Haruhiko Mikimoto Anime Work Popularity Poll" results announced! Kabaneri" and "Macross" are in a dead heat for first place!

Akiba Research Institute's official special voting project , "Haruhiko Mikimoto Anime Works Popularity Poll," was held from November 19 to December 3, 2021. Here are the results.

Before looking at the results, let me give a brief explanation about Haruhiko Mikimoto, whom some of you may not know. Haruhiko Mikimoto is a master of character design who has built a reputation as a "legend" in the world of Japanese animation. His name first came to prominence with "The Super Dimension Fortress Macross " (1982), created by Studio Nue, and his style became known to the world along with the cult popularity of the characters in Macross, especially the heroine, Lin Ming-mei, which made many anime fans appreciate the characters drawn by Mr. Mikimoto, who at the time had a rather line-heavy touch. Many anime fans became captivated by the characters drawn by Mr. Mikimoto with a touch that was a little too linear for the time. He continued to design characters for "Super Dimension Century Orguss" (1983), which was broadcast as a follow-up to "Macross"; "Megazone 23" (1985), a milestone OVA science fiction work that took the world by storm; and "Aim for the Top" ( 1988), an OVA known as one of Gainax's most successful works. (1988), a milestone OVA that took the world by storm, and character design for "Megazone 23" (1985), an OVA known as Gainax's breakthrough work, and "Aim for the Top!

After that, he seemed to have been away from the animation industry for a while after 2000, but in recent years, he appeared as a character designer in "Kabaneri of the Iron Castle" (2016), produced by WIT STUDIO. Furthermore, this year he also worked as a character design draftsman for "Mobile Suit Gundam: Senko no Hathaway " (2021), which greatly delighted anime fans of yesteryear.

Which of the anime works in which Mr. Haruhiko Mikimoto participated did Akiba Research Institute users consider to be their favorites? First, let's take a look at the top 10 results.

No. 1: "Kabaneri of the Iron Castle" ・・・・・・38 votes
No. 2: "The Super Dimension Fortress Macross" ・・・・・・37 votes
No. 3: "Titania" ・・・・・・31 votes
No.4: "Aim for the Top! ・・・・・・22 votes
No.4: "Zero Flower" ・・・・・・22 votes
No.6: "Super Dimension Century Orguss" ・・・・・・14 votes
No.7: "Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket" ・・・・・・13 votes
No.8: "Macross 7" ・・・・・・11 votes
No.9: "Megazone 23" ・・・・・・6 votes
No.10: "Super Dimension Century Orguss 02" ・・・・・・4 votes

As you can see from these results, two works were competing for the top spot with only one vote separating them. The winner by such a narrow margin was "Kabaneri of the Iron Castle," a well-known recent Miki Moto work, which was broadcast in 2016 and will probably remain in the memories of many users. Unlike the 80's anime that made up the majority of MIKIMOTO's works, this is a modern anime work with technological innovations based on computer graphics, and MIKIMOTO's original character designs with many lines and details seem to come to life in a rather realistic manner. It should be added that this work is a collaboration between WIT STUDIO and director Tetsuro Araki, who succeeded in the animated version of "Shinkage no Kyojin," and that the addition of Mr. Mikimoto's character designs made it a truly memorable work.

In a dead heat with "Kabaneri of the Iron Castle," "The Super Dimension Fortress Macross, " one of MIKIMOTO's best-known works, came in second place. It is a work that changed the history of Japanese animation in many ways, although it is not necessary to say much about it since it is a very well-known work. The main character's mecha that transforms from a form that looks like a real weapon, the existence of aliens that are different in size from humans, the existence of giant space battleships, and above all, the love story and "songs" that are spun in the midst of the two elements, war and daily life, are well combined. Needless to say, one of the main reasons for the success of this monumental work was the presence of characters different from those in previous anime, as portrayed by Mr. Mikimoto.

Behind the dead heat between these two works, "Titania " (2008) ranked third with a steady stream of votes. It may be a somewhat minor work, but it is a space opera-like work written by Yoshiki Tanaka, known for "The Legend of the Galactic Heroes," and directed by the legendary Noboru Ishiguro, who also directed "Macross. Mr. Mikimoto also participated in this work as a character designer, adding to the work's magnificent worldview.

In addition, "Aim for the Top!", a milestone in science fiction produced by GAINAX, came in at No. 4. (2001), an OVA produced by Ichiro Itano, who established his name as a mecha animator for Macross, and Mikimoto-san (character designer), also ranked fourth. The results of the voting were quite geeky.

For the other results, please see the following page.