{"rewrite":{"id":"r_3e948d88d58e0718789c0f8d","clusterId":"c_987ee74ebda316025fd4695b","slug":"animation-veteran-kunihiko-hamada-leaves-madhouse-after-35-years","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Animation Veteran Kunihiko Hamada Leaves Madhouse After 35 Years","summary":"Animator and character designer Kunihiko Hamada confirmed on May 31 that he left Madhouse at the end of March after 35 years with the studio. He is now working at a different company and said he did not receive severance pay. Hamada's credits include chief animation director on Monster, NANA, and Chihayafuru, and character design on Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card.","whyItMatters":"Hamada's departure removes a long-tenured staff member who shaped the visual identity of multiple Madhouse productions across three decades.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eKunihiko Hamada, a veteran animator and character designer, confirmed on his birthday Sunday that he left Madhouse at the end of March. He posted on X that he devoted 35 years to the studio, including more than 20 as a staff employee, and claimed he did not receive severance pay. Hamada now works at a different company.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHamada joined Madhouse in 1990 on Cyber City Oedo 808. His chief animation director credits include Monster, NANA, Kaiji -Ultimate Survivor-, Chihayafuru, and My Love Story!!. He also designed characters for NANA, Chihayafuru, My Love Story!!, Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card, and My Love Story With Yamada-kun at Lv999. Madhouse's April 2026 series A Hundred Scenes of AWAJIMA credits him for character designs.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Animator Kunihiko Hamada left Madhouse at the end of March after 35 years. He confirmed the news on his birthday and said he is now at a different company. His credits include Monster, NANA, Chihayafuru, and Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card.","twitterPost":"Animator Kunihiko Hamada left Madhouse at the end of March after 35 years. He confirmed the news on his birthday and said he is now at a different company. His credits include Monster, NANA, Chihayafuru, and Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Kunihiko Hamada, a longtime Madhouse animator and character designer, confirmed he left the studio at the end of March after 35 years. He is now working at a different company and said he did not receive severance pay. Hamada's extensive credits include chief animation director on Monster and NANA, and character design on Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Anime News Network\",\"url\":\"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2026-05-31/animation-veteran-kunihiko-hamada-departs-from-madhouse/.237997\",\"title\":\"Animation Veteran Kunihiko Hamada Departs From Madhouse\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":3661,"outputTokens":661,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1780289952,"createdAt":"2026-06-01T04:48:16.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-06-01T04:53:10.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-06-01T04:53:10.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_987ee74ebda316025fd4695b","canonicalTitle":"News\nAnimation Veteran Kunihiko Hamada Departs From Madhouse","representativeArticleId":"a_13568947283f42c5fa6d1e5e","sourceCount":2,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[],\"studios\":[\"Madhouse\"],\"people\":[\"Kunihiko Hamada\"],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"industry\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-06-01T03:53:52.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-06-01T11:20:34.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-06-08T09:01:07.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Anime News Network","url":"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2026-05-31/animation-veteran-kunihiko-hamada-departs-from-madhouse/.237997","title":"News\nAnimation Veteran Kunihiko Hamada Departs From Madhouse"},{"source":"Animehunch","url":"https://animehunch.com/there-wasnt-even-an-attempt-to-keep-me-on-veteran-animator-reveals-abrupt-departure-from-madhouse-after-decades-of-service/","title":"“There Wasn’t Even An Attempt To Keep Me On”: Veteran Animator Reveals Abrupt Departure From Madhouse After Decades Of Service"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":[],"studios":["Madhouse"],"people":["Kunihiko Hamada"],"type":"news","domain":"industry","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Kunihiko Hamada left Madhouse at the end of March after 35 years, confirmed on May 31.","Hamada said he did not receive severance pay and now works at a different company.","He was chief animation director on Monster, NANA, Kaiji -Ultimate Survivor-, Chihayafuru, and My Love Story!!.","He designed characters for NANA, Chihayafuru, My Love Story!!, Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card, and My Love Story With Yamada-kun at Lv999.","Hamada is credited as character designer for Madhouse's April 2026 series A Hundred Scenes of AWAJIMA."]}