Veteran animator and character designer Kunihiko Hamada revealed on X that he left Madhouse at the end of March, ending a 35-year association with the studio that included more than 20 years as an employee.
In a post shared on his birthday, Hamada wrote, “I’ve gotten another year older,” before disclosing that he had departed Madhouse at the end of March. He described the end of his tenure as abrupt, stating, “There wasn’t even an attempt to keep me on.”
Hamada further revealed that despite spending 35 years working exclusively at Madhouse and more than two decades as a company employee, he received no severance pay upon leaving the studio.
He, however, did not provide further details regarding the circumstances of his departure.
The animator also confirmed that he has already joined another company. He said he is approaching the new position with the mindset of a newcomer and is continuing to hone his skills by studying works of veteran animator and character designer Tsutomu Shibayama.
Hamada has contributed to numerous anime productions throughout his career at Madhouse. His credits include work on Monster, NANA, Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor, Chihayafuru, My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999, Ore Monogatari!!, and Cardcaptor Sakura, among other titles.
Madhouse, founded in 1972, is known for producing and contributing to a wide range of influential anime series and films. The studio’s catalog includes works such as Death Note, One-Punch Man, Overlord, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Wolf Children.
Source: X
