Hiromi Muranaka

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Hiromi Muranaka

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Profile
Gender: Male[Note 1]
Location: Japan
Position: Animation director
Assistant animation director
Key animation
Studio: Anime RStudio Mu
Years active: 1972-present
Aliases: 村中ひろび
むらなかひろび
Also known as Hirobi Muranaka.

Hiromi Muranaka (村中 博美 Muranaka Hiromi?) is a Japanese animation director and key animator. He is the head of Studio Mu, and also a member of the Japan Animators and Directors Association. In Detective Conan, he has been credited as Hirobi Muranaka (村中 ひろび Muranaka Hirobi?) since 1999.

Biography

Hiromi Muranaka first debuted as a key animator in 1972 via the anime Science Ninja Team Gatchaman (科学忍者隊ガッチャマン); first served as animation director in 1979. In the end of 1970, he founded the studio Anime R (アニメアール) in Osaka Prefecture, along with the animator Moriyasu Taniguchi; as a result, he became one of the well-known animators at that time. Later on, he established Studio Mu (スタジオ・ムー) with the aim of creating a "second Anime R" (The studio had nurtured some animators like Asako Nishida, Rie Fujiwara, and Yukari Watabe). Although he rarely works with Taniguchi now, they still play mahjong together.

Muranaka has been involved in the Detective Conan anime since 1996, starting with Episode 22: Luxury Liner Serial Murder Case (Part 1), when he first did key animation for the anime. Then, he became animation director, starting Episode 47: Sports Club Murder Case, and worked regularly thereafter. From Episode 139: The Final Screening Murder Case (Part 2) onwards, his name crediting manner was changed from full kanji "村中博美"[Note 2] into "村中ひろび"; until Episode 446: The Sealed Western-Style Window (Part 1) in 2006, he stopped serving as a regular animation director for the anime. After that, he only did some trivial works sporadically as key animator, animation director, as well as assistant animation director, under his full kana "むらなかひろび".

Works in Detective Conan

Anime

Participation in: 85 cases (87 episodes)

Jpn# Int# Episode title Original broadcast Role Note
22 23 Luxury Liner Serial Murder Case (Part 1) July 1, 1996 Key animation
27 28 Kogoro's Class Reunion Murder Case (Part 1) August 5, 1996 Key animation
32 33 Coffee Shop Murder Case September 9, 1996 Key animation
47 48 Sports Club Murder Case February 10, 1997 Animation director
54 56 Game Company Murder Case April 14, 1997 Animation director
58 60 Holmes Freak Murder Case (Part 2) May 12, 1997 Animation director
63 65 Big Monster Gomera Murder Case June 16, 1997 Animation director
67 69 Stage Actress Murder Case July 14, 1997 Animation director
72 74 The Triplet's Country Home Murder Case August 18, 1997 Animation director
76 78-79 Conan vs. Kaitou Kid September 22, 1997 Animation director 1 hour
81 84 The Kidnapping of a Popular Artist Case (Part 1) November 17, 1997 Animation director
86 89 The Kidnapping Location Case January 12, 1998 Animation director
92 95 The Fearful Traversing Murder Case (Part 1) February 23, 1998 Animation director
98 104 The Famous Potter Murder Case (Part 1) April 20, 1998 Animation director
103 109 The Historical Actor Murder Case (Part 2) June 1, 1998 Animation director
108 114 The Mysterious Mole Alien Case (Part 2) July 6, 1998 Animation director Name crediting changed to
むらなかひろび
113 119 The White Sandy Beach Murder Case August 17, 1998 Animation director
117 123 The Mystery Writer Disappearance Case (Part 2) September 14, 1998 Animation director
122 129 The Locked Bathroom Murder Case (Part 2) November 2, 1998 Animation director
133 143 Magic Lover's Murder Case (The Suspicion) February 1, 1999 Animation director
139 149 The Final Screening Murder Cas (Part 2) March 15, 1999 Animation director Name crediting changed to
村中ひろび
148 158 The Streetcar's Sudden Stopping Case June 7, 1999 Animation director
153 163 Sonoko's Dangerous Summer Story (Part 1) July 19, 1999 Animation director
159 169 The Legend of the Mysterious Five Storied Pagoda (Part 1) September 6, 1999 Animation director
165 176 The Disappearing Detective Boys Case October 25, 1999 Animation director
171 182 The Blind Spot in the Darkness (Part 2) December 6, 1999 Animation director
178 192 Reunion with the Black Organization (The Resolution) January 31, 2000 Animation director
185 200 The Murdered Famous Detective (Part 1) April 10, 2000 Animation director
191 206 The Desperate Revival - The Black Knight May 22, 2000 Animation director
202 217 The Tenth Passenger (Part 2) August 7, 2000 Animation director
211 227 The Water Palace of Five Colors Legend (Part 2) October 30, 2000 Animation director
214 230 The Mysterious Retro Room Case November 20, 2000 Animation director
221 240 The Client Full of Lies (Part 2) January 22, 2001 Animation director
226 245 The Battle Game Trap (Part 1) February 26, 2001 Animation director
234 253 The Evidence That Didn't Disappear (Part 2) May 21, 2001 Animation director
241 260 The Shinkansen Transport Case (Part 2) July 9, 2001 Key animation
245 264 The Gunshot at the Sunflower Estate August 6, 2001 Animation director
250 269 The Celebrities' Secret (Part 2) September 10, 2001 Animation director
255 274 The 14th Round of the Matsue Tamatsukuri Linked Verse Contest (Part 1) October 29, 2001 Animation director Mystery tour
260 279 The Shaking Restaurant December 3, 2001 Animation director
267 289 The Truth Behind Valentine's (The Deduction) February 4, 2002 Animation director
273 295 Riddle Granny Disappearance Case April 8, 2002 Animation director
278 300 English Teacher vs. Great Western Detective (Part 2) May 20, 2002 Animation director
283 305 The Mystery of the Water-Flowing Stone Garden (Part 2) June 24, 2002 Animation director
292 314 Solitary Island of the Princess and the Dragon King's Palace (The Pursuit) August 26, 2002 Animation director
297 319 Courtroom Confrontation II: Kisaki vs. Kujo (Part 1) October 21, 2002 Animation director
308 333 On the Trail of a Silent Witness (Part 2) February 3, 2003 Animation director
317 342 The Sullied Masked Hero (Part 2) April 28, 2003 Animation director
323 348 Heiji Hattori's Desperate Situation! (Part 1) June 9, 2003 Animation director
328 353 The Birthday Wine Mystery July 14, 2003 Animation director
333 358 The Similar Princesses (Part 1) August 25, 2003 Animation director
338 363 The Four Porsches (Part 1) October 20, 2003 Animation director
343 369 The Convenience Store Trap (Part 1) December 1, 2003 Animation director
348 378 Love, Ghosts, and World Heritage (Part 1) January 26, 2004 Animation director
359 390 Metropolitan Police Detective Love Story 5 (Part 2) May 10, 2004 Animation director
366 397 The Tragedy of the Pier in Plain Sight (Part 1) July 5, 2004 Animation director
375 406 A Code of Stars and Tobacco (Part 2) October 25, 2004 Animation director
382 413 Which One's Deduction Show (Part 2) December 13, 2004 Animation director
384 418 The Target is Kogoro Mouri January 17, 2005 Animation director
399 433 The Strange Family's Request (Part 2) May 23, 2005 Animation director
405 439 The Man Who Called for an Ambulance July 4, 2005 Animation director
409 443 The Simultaneous Stage Advance and Kidnapping (Part 1) August 8, 2005 Animation director
413 447 The Half Completed Crime Mystery September 5, 2005 Animation director
441 479 The Final "Ahh" June 5, 2006 Animation director
446 484 The Sealed Western-Style Window (Part 1) July 24, 2006 Animation director
536 587 The Secret of the Vanished Masterpiece May 30, 2009 Key animation
539 590 A Fool's Inheritance July 4, 2009 Key animation
555 606 Stork Mystery Tour (Haruna's Pursuit Chapter) November 14, 2009 Key animation Mystery tour
783 836 The Scarlet Truth June 27, 2015 Assistant animation director, Key animation Name crediting changed to
むらなかひろび
907 962 The J League Bodyguard July 14, 2018 Key animation
917 972 The Kendo Tournament of Love and Mystery (Part 2) October 13, 2018 Animation director
923 978 A Day Without Conan December 1, 2018 Animation director
927 982-983 The Scarlet School Trip (Bright Red Arc) January 5, 2019 Key animation 1 hour
928 984-985 The Scarlet School Trip (Red Love Arc) January 12, 2019 Key animation 1 hour
930 987 A Woman Standing by the Window (Part 2) February 9, 2019 Animation director
951 1008 The Whistling Bookstore 2 August 17, 2019 Key animation
961 1018 The Glamping Mystery November 30, 2019 Animation director, Key animation
968 1025 Kaiju Gomera vs. Kamen Yaiba (Finale) January 25, 2020 Key animation
981 1038 Welcome to Bocchan Restaurant September 19, 2020 Key animation
984 1041 Kid vs. Komei: The Targeted Lips (Part 2) October 10, 2020 Key animation
1000 1057 The Moonlight Sonata Murder (Part 1) March 6, 2021 Key animation Remake
1001 1058 The Moonlight Sonata Murder (Part 2) March 13, 2021 Key animation Remake
1013 1070 The Man Who Loved Too Much July 24, 2021 Key animation
1060 1117 Yoko Okino and the Locked Attic (Part 2) October 15, 2022 Key animation
1078 1136 The Black Organization's Scheme (Landing) April 1, 2023 Key animation
1130 1188 The Suspected Infidelity of the Triple Collab (Part 1) July 20, 2024 Key animation
1145 1203 The Hotel Serial Bombing Case (Part 2) December 14, 2024 Key animation

Openings and Endings

Participation in: 9 openings and 2 endings[Note 3]

# Song name Original title Role Note
OP
OP23 Ichibyōgoto ni Love for you 一秒ごとに Love for you Key animation
OP25 Revive Revive Key animation
OP26 Everlasting Luv Everlasting Luv Key animation
OP27 MAGIC MAGIC Key animation
OP28 As the Dew As the Dew Key animation Credited as
村中博美
OP29 SUMMER TIME GONE SUMMER TIME GONE Key animation
OP31 Don't Wanna Lie Don't Wanna Lie Key animation
OP32 Misty Mystery Misty Mystery Key animation
OP38 Greed Greed Key animation Credited as
むらなかひろび
ED
ED32 Koigokoro Kagayaki Nagara 恋心 輝きながら Key animation
ED36 Tomorrow is the last Time Tomorrow is the last Time Key animation

Movies

Participation in: 22 movies

Movie Title Original airdate Role Note
3 The Last Wizard of the Century April 17, 1999 Key animation
4 Captured in Her Eyes April 22, 2000 Key animation
5 Countdown to Heaven April 21, 2001 Key animation
7 Crossroad in the Ancient Capital April 19, 2003 Key animation
8 Magician of the Silver Sky April 17, 2004 Key animation
9 Strategy Above the Depths April 9, 2005 Key animation
10 The Private Eyes' Requiem April 15, 2006 Key animation Miscredited as
中村博美
11 Jolly Roger in the Deep Azure April 21, 2007 Key animation
12 Full Score of Fear April 19, 2008 Key animation
13 The Raven Chaser April 18, 2009 Key animation
14 The Lost Ship in the Sky April 17, 2010 Key animation
15 Quarter of Silence April 16, 2011 Key animation Name crediting changed to
村中ひろび
16 The Eleventh Striker April 14, 2012 Key animation
Crossover Lupin III vs. Detective Conan: The Movie December 7, 2013 Key animation Name crediting changed to
むらなかひろび
18 Dimensional Sniper April 19, 2014 Key animation
19 Sunflowers of Inferno April 18, 2015 Key animation
21 The Crimson Love Letter April 15, 2017 Key animation
22 Zero the Enforcer April 13, 2018 Key animation
23 The Fist of Blue Sapphire April 12, 2019 Key animation
24 The Scarlet Bullet April 16, 2021 Key animation
25 The Bride of Halloween April 15, 2022 Key animation
27 The Million-dollar Pentagram April 12, 2024 Key animation

OVAs

Participation in: 2 OVAs

OVA Title Original airdate Role Note
Magic File 3 Shinichi and Ran, Memories of Mahjong Tiles and Tanabata April 18, 2009 Key animation
Shogakukan Illustrated Encyclopedia Series 6 Chase the Mysterious Comet Monster! June 15, 2013 Key animation Credited as
村中ひろび

Specials

Participation in: 2 specials

Special Title Original airdate Role Note
5 The Disappearance of Conan Edogawa: The Worst Two Days in History December 26, 2014 Key animation
6 Episode One: The Great Detective Turned Small December 9, 2016 Key animation

Works in Magic Kaito

Magic Kaito: Kid the Phantom Thief

Participation in: 1 episode

Special Episode title Original broadcast Role Note
11 The Tearful Crystal Mother December 22, 2012 Key animation

Other notable works

Anime

  • Lupin III: Seven Days Rhapsody: Key animation
  • Lupin III: The Secret of Twilight Gemini: Key animation
  • Macross Plus: Key animation
  • Ouran High School Host Club: Key animation
  • Rurouni Kenshin: Key animation

See also

References

  1. Page partially or completely translated from the Chinese version of September 3, 2023.
  2. 村中博美 - Wikipedia
  3. Hiromi Muranaka - Anime News Network
  4. Detective Conan Staff Listing
  1. ^ Note: A common misconception is to assume that this animator is female based on the name (notably the "博美" segment), which also struck many Detective Conan fans confounded initially.
  2. ^ Note: Some time in between he was also credited as "むらなかひろび", for five episodes.
  3. ^ Note: All OP/ED records in this table where the "Note" segment is left blank implies that he was credited as "村中ひろび".