Mikimoto Haruhiko

Mikimoto Haruhiko (美樹本晴彦, Mikimoto Haruhiko, born 28 August 1959) is a Japanese character designer, manga artist and illustrator best known for his character designs for The Super Dimension Fortress Macross and Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket. His elegant, detailed character design style brought a distinctive aesthetic to both franchises whilst demonstrating versatility across different mecha anime universes.

Career

Early Work and Macross

Mikimoto began his career in the anime industry in the early 1980s, quickly establishing himself as a talented character designer. His breakthrough came with The Super Dimension Fortress Macross (1982-1983), where his character designs became iconic within the mecha anime genre. His work on Macross established his reputation for creating appealing, detailed character designs that balanced realism with anime aesthetics.

Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket

In 1989, Mikimoto was selected as character designer for Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket, a 6-episode OVA series directed by Takayama Fumihiko. This marked Mikimoto’s entry into the Gundam franchise and the Universal Century timeline.

His character designs for War in the Pocket departed somewhat from previous Gundam character aesthetics, bringing his own distinctive style whilst respecting the UC timeline’s established visual language. Key characters he designed included:

Alfred “Al” Izuruha – The child protagonist whose perspective drives the narrative
Bernard “Bernie” Wiseman – The young Zeon pilot
Christina “Chris” Mackenzie – The Federation test pilot
Hardie Steiner, Mikhail Kaminsky, Gabriel Ramirez Garcia, Andy Strauss – Cyclops Team members

Mikimoto’s designs successfully conveyed the OVA’s themes, creating characters who felt like real people caught in war rather than archetypal anime heroes. His design for Al in particular – a normal child rather than a pilot prodigy – was central to the story’s emotional impact.

Gundam: Ecole du Ciel

Mikimoto later created and illustrated Gundam: Ecole du Ciel (École du Ciel, “School of the Sky”), a manga series set during the One Year War period. Serialized from 2002 onwards, the manga allowed Mikimoto to work in the Universal Century as both character designer and storyteller, demonstrating his comprehensive creative abilities.

The manga focused on female mobile suit pilot cadets, allowing Mikimoto to explore aspects of the One Year War from perspectives not covered in the main anime series.

Continued Career

Beyond Gundam, Mikimoto continued working on Macross franchise projects, creating character designs for various sequels, OVAs, and adaptations. He has also worked as a manga artist and illustrator on numerous projects, establishing himself as one of the anime industry’s most respected character designers.

Design Philosophy

Mikimoto’s character design style is characterized by:

Realistic Proportions: Characters with believable human proportions rather than exaggerated anime features
Detailed Faces: Expressive facial features with attention to eye design
Natural Hair: Hairstyles that feel realistic within anime conventions
Costume Detail: Careful attention to clothing and uniform design
Emotional Range: Designs that convey personality and emotional depth

His work on 0080: War in the Pocket demonstrated how this approach could enhance Gundam’s realistic military science fiction aesthetic, creating characters whose designs reinforced the story’s anti-war themes.

Influence and Legacy

Mikimoto’s contribution to Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket helped establish that the Universal Century timeline could accommodate different character design styles whilst maintaining its overall aesthetic coherence. His designs for the OVA are often cited as contributing significantly to its emotional impact and critical acclaim.

The success of his Gundam work led to his creation of Ecole du Ciel, demonstrating that character designers could transition into comprehensive creative roles within the franchise. His work influenced how subsequent UC productions approached character design, particularly for stories focusing on non-ace pilots and civilians.

Behind the Scenes

Mikimoto has stated in interviews that working on War in the Pocket required balancing his established design style with Gundam’s aesthetic traditions. He worked closely with director Takayama Fumihiko and mechanical designers Okawara Kunio and Katoki Hajime to ensure character and mechanical designs complemented each other.

His design for Al Izuruha was particularly important – the character needed to appear as an ordinary child to make his perspective on war’s tragedy effective. Mikimoto deliberately avoided making Al heroic or exceptional, instead designing him to represent any child who might witness conflict.

Appearances

Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket – Character designer

External links

Haruhiko Mikimoto on Anime News Network