Atsuko Ishizuka

is a Japanese animator, storyboard artist and director. She began her animation career after joining Madhouse in 2004.

Career Ishizuka's journey to becoming an animator was rather unusual by industry standards in Japan. Unlike many of her contemporaries, she did not grow up watching anime on television, but rather developed an interest in music and graphic arts. Upon graduating high school, she decided to focus on graphic design and entered the Aichi Prefectural University of the Arts. caught the attention of both the Japanese broadcasting giant NHK and Madhouse.

Since then, Ishizuka has continued to work on Madhouse projects as a staff animator (including the television series Monster), and has directed an additional short film for Minna no Uta entitled Sen no Hana Sen no Sora (A Thousand Flowers of a Thousand Skies). After this, she moved up to assistant director on Nana. Her art was featured at the 2007 Tokyo International Anime Fair, and Madhouse started to promote her talents publicly, leading some within the industry to speculate she would become the first female series staff director at the studio. Shortly thereafter, it was announced she would again be filling the role of assistant director of the upcoming anime adaptation of the popular Korean online game MapleStory. Her continued rise in prominence at the studio was further confirmed when she was identified (along with Satoshi Kon) by studio head Masao Maruyama as one of the company's talents. She lists Masayuki Kojima and Morio Asaka as the two people at Madhouse she respects most. Ishizuka was finally chosen to direct a television series (along with four others, including Morio Asaka) with the October 2009 release of Aoi Bungaku Series, an adaptation of six Japanese literary classics. She co-directed Supernatural: The Animation alongside Shigeyuki Miya.

Filmography TV series Monster (2004–2005) – Design production, storyboard (ep 74) Nana series (2006–2007) – Assistant director, storyboard (ep 14, 40), episode director (ep 4, 17, 18, 22, 28, 31, 32, 39, 40, 45), key animation (ep 4, 5, 10) MapleStory series (2007–2008) – Assistant director, storyboard & episode director (6, 25), storyboard (ep 16, 21) Top Secret ~The Revelation~ (2008) – Storyboard & episode director (ep 16, 25) Kurozuka (2008) – ED storyboard & direction Mōryō no Hako (2008) – Episode director (ep 13) Chi's Sweet Home: New Address (2009) – Storyboard (ep 13–16) Aoi Bungaku (The Spider's Thread / Hell Screen) (2009) – Director, screenplay, storyboard Chihayafuru (2011–2012) – Storyboard (ep 2, 16), episode director & key animation (ep 20) Btooom! (2012) – Storyboard (ED) The Pet Girl of Sakurasou (2012–2013) – Director, storyboard & episode director (ep 1, 6, ED2), storyboard (ep 8, 23), episode director (ED1, ep 24) No Game No Life (2014) – Director, storyboard & episode director (ep 1), storyboard (ep 12) Hanayamata (2014) – Director, OP storyboard & direction, storyboard (ep 8), episode director (ep 1, 12) Prince of Stride: Alternative (2016) – Director, storyboard & episode director (OP, ep 1), storyboard (ep 2, 3) A Place Further than the Universe (2018) – Director, storyboard & episode director (OP, ep 1, 13), storyboard (ep 2, 3, 12)

OVA Supernatural: The Animation series (2011) – Director (ep 2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 18, 20), storyboard & episode director (ep 20), storyboard (ep 2, 7), episode director (ep 1)

Films Forest of Piano (2007) – Unit director No Game, No Life Zero (2017) – Director Goodbye, Don Glees! (2022) – Director, screenplay

Video games Persona 4 Golden (2012) – Opening animation director Persona 4: The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena (2012) – Animation movie director

Music videos Tsuki no Waltz (2004) – Director Sen no Hana, Sen no Sora (2005) – Director LUCY (2007) – Director