Difference between revisions of "Koujin Ochi"

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{{InfoBox Cast
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{{InfoBox Staff
 
| name                = Koujin Ochi
 
| name                = Koujin Ochi
 
| image              = Koujin Ochi.jpg
 
| image              = Koujin Ochi.jpg
 
| gender              = Male
 
| gender              = Male
−
| date-of-birth      =
+
| place-of-birth      = Gifu Prefecture, Japan
−
| place-of-birth      =  
+
| position           = Director <br> Screenplay <br> Organizer <br> Storyboard <br> {{Bracket|Episode director|Technical director}}
−
| location           =  
+
| years-active        = 1987-present
−
| voice-of            =  
+
| aliases            = 越智浩仁 <br> 宇恩寺稚子
−
| nicknames          =  
+
| footnotes          = Also known as '''Hirohito Ochi''' and '''Chiko Uonji'''.
−
| footnotes          = Also known as "Hirohito Ochi".
 
 
}}
 
}}
−
{{nihongo|'''Koujin Ochi'''|於地 紘仁|Ochi Kōjin}}, also known as {{nihongo|'''Hirohito Ochi'''|越智 浩仁|Ochi Hirohito}}, is a Japanese anime director, technical director, and screenplay writer. He also uses rarely the alias {{nihongo|'''[[Chiko Uonji]]'''|宇恩寺 稚子|Uonji Chiko}}  
+
{{nihongo|'''Koujin Ochi'''|於地 紘仁|Ochi Kōjin}}, real name {{nihongo|'''Hirohito Ochi'''|越智 浩仁|Ochi Hirohito}}, is a Japanese anime director, technical director, and screenplay writer. He also uses rarely the alias {{nihongo|'''Chiko Uonji'''|宇恩寺 稚子|Uonji Chiko}}. He directed Detective Conan from episode 505 to 666, and later episodes 678 to 679. He is mainly active in animation works done by [[TMS Entertainment]] and [[wikipedia:Bandai Namco Filmworks|Bandai Namco Filmworks]].
  
−
== Scenarios Written ==
+
== Biography ==
−
Number of case scenarios written: '''4''' (6 epiosdes)
+
Ochi entered the Utsunomiya University Faculty of Education <small>({{lang|ja|宇都宮大学教育学部}})</small> in 1982, and even then, he was already active in the animation industry; he was affiliated with the animation research association of his university. Moreover, he was the person who held a screening event of ''[[wikipedia:Space Runaway Ideon|Space Runaway Ideon]]'' <small>({{lang|ja|伝説巨神イデオン}})</small>. In 1986, he dropped out of school during the academic year; thereafter, he began to work under his real name, Hirohito Ochi <small>({{lang|ja|越智 浩仁}})</small>. In 1988, he served as the production advancement of the anime ''[[wikipedia:Topo Gigio (1988 TV series)|Topo Gigio]]'' <small>({{lang|ja|トッポ・ジージョ}})</small>.
 +
 
 +
[[File:Koujin Ochi-1.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Photo of Koujin Ochi.]]
 +
 
 +
In 1996, he joined the production of the ''Detective Conan'' [[anime]], and served as the storyboard artist and episode director for [[The Coded Map of the City Case|'''Episode 4''': The Coded Map of the City Case]]; until [[The Convenience Store Trap|'''Episode 344''': The Convenience Store Trap (Part 2)]] in 2003, Ochi temporarily quit the production (during this period, he had also written some screenplays for the anime, they were highly famed among the fandom as well). Starting 2006, he altered his name to Koujin Ochi <small>({{lang|ja|於地 紘仁}})</small>, and became active again. He returned to the ''Detective Conan'' anime production team in 2008, first he did storyboard for [[Clash of Red and Black|'''Episode 499''': Clash of Red and Black (Disguise)]]. Since episode 505, [[Masato Sato]] has stepped down from the anime director role, thus Ochi replaced him as the director until episode 666 also under his alias Koujin Ochi. He was replaced by [[Yasuichiro Yamamoto]] in 2012 starting episode 667 (excluding episodes 678-679, which is [[Mystery Tour (series)|mystery tour]] episodes and Koujin Ochi is still in charge of them when director change took place).
 +
 
 +
After taking over the director role, Ochi first invited the staff who went to work on the [[movies]], during the Masato Sato era, back to the anime production. Art director was altered, and stabilized; the color design was also changed to [[Shigenobu Kaihoko]] and became brighter; [[Masatomo Sudo]] became the anime character design again, working along with [[Junko Yamanaka]]. Ochi did the storyboard for several openings and endings during this time, performing the recovery for the severe alteration in the staff team from the Masato Sato era. Nonetheless, the anime production remain chaotic; outsourcing has made many episodes become unstable and the quality dropped significantly. It is not until 2011 that he first officially introduced the "Animation Supervisor" role for the anime, (the credit used was {{nihongo|"Chief Animator"|チーフアニメーター}} and {{nihongo|"Key Animator"|キーアニメーター}}); [[Seiji Muta]] was promoted by him for that role.<ref group="Note">'''Note:''' According to the end credits in [[The Scarlet Alibi]] recap movie, Junko Yamanaka worked as animation supervisor, possibly when she also did character design between 2008 and 2010, but she was not credited back then.</ref>
 +
 
 +
Apart from his director work, Ochi is also an excellent screenwriter, and has written many renowned episodes for the series; [[A Cursed Mask Coldly Laughs|'''Episode 184''': A Cursed Mask Coldly Laughs]] is the well-known case he wrote. After 2010, he began to use the pseudonym Chiko Uonji <small>({{lang|ja|宇恩寺 稚子}})</small> when serving as the screenwriter. After stepping down as director, Ochi's activity in ''Detective Conan'' decreased drastically, and he merely served as the screenwriter for [[Eyewitness Testimony Seven Years Later|'''Episodes 905~906''': Eyewitness Testimony Seven Years Later]] in 2018.
 +
 
 +
Just like a lot of mystery cases found in ''Detective Conan'', the two aliases used by Ochi have an interesting origin based on his real name: Koujin Ochi shares the same pronunciation as his real name but written in different ways; Chiko Uonji is the rearrangement of his real name's romaji (Ochi Koujin → Uonji Chiko).
 +
 
 +
== Style analysis ==
 +
[[File:EP184-4.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The acclaimed "cursed mask" case by him.]]
 +
Ochi is one of the veteran staff (like [[Kazunari Kouchi]] and [[Junichi Miyashita]]) who have joined the anime production since the series began to broadcast. Although he did not write a lot of cases for the anime, most of his cases are of high quality. He is sometimes referred to as the [[wikipedia:John Dickson Carr|John Dickson Carr]] of the ''Detective Conan'' screenwriters, because his style is just like Carr's, most consisting of locked-rooms, impossible crimes, ingenious tricks; which is a symbolisation of Shinhonkaku Detective Fiction <small>({{lang|ja|新本格派推理}})</small>. He is also good at mingling ghost legends into his stories, and depicting supporting characters - he has created lots of memorable characters to his audience, for example Shingo Nachi, Toshiya Tadokoro, [[Shimogasa Twins]], Touya Aikawa, and [[Otaro Minakitaya]] etc.
 +
 
 +
His style is very similar to that of those mystery writers from the golden age; even the ''Detective Conan'' original author [[Gosho Aoyama]] thought that the trick Ochi devised in [[The Case of the Furisode at the Hidden Hot Spring on a Snowy Night]] is fairly interesting - according to the producer, [[Michihiko Suwa]], who disclosed this information in an interview with [[Minami Takayama]]<ref>{{cite journal|title=|journal=エンタミクス|date=May 2014}}</ref>.
 +
 
 +
== Scenarios written ==
 +
Number of case scenarios written under the name of {{font color|#0F52BA|Hirohito Ochi}}: '''4''' (6 episodes)
 
* [[On Location, TV Drama Murder Case]] (Episode 21)
 
* [[On Location, TV Drama Murder Case]] (Episode 21)
 
* [[Dracula's Villa Murder Case]] (Episodes 88-89)
 
* [[Dracula's Villa Murder Case]] (Episodes 88-89)
Line 19: Line 37:
 
* [[The Case of the Furisode at the Hidden Hot Spring on a Snowy Night]] (Episodes 379-380)
 
* [[The Case of the Furisode at the Hidden Hot Spring on a Snowy Night]] (Episodes 379-380)
  
−
Other scenarios written is credited as Chiko Uonji
+
Number of case scenarios written under the name of {{font color|#0F52BA|Chiko Uonji}}: '''4''' (7 episodes)
 +
* [[The Alibi of the Fall]] (Episode 596)
 +
* [[The Séance's Double Locked Room Mystery Case]] (Episodes 603-605)
 +
* [[The Suspicious Initial K]] (Episode 665)
 +
* [[Eyewitness Testimony Seven Years Later]] (Episodes 905-906)
 +
 
 +
== Other works in [[Detective Conan]] ==
 +
<div style="background-color: rgb(238, 238, 255);">
 +
=== As Hirohito Ochi ===
 +
</div>
 +
==== Anime ====
 +
Participation in: '''40''' cases (49 episodes)
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;font-size:small;"
 +
!style="width:5%;"|Jpn#!!style="width:5%;"|Int#!!style="width:15%;"|Episode title!!style="width:10%;"|Original broadcast!!style="width:10%;"|Role!!style="width:5%;"|Note
 +
|-
 +
|4||4||[[Episode 4|The Coded Map of the City Case]]||January 29, 1996||Storyboard, Episode director||
 +
|-
 +
|7||7||[[Episode 7|Once-A-Month Present Threat Case]]||February 19, 1996||Storyboard, Episode director||
 +
|-
 +
|12||13||[[Episode 12|Ayumi-chan Kidnapping Case]]||April 15, 1996||Storyboard, Episode director||
 +
|-
 +
|16||17||[[Episode 16|The Antique Collector Murder Case]]||May 20, 1996||Storyboard, Episode director||
 +
|-
 +
|21||22||[[Episode 21|On Location, TV Drama Murder Case]]||June 24, 1996||Storyboard, Episode director||+ Screenplay
 +
|-
 +
|26||27||[[Episode 26|Pet Dog John Murder Case]]||July 29, 1996||Storyboard, Episode director||
 +
|-
 +
|31||32||[[Episode 31|TV Station Murder Case]]||September 2, 1996||Organizer, Storyboard, Episode director||
 +
|-
 +
|38||39||[[Episode 38|Akaoni Village Fire Festival Murder Case]]||November 18, 1996||Organizer, Storyboard, Episode director||
 +
|-
 +
|44||45||[[Episode 44|Three Hotta Siblings Murder Case]]||January 20, 1997||Storyboard, Episode director||
 +
|-
 +
|50||51||[[Episode 50|Library Murder Case]]||March 3, 1997||Organizer, Storyboard, Episode director||
 +
|-
 +
|53||55||[[Episode 53|The Mystery Weapon Murder Case]]||April 7, 1997||Episode director||
 +
|-
 +
|61||63||[[Episode 61|A Ghost Ship Murder Case (Part 1)]]||June 2, 1997||Storyboard||
 +
|-
 +
|66||68||[[Episode 66|Night Road Murder Case]]||July 7, 1997||Storyboard||
 +
|-
 +
|88||91||[[Episode 88|Dracula's Villa Murder Case (Part 1)]]||January 26, 1998||Storyboard, Episode director||+ Screenplay
 +
|-
 +
|89||92||[[Episode 89|Dracula's Villa Murder Case (Part 2)]]||February 2, 1998||Storyboard, Episode director||+ Screenplay
 +
|-
 +
|95||98||[[Episode 95|Kogoro's Date Murder Case]]||March 16, 1998||Episode director||
 +
|-
 +
|100||106||[[Episode 100|The Memories of First Love Case (Part 1)]]||May 11, 1998||Organizer, Storyboard, Episode director||
 +
|-
 +
|105||111||[[Episode 105|The Mysterious Mansion of a Band of Thieves Case (Part 2)]]||June 15, 1998||Episode director||
 +
|-
 +
|109||115||[[Episode 109|Detective Club Pursuit Case]]||July 13, 1998||Episode director||
 +
|-
 +
|114||120||[[Episode 114|Scuba Diving Murder Case (Part 1)]]||August 24, 1998||Episode director||
 +
|-
 +
|119||126||[[Episode 119|The Kamen Yaiba Murder Case]]||October 12, 1998||Episode director||
 +
|-
 +
|125||132||[[Episode 125|A Mysterious Sniper Murder Case (Part 2)]]||November 23, 1998||Storyboard, Episode director||
 +
|-
 +
|130||140||[[Episode 130|The Indiscriminate Stadium Threatening Case (Part 1)]]||January 11, 1999||Organizer, Storyboard, Episode director||
 +
|-
 +
|136||146||[[Episode 136|The Old Blue Castle Investigation Case (Part 1)]]||February 22, 1999||Organizer, Storyboard||
 +
|-
 +
|137||147||[[Episode 137|The Old Blue Castle Investigation Case (Part 2)]]||March 1, 1999||Organizer, Storyboard, Episode director||
 +
|-
 +
|142||152||[[Episode 142|The Night Before the Wedding Locked Room Case (Part 2)]]||April 26, 1999||Organizer, Storyboard, Episode director||
 +
|-
 +
|150||160||[[Episode 150|The Truth Behind the Car Explosion Case (Part 1)]]||June 28, 1999||Episode director||
 +
|-
 +
|157||167||[[Episode 157|Metropolitan Police Detective Love Story 2 (Part 2)]]||August 16, 1999||Episode director||
 +
|-
 +
|163||174||[[Episode 163|The Secret of the Moon, the Star, and the Sun (Part 1)]]||October 11, 1999||Organizer, Storyboard||
 +
|-
 +
|164||175||[[Episode 164|The Secret of the Moon, the Star, and the Sun (Part 2)]]||October 18, 1999||Organizer, Storyboard, Episode director||
 +
|-
 +
|170||181||[[Episode 170|The Blind Spot in the Darkness (Part 1)]]||November 29, 1999||Episode director||
 +
|-
 +
|176||190||[[Episode 176|Reunion with the Black Organization (Haibara)]]||January 17, 2000||Organizer, Storyboard, Episode director||
 +
|-
 +
|184||198-199||[[Episode 184|A Cursed Mask Coldly Laughs]]||March 13, 2000||Storyboard, Episode director||1 hour <br> + Screenplay
 +
|-
 +
|195||210||[[Episode 195|The Significant Music Box (Part 2)]]||June 19, 2000||Organizer, Storyboard||
 +
|-
 +
|203||218||[[Episode 203|The Black Wings of Icarus (Part 1)]]||August 14, 2000||Storyboard, Episode director||
 +
|-
 +
|204||219||[[Episode 204|The Black Wings of Icarus (Part 2)]]||August 21, 2000||Storyboard||
 +
|-
 +
|208||223-224||[[Episode 208|The Entrance to the Maze: The Anger of the Colossus]]||October 9, 2000||Episode director||1 hour
 +
|-
 +
|214||230||[[Episode 214|The Mysterious Retro Room Case]]||November 20, 2000||Storyboard||
 +
|-
 +
|222||241||[[Episode 222|And Then There Were No Mermaids (The Case)]]||January 29, 2001||Organizer, Storyboard||
 +
|-
 +
|223||242||[[Episode 223|And Then There Were No Mermaids (The Deduction)]]||February 5, 2001||Organizer, Storyboard||
 +
|-
 +
|224||243||[[Episode 224|And Then There Were No Mermaids (The Resolution)]]||February 12, 2001||Organizer, Storyboard||
 +
|-
 +
|304||326-329||[[Episode 304|The Trembling Police Headquarters: 12 Million Hostages]]||January 6, 2003||Organizer, Storyboard||2 hours
 +
|-
 +
|323||348||[[Episode 323|Heiji Hattori's Desperate Situation! (Part 1)]]||June 9, 2003||Organizer, Storyboard||
 +
|-
 +
|324||349||[[Episode 324|Heiji Hattori's Desperate Situation! (Part 2)]]||June 16, 2003||Organizer, Storyboard||
 +
|-
 +
|329||354||[[Episode 329|A Friendship That Can't Be Bought (Part 1)]]||July 28, 2003||Organizer, Storyboard||
 +
|-
 +
|330||355||[[Episode 330|A Friendship That Can't Be Bought (Part 2)]]||August 4, 2003||Organizer, Storyboard||
 +
|-
 +
|331||356||[[Episode 331|The Suspicious Spicy Curry (Part 1)]]||August 11, 2003||Organizer, Storyboard||
 +
|-
 +
|343||369||[[Episode 343|The Convenience Store Trap (Part 1)]]||December 1, 2003||Organizer, Storyboard||
 +
|-
 +
|344||370||[[Episode 344|The Convenience Store Trap (Part 2)]]||December 8, 2003||Organizer, Storyboard||
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
<div style="background-color: rgb(238, 238, 255);">
 +
=== As Koujin Ochi ===
 +
</div>
 +
==== Anime ====
 +
Participation in: '''3''' cases (4 episodes)
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;font-size:small;"
 +
!style="width:5%;"|Jpn#!!style="width:5%;"|Int#!!style="width:15%;"|Episode title!!style="width:10%;"|Original broadcast!!style="width:10%;"|Role!!style="width:5%;"|Note
 +
|-
 +
|499||546||[[Episode 499|Clash of Red and Black (Disguise)]]||March 10, 2008||Storyboard||
 +
|-
 +
|505||552||[[Episode 505|Lawyer Eri Kisaki's Testimony (Part 1)]]||June 16, 2008||Storyboard||
 +
|-
 +
|506||553||[[Episode 506|Lawyer Eri Kisaki's Testimony (Part 2)]]||June 23, 2008||Storyboard||
 +
|-
 +
|651||702-703||[[Episode 651|Conan vs. Heiji, Deduction Battle Between the Detectives of the East and West]]||March 24, 2012||Organizer||1 hour
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
==== Openings and Endings ====
 +
Participation in: '''8''' openings and '''10''' endings
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;font-size:small;"
 +
!style="width:5%;"|#!!style="width:15%;"|Song name!!style="width:15%;"|Original title!!style="width:10%;"|Role!!style="width:5%;"|Note
 +
|-
 +
!colspan="5"|OP
 +
|-
 +
|OP25||[[Revive]]||Revive||Storyboard||
 +
|-
 +
|OP26||[[Everlasting Luv]]||Everlasting Luv||Storyboard||
 +
|-
 +
|OP27||[[MAGIC]]||MAGIC||Storyboard||
 +
|-
 +
|OP28||[[As the Dew]]||As the Dew||Storyboard||
 +
|-
 +
|OP29||[[SUMMER TIME GONE]]||SUMMER TIME GONE||Storyboard||
 +
|-
 +
|OP31||[[Don't Wanna Lie]]||Don't Wanna Lie||Storyboard||
 +
|-
 +
|OP32||[[Misty Mystery]]||Misty Mystery||Storyboard||
 +
|-
 +
|OP33||[[Miss Mystery]]||Miss Mystery||Storyboard||
 +
|-
 +
!colspan="5"|ED
 +
|-
 +
|ED32||[[Koigokoro Kagayaki Nagara]]||恋心 輝きながら||Storyboard||
 +
|-
 +
|ED33||[[Doing all right]]||Doing all right||Storyboard||
 +
|-
 +
|ED34||[[Hikari]]||光||Storyboard||
 +
|-
 +
|ED35||[[Hello Mr. my yesterday]]||Hello Mr. my yesterday||Storyboard||
 +
|-
 +
|ED36||[[Tomorrow is the last Time]]||Tomorrow is the last Time||Storyboard||
 +
|-
 +
|ED38||[[Tsukiyo no Itazura no Mahō]]||月夜の悪戯の魔法||Storyboard||
 +
|-
 +
|ED40||[[Your Best Friend]]||Your Best Friend||Storyboard||
 +
|-
 +
|ED41||[[Kanashii Hodo Kyō no Yūhi Kirei da ne]]||悲しいほど 今日の夕陽 きれいだね||Storyboard||
 +
|-
 +
|ED42||[[Overwrite]]||オーバーライト||Storyboard||
 +
|-
 +
|ED43||[[Koi ni Koishite]]||恋に恋して||Storyboard, Technical director||
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
==== OVAs ====
 +
Participation in: '''3''' OVAs
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;font-size:small;"
 +
!style="width:5%;"|OVA!!style="width:15%;"|Title!!style="width:10%;"|Original airdate!!style="width:10%;"|Role!!style="width:5%;"|Note
 +
|-
 +
|9||[[The Stranger from Ten Years Later]]||April 15, 2009||Director, Ending storyboard||
 +
|-
 +
|10||[[Kid in Trap Island]]||April 14, 2010||Director||
 +
|-
 +
|11||[[A Secret Order From London]]||April 13, 2011||Director||
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
== Other notable works ==
 +
=== Anime ===
 +
As Koujin Ochi:
 +
* ''La Corda D'Oro ~primo passo~'': Director, Storyboard
 +
* ''Samurai Warriors'': Director, Storyboard, Unit director
 +
* ''Voice of Fox'': Director, Screenplay
 +
 
 +
As Hirohito Ochi:
 +
* ''After War Gundam X'': Storyboard, Episode director
 +
* ''Nekketsu Saikyo Gozaurer'': Storyboard, Episode director
 +
* ''Pocket Monster Crystal: Raikou Ikazuchi no Densetsu'': Storyboard, Unit director, Opening animation
 +
* ''Pokémon - Destiny Deoxys'': Unit director
 +
* ''Pokemon 4Ever'': Assistant director
 +
* ''Pokemon Heroes - Latias & Latios'': Assistant director
 +
* ''Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea'': Storyboard, Assistant director
 +
 
 +
As Chiko Uonji:
 +
* ''Samurai Warriors'': Screenplay
 +
 
 +
== References ==
 +
# [[wikipedia:ja:於地紘仁|於地紘仁 - Wikipedia]] (Japanese)
 +
# [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=74881 Anime News Network]
 +
<references group="Note"/>
 +
<references/>
  
−
==Other notable works==
+
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ochi, Koujin}}
−
===Anime===
 
−
*''After War Gundam X'': Storyboard, Episode director
 
−
*''(La) Corda D'Oro ~secondo passo~'': Director, Storyboard
 
−
*''Nekketsu Saikyo Gozaurer'': Storyboard, Episode director
 
−
*''Pocket Monster Crystal: Raikou Ikazuchi no Densetsu'': Storyboard, Unit director, Opening animation
 
−
*''Pokémon - Destiny Deoxys'': Unit director
 
−
*''Pokemon 4Ever'': Assistant director
 
−
*''Pokemon Heroes - Latias & Latios'': Assistant director
 
−
*''Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea'': Storyboard, Assistant director
 
  
−
==References==
+
[[Category:Directors]]
−
# [http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%B6%8A%E6%99%BA%E6%B5%A9%E4%BB%81 於地紘仁 - Wikipedia] (Japanese)
+
[[Category:Screenplay writers]]
−
# [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=74881 Kōjin OCHI - Anime News Network]
+
[[Category:Storyboard artists]]
 +
[[Category:Technical directors]]
  
−
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ochi Koujin}}
+
[[zh:越智浩仁]]
−
[[Category:Staff]][[Category:Directors]][[Category:Screenplay writers]][[Category:Storyboard artists]][[Category:Technical directors]]
 

Latest revision as of 21:48, 13 September 2024

Koujin Ochi

Koujin Ochi.jpg

Profile
Gender: Male
Place of birth: Gifu Prefecture, Japan
Position: Director
Screenplay
Organizer
Storyboard
Episode director
Years active: 1987-present
Aliases: 越智浩仁
宇恩寺稚子
Also known as Hirohito Ochi and Chiko Uonji.

Koujin Ochi (於地 紘仁 Ochi Kōjin?), real name Hirohito Ochi (越智 浩仁 Ochi Hirohito?), is a Japanese anime director, technical director, and screenplay writer. He also uses rarely the alias Chiko Uonji (宇恩寺 稚子 Uonji Chiko?). He directed Detective Conan from episode 505 to 666, and later episodes 678 to 679. He is mainly active in animation works done by TMS Entertainment and Bandai Namco Filmworks.

Biography

Ochi entered the Utsunomiya University Faculty of Education (宇都宮大学教育学部) in 1982, and even then, he was already active in the animation industry; he was affiliated with the animation research association of his university. Moreover, he was the person who held a screening event of Space Runaway Ideon (伝説巨神イデオン). In 1986, he dropped out of school during the academic year; thereafter, he began to work under his real name, Hirohito Ochi (越智 浩仁). In 1988, he served as the production advancement of the anime Topo Gigio (トッポ・ジージョ).

Photo of Koujin Ochi.

In 1996, he joined the production of the Detective Conan anime, and served as the storyboard artist and episode director for Episode 4: The Coded Map of the City Case; until Episode 344: The Convenience Store Trap (Part 2) in 2003, Ochi temporarily quit the production (during this period, he had also written some screenplays for the anime, they were highly famed among the fandom as well). Starting 2006, he altered his name to Koujin Ochi (於地 紘仁), and became active again. He returned to the Detective Conan anime production team in 2008, first he did storyboard for Episode 499: Clash of Red and Black (Disguise). Since episode 505, Masato Sato has stepped down from the anime director role, thus Ochi replaced him as the director until episode 666 also under his alias Koujin Ochi. He was replaced by Yasuichiro Yamamoto in 2012 starting episode 667 (excluding episodes 678-679, which is mystery tour episodes and Koujin Ochi is still in charge of them when director change took place).

After taking over the director role, Ochi first invited the staff who went to work on the movies, during the Masato Sato era, back to the anime production. Art director was altered, and stabilized; the color design was also changed to Shigenobu Kaihoko and became brighter; Masatomo Sudo became the anime character design again, working along with Junko Yamanaka. Ochi did the storyboard for several openings and endings during this time, performing the recovery for the severe alteration in the staff team from the Masato Sato era. Nonetheless, the anime production remain chaotic; outsourcing has made many episodes become unstable and the quality dropped significantly. It is not until 2011 that he first officially introduced the "Animation Supervisor" role for the anime, (the credit used was "Chief Animator" (チーフアニメーター ?) and "Key Animator" (キーアニメーター ?)); Seiji Muta was promoted by him for that role.[Note 1]

Apart from his director work, Ochi is also an excellent screenwriter, and has written many renowned episodes for the series; Episode 184: A Cursed Mask Coldly Laughs is the well-known case he wrote. After 2010, he began to use the pseudonym Chiko Uonji (宇恩寺 稚子) when serving as the screenwriter. After stepping down as director, Ochi's activity in Detective Conan decreased drastically, and he merely served as the screenwriter for Episodes 905~906: Eyewitness Testimony Seven Years Later in 2018.

Just like a lot of mystery cases found in Detective Conan, the two aliases used by Ochi have an interesting origin based on his real name: Koujin Ochi shares the same pronunciation as his real name but written in different ways; Chiko Uonji is the rearrangement of his real name's romaji (Ochi Koujin → Uonji Chiko).

Style analysis

The acclaimed "cursed mask" case by him.

Ochi is one of the veteran staff (like Kazunari Kouchi and Junichi Miyashita) who have joined the anime production since the series began to broadcast. Although he did not write a lot of cases for the anime, most of his cases are of high quality. He is sometimes referred to as the John Dickson Carr of the Detective Conan screenwriters, because his style is just like Carr's, most consisting of locked-rooms, impossible crimes, ingenious tricks; which is a symbolisation of Shinhonkaku Detective Fiction (新本格派推理). He is also good at mingling ghost legends into his stories, and depicting supporting characters - he has created lots of memorable characters to his audience, for example Shingo Nachi, Toshiya Tadokoro, Shimogasa Twins, Touya Aikawa, and Otaro Minakitaya etc.

His style is very similar to that of those mystery writers from the golden age; even the Detective Conan original author Gosho Aoyama thought that the trick Ochi devised in The Case of the Furisode at the Hidden Hot Spring on a Snowy Night is fairly interesting - according to the producer, Michihiko Suwa, who disclosed this information in an interview with Minami Takayama[1].

Scenarios written

Number of case scenarios written under the name of Hirohito Ochi: 4 (6 episodes)

Number of case scenarios written under the name of Chiko Uonji: 4 (7 episodes)

Other works in Detective Conan

As Hirohito Ochi

Anime

Participation in: 40 cases (49 episodes)

Jpn# Int# Episode title Original broadcast Role Note
4 4 The Coded Map of the City Case January 29, 1996 Storyboard, Episode director
7 7 Once-A-Month Present Threat Case February 19, 1996 Storyboard, Episode director
12 13 Ayumi-chan Kidnapping Case April 15, 1996 Storyboard, Episode director
16 17 The Antique Collector Murder Case May 20, 1996 Storyboard, Episode director
21 22 On Location, TV Drama Murder Case June 24, 1996 Storyboard, Episode director + Screenplay
26 27 Pet Dog John Murder Case July 29, 1996 Storyboard, Episode director
31 32 TV Station Murder Case September 2, 1996 Organizer, Storyboard, Episode director
38 39 Akaoni Village Fire Festival Murder Case November 18, 1996 Organizer, Storyboard, Episode director
44 45 Three Hotta Siblings Murder Case January 20, 1997 Storyboard, Episode director
50 51 Library Murder Case March 3, 1997 Organizer, Storyboard, Episode director
53 55 The Mystery Weapon Murder Case April 7, 1997 Episode director
61 63 A Ghost Ship Murder Case (Part 1) June 2, 1997 Storyboard
66 68 Night Road Murder Case July 7, 1997 Storyboard
88 91 Dracula's Villa Murder Case (Part 1) January 26, 1998 Storyboard, Episode director + Screenplay
89 92 Dracula's Villa Murder Case (Part 2) February 2, 1998 Storyboard, Episode director + Screenplay
95 98 Kogoro's Date Murder Case March 16, 1998 Episode director
100 106 The Memories of First Love Case (Part 1) May 11, 1998 Organizer, Storyboard, Episode director
105 111 The Mysterious Mansion of a Band of Thieves Case (Part 2) June 15, 1998 Episode director
109 115 Detective Club Pursuit Case July 13, 1998 Episode director
114 120 Scuba Diving Murder Case (Part 1) August 24, 1998 Episode director
119 126 The Kamen Yaiba Murder Case October 12, 1998 Episode director
125 132 A Mysterious Sniper Murder Case (Part 2) November 23, 1998 Storyboard, Episode director
130 140 The Indiscriminate Stadium Threatening Case (Part 1) January 11, 1999 Organizer, Storyboard, Episode director
136 146 The Old Blue Castle Investigation Case (Part 1) February 22, 1999 Organizer, Storyboard
137 147 The Old Blue Castle Investigation Case (Part 2) March 1, 1999 Organizer, Storyboard, Episode director
142 152 The Night Before the Wedding Locked Room Case (Part 2) April 26, 1999 Organizer, Storyboard, Episode director
150 160 The Truth Behind the Car Explosion Case (Part 1) June 28, 1999 Episode director
157 167 Metropolitan Police Detective Love Story 2 (Part 2) August 16, 1999 Episode director
163 174 The Secret of the Moon, the Star, and the Sun (Part 1) October 11, 1999 Organizer, Storyboard
164 175 The Secret of the Moon, the Star, and the Sun (Part 2) October 18, 1999 Organizer, Storyboard, Episode director
170 181 The Blind Spot in the Darkness (Part 1) November 29, 1999 Episode director
176 190 Reunion with the Black Organization (Haibara) January 17, 2000 Organizer, Storyboard, Episode director
184 198-199 A Cursed Mask Coldly Laughs March 13, 2000 Storyboard, Episode director 1 hour
+ Screenplay
195 210 The Significant Music Box (Part 2) June 19, 2000 Organizer, Storyboard
203 218 The Black Wings of Icarus (Part 1) August 14, 2000 Storyboard, Episode director
204 219 The Black Wings of Icarus (Part 2) August 21, 2000 Storyboard
208 223-224 The Entrance to the Maze: The Anger of the Colossus October 9, 2000 Episode director 1 hour
214 230 The Mysterious Retro Room Case November 20, 2000 Storyboard
222 241 And Then There Were No Mermaids (The Case) January 29, 2001 Organizer, Storyboard
223 242 And Then There Were No Mermaids (The Deduction) February 5, 2001 Organizer, Storyboard
224 243 And Then There Were No Mermaids (The Resolution) February 12, 2001 Organizer, Storyboard
304 326-329 The Trembling Police Headquarters: 12 Million Hostages January 6, 2003 Organizer, Storyboard 2 hours
323 348 Heiji Hattori's Desperate Situation! (Part 1) June 9, 2003 Organizer, Storyboard
324 349 Heiji Hattori's Desperate Situation! (Part 2) June 16, 2003 Organizer, Storyboard
329 354 A Friendship That Can't Be Bought (Part 1) July 28, 2003 Organizer, Storyboard
330 355 A Friendship That Can't Be Bought (Part 2) August 4, 2003 Organizer, Storyboard
331 356 The Suspicious Spicy Curry (Part 1) August 11, 2003 Organizer, Storyboard
343 369 The Convenience Store Trap (Part 1) December 1, 2003 Organizer, Storyboard
344 370 The Convenience Store Trap (Part 2) December 8, 2003 Organizer, Storyboard

As Koujin Ochi

Anime

Participation in: 3 cases (4 episodes)

Jpn# Int# Episode title Original broadcast Role Note
499 546 Clash of Red and Black (Disguise) March 10, 2008 Storyboard
505 552 Lawyer Eri Kisaki's Testimony (Part 1) June 16, 2008 Storyboard
506 553 Lawyer Eri Kisaki's Testimony (Part 2) June 23, 2008 Storyboard
651 702-703 Conan vs. Heiji, Deduction Battle Between the Detectives of the East and West March 24, 2012 Organizer 1 hour

Openings and Endings

Participation in: 8 openings and 10 endings

# Song name Original title Role Note
OP
OP25 Revive Revive Storyboard
OP26 Everlasting Luv Everlasting Luv Storyboard
OP27 MAGIC MAGIC Storyboard
OP28 As the Dew As the Dew Storyboard
OP29 SUMMER TIME GONE SUMMER TIME GONE Storyboard
OP31 Don't Wanna Lie Don't Wanna Lie Storyboard
OP32 Misty Mystery Misty Mystery Storyboard
OP33 Miss Mystery Miss Mystery Storyboard
ED
ED32 Koigokoro Kagayaki Nagara 恋心 輝きながら Storyboard
ED33 Doing all right Doing all right Storyboard
ED34 Hikari 光 Storyboard
ED35 Hello Mr. my yesterday Hello Mr. my yesterday Storyboard
ED36 Tomorrow is the last Time Tomorrow is the last Time Storyboard
ED38 Tsukiyo no Itazura no Mahō 月夜の悪戯の魔法 Storyboard
ED40 Your Best Friend Your Best Friend Storyboard
ED41 Kanashii Hodo Kyō no Yūhi Kirei da ne 悲しいほど 今日の夕陽 きれいだね Storyboard
ED42 Overwrite オーバーライト Storyboard
ED43 Koi ni Koishite 恋に恋して Storyboard, Technical director

OVAs

Participation in: 3 OVAs

OVA Title Original airdate Role Note
9 The Stranger from Ten Years Later April 15, 2009 Director, Ending storyboard
10 Kid in Trap Island April 14, 2010 Director
11 A Secret Order From London April 13, 2011 Director

Other notable works

Anime

As Koujin Ochi:

  • La Corda D'Oro ~primo passo~: Director, Storyboard
  • Samurai Warriors: Director, Storyboard, Unit director
  • Voice of Fox: Director, Screenplay

As Hirohito Ochi:

  • After War Gundam X: Storyboard, Episode director
  • Nekketsu Saikyo Gozaurer: Storyboard, Episode director
  • Pocket Monster Crystal: Raikou Ikazuchi no Densetsu: Storyboard, Unit director, Opening animation
  • Pokémon - Destiny Deoxys: Unit director
  • Pokemon 4Ever: Assistant director
  • Pokemon Heroes - Latias & Latios: Assistant director
  • Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea: Storyboard, Assistant director

As Chiko Uonji:

  • Samurai Warriors: Screenplay

References

  1. 於地紘仁 - Wikipedia (Japanese)
  2. Anime News Network
  1. ^ Note: According to the end credits in The Scarlet Alibi recap movie, Junko Yamanaka worked as animation supervisor, possibly when she also did character design between 2008 and 2010, but she was not credited back then.
  1. ^ エンタミクス. May 2014. 
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