Biography
Yoshikazu Iwanami, born May 19, 1962, in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture [1], is one of the more prolific sound directors working in Japanese television anime, credited on more than 400 productions since the 1990s [1]. He trained as a mixing engineer for six years before moving into sound direction under mentor Etsuji Yamada, working through studios including Group TAC, Weave, and Diomedea [2]. His sound-direction credits span an unusually wide range of shows, including Fate/Zero, Girls und Panzer, Sword Art Online, Psycho-Pass, Kill la Kill, Berserk (2016), Ajin, and multiple arcs of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure [1]. He has also taken on dubbing direction, sound effects direction, and casting direction on select releases [1]. He is credited with introducing Dolby Atmos to Japanese television anime with Blame! (2017) and later used DTS:X on Girls und Panzer: Saishuushou [2], appearing at a 2023 Dolby Atmos press screening for that film to discuss its sound design and at a 2021 theater talk event for Knights of Sidonia, described there as part of an "East Asian Heavy Sound Trio" alongside its director and general director [3]. More recently he served as sound director on JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 7: Steel Ball Run, where he publicly discussed finishing the sound work for the first episode [4].