
Madhouse (マッドハウス) is a highly-regarded Japanese animation studio, probably best known for their adaptation of Death Note, their works with CLAMP, their anime first shows, and the movies of Satoshi Kon, Yoshiaki Kawajiri, Rintaro and Mamoru Hosoda. They are also known for doing some of the anime of a mix of western works, for example, Highlander: The Search for Vengeance, Supernatural, Marvel Anime: X-Men, and part of the second season of The Boondocks. As noted, Madhouse had a long relationship with the late Satoshi Kon; they animated every project he directed (Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers, Paranoia Agent, Paprika, The Dream Machine).
The company was established in 1972 by several former Mushi Pro staff—including Masao Maruyama, Osamu Dezaki, Rintaro, and Yoshiaki Kawajiri—as an outsourcing unit for TMS Entertainment. Maruyama retired from the company in 2011 at the age of 70 to start MAPPA, which resulted in a significant number of staff leaving and marked the End of an Age. Post-2011 Madhouse is in the process of fashioning a new identity for itself.
They have also come to develop a relationship with the Baltimore based anime convention Otakon, with Masao Maruyama now being an honorary regular of the event while the studio itself produces its "intro animations."
The company also owns South Korean-based studios DR Movie, MOI Animation (later known as Mua Film and presently as Tiger Animation) and Anihouse Sun (whose credits will be mentioned on this page). More credits can be found here.
See Studio Annapuru, Triangle Staff, and the aforementioned MAPPA, studios founded by former Madhouse employees.
The Canipa Effect has produced an Anime Studio Spotlight about Madhouse. Watch it here.
Not to be confused with the 1974, 1990, or 2004 films, the fanfic, or the European dance music act Mad'house known for their cover of Madonna's "Like a Prayer."
Notable Madhouse series and films:
- ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Dept.
- Ace of the Diamond (with Production I.G)
- AFTERLOST
- Aim for the Ace! (made for Tokyo Movie Shinsha)
- Akagi
- Alderamin on the Sky
- ALL OUT!! (with TMS Entertainment)
- Allison and Lillia (with Mushi Productions)
- Azuki-chan
- Bakuten Shoot Beyblade (first season)
- Battle Angel Alita
- Barefoot Gen
- Barefoot Gen 2
- Beck
- BioHunter
- Birdy the Mighty (original OVA series)
- Black Lagoon
- Blue Literature
- Bomberman Bidaman Bakugaiden
- Bomberman & Bidaman Bakugaiden V
- Boogiepop Phantom
- Btooom!
- Captain Tsubasa: Road to 2002 (with Group TAC)
- Cardcaptor Sakura
- Casshern Sins (in cooperation with Tatsunoko Production, owners of the Casshern franchise)
- Chaos;Head
- Chihayafuru
- Chi's Sweet Home
- Chobits
- Claymore
- The Cockpit
- Cyber City Oedo 808
- The Dagger of Kamui
- Death Note
- Death Parade
- Demon City Shinjuku
- Devil Hunter Yohko
- Devil May Cry: The Animated Series
- Di Gi Charat
- DNA² (with Studio DEEN)
- Doomed Megalopolis
- Dragon Drive
- The Dream Machine (the last anime of Satoshi Kon)
- Elemental Gearbolt (Animation)
- The Fantastic Adventures of Unico
- FireStorm (with Trans Arts)
- Forest of Piano
- Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
- Galaxy Angel
- The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
- Gungrave
- Gunslinger Girl
- Hajime no Ippo
- Hanayamata
- Hells
- Hellsing Ultimate (episodes 5-7)
- High School Of The Dead
- Hunter × Hunter (2011 version, with Studio Live)
- The Irregular at Magic High School
- Jubei-chan
- Kaiba
- Kaiji
- Kamen no Maid Guy
- Kiba
- Kobato.
- Kurozuka
- Legend of the Galactic Heroes: My Conquest is the Sea of Stars (with Artland)
- Lensman (movie and series)
- Loving Yamada at Lv999!
- Magic User's Club (Series; also provided Final Line for OVA)
- Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi (done with Studio Gainax)
- Magical Warfare
- Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro
- Marvel Anime
- Master Keaton
- Memories (Stink Bomb segment; Magnetic Rose and Cannon Fodder done by Studio 4°C)
- Metropolis (2001)
- Millennium Actress
- Monster
- Mouryou No Hako
- Mujin Wakusei Survive (Co-production with TMS Entertainment)
- Nana
- Natsu e no Tobira (Co-production with Toei Animation)
- NEEDLESS
- Night Warriors: Darkstalker's Revenge (with DR Movie)
- Ninja Scroll
- No Game No Life
- Okko's Inn
- One-Punch Man
- Oneouts
- Overlord (2012)
- Paprika
- Paradise Kiss
- Paranoia Agent
- Parasyte
- Perfect Blue
- Pet Shop of Horrors
- Phantom Quest Corp.
- A Place Further than the Universe
- Police in a Pod
- Prince of Stride Alternative
- The Princess and the Pilot
- Princess Resurrection
- Rainbow: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin
- Red Line
- Reign: The Conqueror
- Rideback
- Rizelmine
- Sakura Wars (2000) (with Studio Shaft and Triangle Staff; also credited with In-Between Animation for Sakura Wars 3: Is Paris Burning?'s anime sequences)
- Shigurui
- Shingu: Secret of the Stellar Wars
- Sonny Boy
- Stitch! (first two seasons only)
- The Story of Saiunkoku
- Strawberry 100%
- Strawberry Panic!
- Summer Wars
- Sunday Without God
- Supernatural: The Animation
- takt op. Destiny (with MAPPA)
- The Tatami Galaxy
- Tenjho Tenge
- Texhnolyze
- Tokyo Babylon
- Tokyo Godfathers
- Trigun
- Twilight of the Cockroaches (Cockroach animation, movie with TYO)
- Unico (produced for Sanrio and Tezuka Productions)
- Urusei Yatsura (Always My Darling movie and several of the later OVAs)
- Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
- Wicked City
- Wild ARMs (Opening and illustration work)
- WXIII: Patlabor The Movie 3
- X/1999
- Yawara! A Fashionable Judo Girl (produced for Kitty Films)
- The Adventures of T-Rex (with Mook DLE, Philippine Animation Studio Inc. and Hong Ying)
- Most of the The Animatrix animations. (with Studio 4°C; Ink & Paint for "Beyond"; Additional animation for "Matriculated")
- Batman: Gotham Knight ("In Darkness Dwells" and "Deadshot"note ; done with Production I.G, Studio 4°C and Bee Train)
- The Boondocks (uncredited; with MOI, JM Animation, and Dong Woo Animation)
- Cartoon Cartoon short: LowBrow (the pilot for Megas XLR)
- Constant Payne (with Tama)
- Highlander: The Search for Vengeance
- Hulk Vs.
- The Jetsons (Animation Cooperation for Toei Animation, Season 3, 2 episodes note , uncredited)
- Peanuts: In early 2012, they announced
their acquisition of the legendary comic strip's animation rights.
- Popples (With KK C&D Asia, Studio Korumi, Studio Junio and Studio Shaft)
- Todd McFarlane's Spawn (Intro and Season 2)
- Street Fighter (8 episodes in season 1)List (Sunrise did the rest)
- The Transformers: The Movie (Key Animation through Yoshinori Kanemori, In-Between Animation through Hiroaki Daichi)
- Wakfu (Noximilien the Clockmaker, also assisted on the Orgest special with Studio Ghibli)
- Wing Commander Academy (10 episodes)List (Koko Enterprises did the other three)
- X-Men: Evolution (26 episodes; with DR Movie) List (Mook DLE did the rest)
- A Channel (In-Between Animation; Production Assistance)
- Aikatsu! (2nd Key, Finish & In-Between Animation)
- Aim for the Ace! (Animation, series and movie)
- All-Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku (Animation; Finish Animation; Planning, OVA)
- Armor Hunter Mellolink (In-Between Animation; Paint)
- Arrietty (Animation Assistance)
- B: The Beginning (In-Between Animation)
- Back Arrow (Key Animation)
- Black Jack (Animation, OVA and movie)
- Blue Seed (Finish Animation)
- Brave Story (Animation)
- Cross Ange (2nd Key & In-Between Animation; Paint)
- D4 Princess (Finish & In-Between Animation)
- Dante's Inferno: The Animated Epic (In-Between Animation, "Limbo" & "Lust" segments)
- DearS (Key & In-Between Animation, Paint)
- Dies Irae (Production Cooperation)
- Dog & Scissors (2nd Key, Finish & In-Between Animation)
- Double Dragon (1995 arcade) (assistance)
- Eureka Seven AO (2nd Key Animation)
- Fairy Tail (In-Between Animation)
- Fire Force (In-Between Animation)
- The Flowers of Evil (In-Between Animation)
- Future GPX Cyber Formula Zero (In-Between Animation)
- Ganba No Boken (Animation)
- Gasaraki (In-Between Animation)
- Getbackers (In-Between Animation; Paint)
- The Great Mission to Save Princess Peach! (Photography)
- Gundam 00: A Wakening of the Trailblazer (In-Between Animation)
- Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket (In-Between Animation)
- Hanamaru Kindergarten (Finish & In-Between Animation Cooperation)
- Hanaukyō Maid Team (Key & In-Between Animation)
- The Heroic Legend of Arslan (Production Cooperation)
- Howl's Moving Castle (Animation Assistance)
- Hayate the Combat Butler (In-Between Animation, Can't Take My Eyes Off You and Cuties)
- Jungle Kurobe (Animation)
- Key the Metal Idol (Finish & In-Between Animation)
- K.O. Beast (Finish & In-Between Animation)
- Last Exile: Fam, the Silver Wing (Finish & In-Between Animation)
- Legend of Lemnear (In-Between Animation)
- Macross 7: The Galaxy's Calling Me! (In-Between Animation; Animation Assistance)
- My Neighbor Totoro (Original Art Cooperator)
- Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt (In-Between Animation)
- Please Teacher! (Finish & In-Between Animation)
- Pokémon: Zoroark: Master of Illusions (In-Between Animation Assistance)
- Puella Magi Madoka Magica (Production Assistance)
- Real Drive (Background Art)
- The Rose of Versailles (Key & In-Between Animation)
- Rurouni Kenshin (In-Between Animation; Final Line)
- Sakura Wars 3: Is Paris Burning? (In-Between Animation)
- Samurai Giants (Key & In-Between Animation)
- Slayers Great (Production Assistance)
- The Sky Crawlers (In-Between Animation)
- Spirited Away (Supporting Animation)
- Steamboy (CG; Composite)
- Suchie-Pai Adventure: Doki Doki Nightmare (In-Between Animation)
- Transformers: Go! (In-Between Animation)
- Wild 7 (Production Cooperation)
- Trinity Blood (Animation)
- You're Under Arrest! (In-Between Animation for the Visual Novel)
- YuYu Hakusho (Finish & In-Between Animation for the series and Poltergeist Report. Also provided Backgrounds for the latter)
- Zetman (In-Between Animation)
Through select animators, List not complete
- A Certain Scientific Railgun (Key Animation through Misaki Matsumura and Yuka Koiso, 2nd Key Animation through Megumi Tonegawa)
- Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day (Key Animation through Koji Odate and Hidehiko Sawada, 2nd Key Animation also through Odate)
- Arakawa Under the Bridge x Bride (Key Animation for the opening through Minami Yoshida)
- Bamboo Blade (Key Animation through Hokuto Sakiyama)
- Ben-To (Key Animation through Megumi Tonegawa)
- Black★Rock Shooter (In-Between Animation through Megumi Tonegawa)
- Blue Exorcist (Key Animation through Minami Yoshida)
- The Case Files of Yakushiji Ryoko (Key Animation through Hokuto Sakiyama)
- Chrono Crusade (Key Animation through Akiko Asaki)
- The Daughter of Twenty Faces (Key Animation through Hokuto Sakiyama and Akiko Taniguchi)
- Deadman Wonderland (In-Between Check through Megumi Tonegawa, Key Animation through Yuka Koiso)
- Demonbane (Key Animation through Hokuto Sakiyama)
- The Devil is a Part-Timer! (Key Animation for the opening through Minami Yoshida)
- éX-Driver: The Movie (Key Animation through Aiko Wakatsuki)
- Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (Key Animation through Hokuto Sakiyama)
- Ga-Rei -Zero- (2nd Key Animation through Hokuto Sakiyama)
- Giant Robo (Key Animation through Takeshi Koike)
- Haruka Nogizaka's Secret (Key Animation through Hokuto Sakiyama)
- House of Five Leaves (Key Animation through Taiki Imamura and Yuka Koiso, 2nd Key Animation also by Koiso)
- Hyperdimension Neptunia the Animation (2nd Key Animation through Megumi Tonegawa)
- Jormungand (2nd Key Animation through Megumi Tonegawa, Key Animation for Last Order through Yuka Koiso)
- Love Live! (Key Animation through Minami Yoshida)
- Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic (Key Animation through Yuka Koiso, 2nd Key Animation through Megumi Tonegawa)
- Maid-Sama! (Key Animation by Yuka Koiso)
- Noein (In-Between Animation through Hokuto Sakiyama)
- Occult Academy (Key Animation through Taiki Imamura and Minami Yoshida)
- ''Otoboku - Maidens Are Falling For Me (Key Animation through Hokuto Sakiyama)
- The Pet Girl of Sakurasou (Key Animation through Tomomi Yabuki)
- Silver Spoon (Key Animation through Yuka Koiso and Minami Yoshida)
- Soul Eater (Key Animation through Hokuto Sakiyama, In-Between Animation through Megumi Tonegawa)
- Star Driver (Key Animation through Hokuto Sakiyama)
- Sword Art Online (Key Animation through Yuka Koiso and Tomomi Yabuki)
- Space Battleship Yamato 2199 (Key Animation through Tomomi Yabuki)
- Valvrave the Liberator (Key Animation through Minami Yoshida)
- Yozakura Quartet (Key Animation through Hokuto Sakiyama)