Hiroyuki Imaishi

He may not be well known in the United States, but Hiroyuki Imaishi is one of Japan's premier anime directors. In 1995 Imaishi started working as an animator at Gainax, a Japanese anime studio. One of the first shows he worked on was "Neon Genesis Evangelion," an award-winning post-apocalyptic anime series, which was critically acclaimed both in Japan and the United States. After the success of that show, Imaishi turned to directing. In 2004 he directed "Dead Leaves," a feature-length anime film about two jailed inmates with superhuman strength. In 2007 he directed his first anime television series, "Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann," about a dystopian future where mankind is forced to live in subterranean villages. The show won Best Television Production and Best Character Design at the 2008 Tokyo International Anime Fair, further cementing Imaishi's status as an acclaimed Japanese anime director.