is a retired Japanese anime producer from Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture.

Biography Born in 1941 in Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, Besshi graduated from Kagawa Prefectural Sakaide High School in 1956 and Chuo University's Faculty of Commerce in 1963."Mandarake ZENBU" No. 96 "Interview with Soichi Besshi" (in Japanese). pp. 349–357, Mandarake Publishing Department.

He entered Nittsu Liquefied Gas Co., Ltd and remained with it as it was renamed to Nittsu Shoji Co., Ltd. (now currently known as NX Shoji Co., Ltd.), where he was placed in the company's accounting department.

At around the same time, he was asked by Yutaka Fujioka, a friend of his wife's older sister, to assist with accounting tasks, leading him to start visiting and working at A Production as a part-time employee. He would become sworn brothers with Fujioka.

Driven by a growing interest in the anime industry and at the request of Daikichirō Kusube, the president of A Production, Besshi decided to change his career path.

In November 1966, Besshi left Nippon Express Trading Co., Ltd. and joined A Production as a full-time staff member in general affairs and accounting. Initially, he was solely in charge of administrative duties, but as the order volume grew, he ended up also taking on production management responsibilities.

He participated in the founding of Shin-Ei Animation in 1976 and became its managing director. He served as the producer in charge on the Shin-Ei side for Ore wa Teppei, outsourced from Nippon Animation. After that, he worked on the anime adaptations of Fujiko Fujio manga such as The Monster Kid, Perman, and Doraemon.

Having witnessed the painstaking efforts of Sankichirou Kusube and his team in getting Doraemon re-adapted into an anime in 1979, he started paying special attention to the worldview and intentions of the manga's creator Fujiko F. Fujio. For this reason, he was actively against spin-offs such as The Doraemons in any capacity as a producer, as they were not created by Fujiko.藤子FCネオ・ユートピア｜米たにヨシトモインタビュー (in Japanese). Internet Archive (June 10, 2004). Accessed August 15, 2020. Archived from the original on June 10, 2004.

Besshi held a deep affection for Mami the Psychic, even preferring it to Doraemon. When adapting it into an anime, the initial proposal of TV Asahi's 6-minute daily slot was rejected, insisting that "it's not a work to be made in 6 minutes", and instead secured a 30-minute weekly slot. Keiichi Hara was appointed as chief director of the anime, with animator Noriyuki Tsutsumi as animation director. However, the pressure with his young age at the time on top of various complaints he received took a heavy toll on Hara, causing him to want to quit. Besshi ended up granting him a one-year leave of absence, where Hara spent nearly 8 months traveling throughout Southeast Asia and returned to work again after 10 months."Fujiko Fujio FC Neo Utopia" (in Japanese). Issue 46. p. 41.

In 2009, Besshi departed from Shin-Ei Animation and retired. Since then, he has been active as a member of the Tokyo Setagaya Rotary Club as of 19942018年1月16日　卓話：別紙壮一様「大好きドラえもん」 (in Japanese). Atagorotary.com. and often gives lectures on Doraemon in various locations. 第2438回 2016年6月8日（水）12:30～13:30 高幡不動尊 No.45卓話『大好きドラえもん』 別紙 壮一 様 (in Japanese). PDF file. Retrieved June 1, 2026.ゲスト別紙壮一氏卓話例会 (in Japanese). beppuhigashi-rc.jp. 2012. Retrieved June 1, 2026.

Personal life Besshi has a son named , who worked at Shin-Ei Animation as a production manager and production desk for various Doraemon short films and Atashin'chi.Nobuyo Oyama. "I Was Doraemon: A 26-Year Confession of Tears and Laughter" (in Japanese). Published by Shogakukan on June 20, 2006. p.99. .別紙直樹の映画作品 (in Japanese). Movie Walker Press. Movie Walker Press Official Website.

Filmography Television animation Ore wa Teppei (1977): Producer別紙壮一 (in Japanese). allcinema.net. PDF file. Ikkyū-san (1978): Producer Doraemon (1979–2005): Producer The Monster Kid (1980): Producer Doraemon: Europe Rail Travel (1983): Producer Mami the Psychic (1987): Producer The Laughing Salesman (1989): Producer 808 Ward Inside and Out: Make-Up Artist (1990): Producer 21 Emon (1991): Producer

Theatrical animation Doraemon: Nobita's Dinosaur (1980): Producer Doraemon: The Record of Nobita, Spaceblazer (1981): Producer The Monster Kid: Invitation to Monster Land (1981): Producer Doraemon: What Am I for Momotaro? (1981): Producer 21 Emon: Welcome to Space! (1981): Producer Doraemon: Nobita and the Haunts of Evil (1982): Producer The Monster Kid and The Demon's Sword (1982): Producer Doraemon: Nobita and the Castle of the Undersea Devil (1983): Producer Perman: Birdman Has Arrived!! (1983): Producer Doraemon: Nobita's Great Adventure into the Underworld (1984): Producer Doraemon: Nobita's Little Star Wars (1985): Producer Doraemon: Nobita and the Steel Troops (1986): Producer Doraemon: Nobita and the Knights on Dinosaurs (1987): Producer Doraemon: The Record of Nobita's Parallel Visit to the West (1988): Producer Mami the Psychic: Dancing Dolls in a Starry Sky (1988): Producer Doraemon: Nobita and the Birth of Japan (1989): Producer Dorami-chan: Mini Dora SOS!!! (1989): Producer Doraemon: Nobita and the Animal Planet (1990): Producer Chinpui: Princess Eri's Activity Photo (1990): Producer Doraemon: Nobita's Dorabian Nights (1991): Producer Wow, The Kid Gang of Bandits! (1991): Producer Doraemon: Nobita and the Kingdom of Clouds (1992): Producer 21 Emon: Outer Space! Barefoot Princess (1992): Producer Doraemon: Nobita and the Tin Labyrinth (1993): Producer Dorami-chan: Hello Dynosis Kids!! (1993): Producer Doraemon: Nobita's Three Visionary Swordsmen (1994): Producer Dorami-chan: A Blue Straw Hat (1994): Producer Plum Star Prince: Booming From the Edge of the Universe! (1994): Producer Doraemon: Nobita's Diary on the Creation of the World (1995): Producer 2112: The Birth of Doraemon (1995): Producer Doraemon: Nobita and the Galaxy Super-express (1996): Producer Dorami & Doraemons: Robot School's Seven Mysteries?! (1996): Producer

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