Kazuya Konaka is a long-time Japanese director, screenwriter and producer. Within the Ultraman Series, he directed numerous episodes and films in the Heisei and New Generation eras. His older brother is screenwriter Chiaki J. Konaka, who has also written for the franchise.
Career[]
Konaka was born in Mie Prefecture and resides in Tokyo. During his time at Seikei High School, he appeared in FANTASTIC★PARTY, a film directed by his senior, Makoto Tezuka, from the film research club. In 1982, Konaka produced an independent film titled The Bear That Fell to Earth, and after graduating, he studied filmmaking at a media studio. His commercial film debut came in 1986 with The Land Beyond the Starry Sky.
In 1989, he collaborated with Chiaki J. Konaka to conceptualize a new Ultraman series, though the project did not materialize. However, this unrealized concept laid the foundation for Ultraman: Towards the Future,[1] marking the beginning of his partnership with Tsuburaya Productions. In 1993, he directed for Gridman the Hyper Agent, and between 1996 and 2007, directed for many Ultraman television and film productions.
In 2016, he returned to direct Ultraman Orb THE ORIGIN SAGA.[2][3][4][5]
Works[]
- Gridman the Hyper Agent (1993) - Director, 2 episodes
- Episode 11 "Is My Allowance ¥100,000?"
- Episode 12 "Beware of The Phantom Thief Marty"
- Ultraman Zearth 2: Superhuman Big Battle - Light and Shadow (1997) - Director and special effects director
- Ultraman Dyna (1997-1998) - Director, 7 episodes
- Episode 1 "A New Light (Part 1)"
- Episode 2 "A New Light (Part 2)"
- Episode 33 "Star of Peace"
- Episode 34 "The Time of Resolution"
- Episode 49 "Final Chapter I: A New Shadow"
- Episode 50 "Final Chapter II: Solar System Annihilation"
- Episode 51 "Final Chapter III: Toward Tomorrow..."
- Ultraman Tiga & Ultraman Dyna: Warriors of the Star of Light (1998) - Director and special effects director
- Ultraman Tiga, Ultraman Dyna, & Ultraman Gaia: The Decisive Battle in Hyperspace (1999) - Director and special effects director
- Ultraman Cosmos (2001) - Director, 2 episodes
- Episode 7 "Present from the Sky"
- Episode 8 "Sleeping Maiden"
- The Ultra Q Club (2004) - Director and writer, 1 episode
- Episode 23 "Breaking News"
- Ultraman Nexus (2004-2005) - Director and special effects director, 7 episodes
- Episode 1 "Night Assault - Night Raid -" (director)
- Episode 2 "Strange Creature - Space Beast -" (director)
- Episode 11 "Doll - Marionette -" (director and special effects director)
- Episode 12 "Separation - Lost Soul -" (director and special effects director)
- Episode 26 "Ren - The Third -" (director and special effects director)
- Episode 27 "Prayer" (director and special effects director)
- Episode 28 "Reunion" (director and special effects director)
- ULTRAMAN (2004) - Director
- ULTRAMAN2: requiem (unproduced) - Scheduled director
- Mirrorman REFLEX (2006) - Director, 3 episodes
- Episode 1 "FOCUS1 KISHIN"
- Episode 2 "FOCUS2 KODOKU"
- Episode 3 "FOCUS3 CHINGON"
- Ultraman Mebius & the Ultra Brothers (2006) - Director and special effects director
- Ultraman Mebius (2006-2007) - Director and special effects director, 4 episodes
- Episode 27 "Champion of the Fierce Fight"
- Episode 28 "Konomi's Treasure"
- Episode 39 "The Invincible Mother"
- Episode 40 "Lonely Paradise"
- Ultraseven X (2007) - Director, 2 episodes
- Episode 8 "BLOOD MESSAGE"
- Episode 10 "MEMORIES"
- Ultraman Ginga S (2014) - Director, 2 episodes
- Episode 13 "Split! UPG"
- Episode 14 "Resurrection of Lugiel"
- Ultraman Orb THE ORIGIN SAGA (2016-2017) - Main director and series compositor,[2][3][4] directed 7 episodes
- Episode 1 "Glittering Star"
- Episode 2 "Last ~Fellow~"
- Episode 3 "Echo"
- Episode 7 "Wrap ~Dazzling~"
- Episode 8 "Sound"
- Episode 11 "Heat Haze"
- Episode 12 "Great Land ~A New World~"
Video Games[]
- Ultraman Fighting Evolution 0 (2006) - Director and special effects director
Other Works[]
- The Land Beyond the Starry Sky (1986) - Director, executive producer and editor
- Astro Boy (2003) - Director
- Tokyo Girl (2008) - Director
- VAMP (2019) - Director
- Single8 (2023) - Director and writer[6]
Roles[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Ultraman Dyna | Bar customer | Episode 33 "Star of Peace" |
| 2004 | ULTRAMAN | Miku's Father | |
| 2005 | Ultraman Nexus | Civilian | Episode 37 "Bond - Nexus -" |
| 2006 | Ultraman Mebius & the Ultra Brothers | Worker in the Crowd |
Gallery[]
Miscellaneous[]
References[]