Masayuki

, more commonly known mononymously as , is a Japanese animator and director. He is best known for working on the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion and co-directing the first three Rebuild of Evangelion films. Life and career Masayuki Yamaguchi was born on January 3, 1961, in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. While in high school, he was inspired to enter the animation industry after seeing Hayao Miyazaki's 1978 anime series Future Boy Conan. In 1982, Masayuki worked on "Key Animation" in several OVA and television anime, including: Acrobunch, Cream Lemon, Fist of the North Star, Cream Lemon Part 4: POP CHASER, Bavi Stock, Gunbuster, Doomed Megalopolis, and Neon Genesis Evangelion. He has also worked under the pseudonym , on some media, including: Macross Plus, Macross Plus: Movie Edition, and Re: Cutie Honey. Masayuki is a close friend of the famed Neon Genesis Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno. Together, they have collaborated on many OVAs, films, and television programs, such as Gunbuster, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death & Rebirth, The End of Evangelion, GAMERA1999, Cutie Honey, Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone, Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance, Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo, Shin Godzilla, Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time, and Shin Ultraman. Masayuki's friendship with Anno has become very close, with the former spending half a year editing Anno's wedding video, which apparently had more than 1000 cuts.