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Masashi Ishihama

Director

Masashi Ishihama is the Japanese director who helmed the Horimiya anime at CloverWorks, guiding its adaptation of the manga and web comic story onto screen.

Role: Director
Nationality: Japanese
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Horimiya Role

Ishihama directed the Horimiya anime, overseeing how Kyoko Hori and Izumi Miyamura's story translated from page to screen at CloverWorks. His direction leaned on the source material's quieter, character driven moments, balancing comedy and romance across the season while keeping a large ensemble cast readable from episode to episode.

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Career and Notable Roles

Before Horimiya, Ishihama directed Blend-S, a 2017 workplace comedy anime, and has worked across episode direction and storyboarding on other productions in the industry. Horimiya stands as one of his most prominent directing credits, drawing wide attention for its adaptation of a popular romance manga.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who directed the Horimiya anime?

Masashi Ishihama directed the Horimiya anime at CloverWorks, overseeing how Kyoko Hori and Izumi Miyamura's story translated from page to screen. He guided the adaptation from both the manga and the original web comic.

What other anime has Masashi Ishihama directed?

Before Horimiya, Masashi Ishihama directed Blend-S, a 2017 workplace comedy anime. That credit came ahead of his work on the CloverWorks adaptation of Horimiya.

What is Masashi Ishihama best known for?

Masashi Ishihama is best known for directing Horimiya, described as one of his most prominent directing credits. The anime drew wide attention for adapting a popular romance manga to the screen.

How did Masashi Ishihama approach directing Horimiya?

Ishihama's direction on Horimiya leaned on the source material's quieter, character driven moments, balancing comedy and romance across the season. He also kept a large ensemble cast readable from episode to episode.

Has Masashi Ishihama worked on anime productions besides directing?

Beyond directing, Masashi Ishihama has worked across episode direction and storyboarding on other anime productions in the industry. That range of behind-the-scenes roles sits alongside his directing credits on shows like Horimiya and Blend-S.

Sources & Information

This content is original writing by Daddy Jim Headquarters based on the Horimiya anime series, manga, and official materials. Horimiya was created by HERO and Daisuke Hagiwara, published by Square Enix, and animated by CloverWorks. All rights to Horimiya and its characters belong to their respective owners. Episode and chapter references are cited where applicable.

Rights holders

All rights belong to their respective owners.

Character and scene imagery on this site is original artwork by Daddy Jim Headquarters, not screenshots or licensed imagery. Official cover art is used on three types of pages for editorial commentary:

  • Movie pages: theatrical posters and key visuals, credited to CloverWorks and Square Enix.
  • Game pages: official box art, credited to the game's respective publishers.
  • Manga chapter pages: volume covers, credited to Square Enix and HERO and Daisuke Hagiwara.

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