Naoko Yamada

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Naoko Yamada
山田 尚子
Born	November 28 Kyoto Prefecture, Japan[1]
Alma mater	Kyoto University of the Arts
Occupations	Animator director storyboard artist
Years active	2004–present
Employer	Kyoto Animation (2004–2020)
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Naoko Yamada (pronunciation^ⓘ) (山田 尚子, Yamada Naoko) is a Japanese animator and director. Working at Kyoto Animation, she directed the anime series K-On! (2009–2010) and Tamako Market (2013), and the anime films A Silent Voice (2016), Liz and the Blue Bird (2018) and The Colors Within (2024).

In 2021, she directed the original net animation (ONA) The Heike Story under Science Saru. The series premiered on Japanese television in January 2022.^[2][3] She has won multiple awards for her work, as well as become world renowned for her stylistic choices in anime. She was also one of the youngest people to be made a director with Kyoto Animation, getting her first directing opportunity around 4 years after finishing college and starting work for the studio.^[4]