Utena
Displeased over the lack of creative control granted to him, Ikuhara left Toei after the fourth season of Sailor Moon in 1996 to form his own creative group, Be-Papas, consisting of himself, the famous shōjo manga artist Chiho Saito, animator Hasegawa Shinya (animation supervisor for Neon Genesis Evangelion), writer Enokido Youji, and producer Okuro Yuuichiro. Be-Papas collaborated to produce the anime and manga series Revolutionary Girl Utena (Shōjo Kakumei Utena).
Ikuhara had much more creative control over the anime, which he directed, than he did over the manga, which was drawn by Chiho Saito. Notably, he also recruited composer J.A. Seazer, who provided the series' distinctive choral tracks. Ikuhara stated that he had always admired Seazer, who had enjoyed popularity in Japan's student movement during the 1960s, and felt that Seazer's work, with its themes of revolution and changing the world, was perfectly suited to Utena.
The series was a success, winning the "Best Television Series Award" and the "Kobe Award" at Animation Kobe '97. Be-Papas collaborated again in 1999 to produce a Revolutionary Girl Utena movie, Adolescence Mokushiroku ("Adolescence Apocalypse", released in English as "Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Movie"), with an accompanying manga, again drawn by Saito. Ikuhara also helped supervise the production of other Utena-related works, including a Sega Saturn video game and a stage musical. Be-Papas disbanded after the release of the movie.
Read more about this topic: Kunihiko Ikuhara