Seiichi Hayashi

is a Japanese manga artist, animator and illustrator.

Life and career Hayashi was born in Mukden, Manchuria in Japanese-occupied Manchuria.

Hayashi attended a design school in Yoyogi, where he learned creating work reminiscent of International Typographic Style. He started his career in 1962 in animation by working for Toei Animation. He designed and illustrated the cover of Happy End's 1970 self-titled debut album. Hayashi designed the packaging of the candy drops Lotte Koume, which came on the market in 1974.

Style and themes He is famous for depicting women in a style similar to Yumeji Takehisa. Film director Seijun Suzuki was a major inspiration for his work.

Hayashi often explored the psychological aftermath of World War II and the effects of Americanization and economic growth on Japanese identity. His 1968 story Red Dragonfly (Akatonbo) portrays a child’s bleak home life under postwar conditions, combining modernist aesthetics with cultural references from the Taisho era. Hayashi’s manga often recontextualized prewar and early 20th-century imagery to critique contemporary Japanese society and evoke a sense of nostalgic loss.

Legacy Hayao Miyazaki names Hayashi as an influence on his work.

Works Red Colored Elegy (赤色エレジー, Sekishoku Erejii, 1970-1971) Red Red Rock and Other Stories Gold Pollen and Other Stories