dub of the Utena movie, checking the quality of the translation; he expressed strong distaste for the idea of his work being censored or changed to seem more "American", and made sure such changes were not apparent in the U.S. release. Hiatus (2000–2010) Ikuhara's post-Utena works include the manga World of the S&M (released in English as The World Exists for Me), on which he collaborated with Chiho Saito; the novel Schell Bullet, which he co-wrote with Mamoru Nagano; and the Schell Bullet-based concept album Thanaphs 68. Return to directing (2011–present) In 2011, Ikuhara returned as an anime series director with Penguindrum, which began airing in July 2011. He is currently writing the manga Nokemono to Hanayome, illustrated by artist Asumiko Nakamura and published monthly in Japanese fashion magazine KERA. In 2015, Ikuhara released Yurikuma Arashi, which consists of an anime series produced by Silver Link and a manga series illustrated by Akiko Morishima. The anime began airing on January 5, 2015. In 2019, Ikuhara released Sarazanmai; it was produced by MAPPA and Lapin Track. The anime began airing on April 11, 2019. As of 10 October 2020 Ikuhara has mentioned he is working on a new anime, but has not provided any further detail. Ikuhara will return to direct Re:cycle of Penguindrum, a compilation film for Penguindrum. On March 31, 2022, Ikuhara announced that he was changing his name to "Bonsoir Ikuhara", later revealing it to be a pseudonym for Teiko Bon Bon, a music project with Bonjour Suzuki and Teiko. Personal life Interests He has expressed interest in the possibility of collaborating on a project with David Lynch someday. As with fellow directors Hayao Miyazaki and Yoshiyuki Tomino, Ikuhara's works (especially Mawaru Penguindrum and Yurikuma Arashi) contain certain criticisms of the capitalist system. In Ikuhara, such criticisms are often accompanied by a more or less latent distrust towards the whole social order, or even human nature itself. Interaction with fans Ikuhara has attended several conventions and similar events, given interviews to fans and reporters, and, along with Chiho Saito, provided commentary tracks for the DVD releases of Utena. He often dresses in brightly colored clothes when socializing with fans. He has cosplayed as Sailor Mars on a few occasions. Notes References External links Ikuni Observation Journal Brief Biography of Ikuhara Japanese film directors Anime directors 1964 births Living people People from Tokushima Prefecture Revolutionary Girl Utena