created and popularized the characters of Nobita and Shizuka, who fought a long battle with lung cancer and ultimately lost the battle of life. Tsutomu Shibayama breathed his last on March 6. On Wednesday, Japanese animation studio Asia Do Animation Works, of which Tsutomu Shibayama was one of the owners, officially announced the director’s death on its official website.

What was said in the official statement?

The official statement read, ‘Former CEO Tsutomu Shibayama passed away on March 6. Shibayama worked tirelessly as the director of Doraemon’s TV animation and films for more than 20 years. He also served as the director of the TV animation Nintama Rantaro. We are grateful to him for his contribution during his lifetime. We are publishing this sad news in his respect.

Career and early life of Tsutomu Shibayama

Coincidentally, Tsutomu Shibayama was born in 1914. He is considered one of the greatest directors of Japanese animation. He has directed 22 feature films of Doraemon. Additionally, he has also directed the 1979 TV anime of this series over the past 20 years. Tomu Shibayama began his career at Toei Animation in 1963. Some of his best early works include The Gusty Frog, Tensai Bakabon series, etc. He did these works for Shin E Animation. In 1978, he left the company and started his own Ajia Doe Animation Works. From 1984 to 2005, he was the chief director of the TV anime series Doraemon. He has directed several anime films, including Nobita and the Castle Undersea Devil and Doraemon: Nobita in the One Nan Spacetime Odyssey.

Tsutomu Shibayama’s projects

He has also directed Chibi Maruko, Nintama Rantaro, Majime ni Fumajime, Kaikesu Zorori. In 2012, Tsutomu Shibayama was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs for his immense contributions to the anime industry. As soon as the news of Tsutomu Shibayama’s death came out, a wave of mourning spread among Doraemon fans. Many people expressed their condolences on social media.