Forum - View topicYour Most Appreciated Figures in Anime History
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Milkymagic
 Posts: 8 Location: Michigan |
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How's this for an introduction!? I'm just one of those types that loves to remember the good ol' days!
What people in the anime industry really inspire you? Or even earn your appreciation through their efforts, and even the possible witnessing of them? I'm not asking for your idea of what the general list should be, I want your own list, with your own favorites that you possibly admire or connect with in a big way. Directors, producers, founders, artists, authors, voice actors, soundtrack muscians, etc. You name it, they've been a part of it, and we're all good. Keep in mind this is my opinion, and not a guideline.  4. Hideaki Anno - You just have to love a guy that's worth...well...loving and hating! Mr. Lovehate himself helped Gainax since their early days as Daicon, and even had a hand in saving Ghibli's Nausicaa of all things. His directing skills, combined with his introspectiveness, gave the studio the success they needed through much of the 90s with the angsty and controversial Neon Genesis Evangelion. If Miyazaki's the name you stamp on Ghibli, then Gainax is stamped with Anno's name.
Anno inspires my psychological side, though I feel much of my destructive tendencies (creatively) flow from his works too.  3. Yoshiyuki Tomino - Would the mecha genre ever get its due with worthy storylines without this guy? Never! Tomino's drama and bitter turmoil with his realistic characters showed mecha with a heart, and characters that didn't work outside a looming toy commercial, but within an actual piece of art. To me, his longstanding achievement to anime will always be the influential Mobile Suit Gundam. Basically, no Tomino in anime history equals no Evangelion or Macross. THE END.
Tomino's flesh and blood portrayals grab at my emotional side a great deal, with hard clenched fists! This guy makes me want to build a log cabin.  2. Mamoru Oshii - A very off the wall director for his time period, and the son of an out of work detective, made his films in a vein that demanded similar detective skills from his viewers to decipher his own messages and symbolism through Avant-garde directing. Aside from Ghibli, Ghost in the Shell broke a nice sound barrier for the mainstream when it hit in the mid 90s, but it was features like Angel's Egg and Patlabor 2 that truly established the troubled mind that was the Yang to Miyazaki's optimistic Yin. I could watch most of his anime over and over again, finding something new to think about, and something new to discover about the director himself.
Ok, so he's my hero! And he inspires my creative side! I will write ten books, with all of them taking place in each other, to show my appreciation! And slap him down for fueling my philosophical side as well!  1. Toshio Suzuki - If anyone was certainly a key player in the formation of Studio Ghibli, it was this guy. Toshio Suzuki's pushes for production of Ghibli films have been successful in the company's early history, and it was his involvement with Miyazaki and Takahata that brought about the establishment of the company with his considerable skills. If Ghibli helped bring anime to the mainstream, then Suzuki played a key role in keeping that sort of movement possible. For me, his push for the double-bill featuring Grave of the Fireflies and My Neighbor Totoro in 1988 remains his most memorable achievement.
I just love the guys behind the scenes who make everything work, and producers are definitely people worthy of admiration, especially if you need a confidence booster. Basically, I'd like to have his business sense. More power to Suzuki! Plus, I really like the foresight he has with taking a chance on Goro Miyazaki, being that the company wouldn't last forever if there wasn't someone to take the place of his father and Takahata. Hope it works out for Ghibli. _____________________________________________ Honorable Mentions: Masamune Shirow, Hayao Miyazaki, Osamu Tezuka, Shoji Kawamori, Kenichi Sonoda, Kenji Kawai, Hiroyuki Yamaga, Joe Hisiashi, Yoshiaki Kawajiri, Masao Maruyama, Takahiro Omori, Akemi Takada, Yukito Kishiro, and Yoko Kanno. That's my list, hopefully you have some people you wish to share in your most admired anime figures. And yes, it is a coincidence I chose directors (and a producer) to represent my list. You also don't have to make it as fancy as mine, and you can say whatever you wish (no biography needed). Just your appreciation is enough! Last edited by Milkymagic on Wed Jan 24, 2007 11:20 am; edited 1 time in total |
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DragonsRevenge
 Posts: 1150 |
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Miyazaki really needs to be in the top 5 (where is debatable). I was under the impression that Ghibli was formed by Miyazaki and Takahata after the runaway success of Nausicaa, which was written and directed by Miyazaki. Animators, and film buffs look to him as a supreme form of inspiration, moreso than Anno (who, let's face it, is really only known for one title), Otomo or Oshii.
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marie-antoinette
 Posts: 4136 Location: Ottawa, Canada |
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I'm going to go with a bit of a different one and choose Naoko Takeuchi, the creator of Sailor Moon.
Sailor Moon was the first anime I ever watched and the first that I really loved (even if I was watching the dub). While the edits done to it get a lot of backlash now, the franchise really did a lot for anime in North America and needs to be recognized for that. |
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DragonsRevenge
Posts: 1150 |
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True, and it probably wasnt the first magical girl show/manga, but I know it broke the genre open. It certainly helped me discover anime. |
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Milkymagic
Posts: 8 Location: Michigan |
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Miyazaki and Takahata did form it, but Suzuki helped the company remain stable. I appreciate Miyazaki and Takahata like the next guy, but this list is merely my opinion, not what I think the general idea of such a list should be. If you think Miyazaki should be in the top 5, I have no problems, but I wasn't incredibly inspired by him like I was with other people. It all comes down to how well you connect with that person that makes them special to you, and after watching how Ghibli formed on a featurette included with Nausicaa, I honestly admired all the effort Suzuki put into his own position. I really liked Gunbuster and Evangelion from Anno, those were fantastic. He also directed the best portions of Nadia and Kare Kano respectively, and I like how he analyzes his characters in some of his longer television series. I just want to see everyone's inspirations from their own anime experiences, and these people all inspire me in some way. I'm not looking to sound sophisticated, I'm just looking to be understood is all. Mamoru Oshii is my favorite director, and I apologize if that's offensive to anyone on the boards. But here's another piece of my list if you're curious:  7. Mari Iijima - Many voice actors that turn singers go through some ups and downs, and most dodge some rather close bullets. But unlike those better said stars, Mari took one of those bullets, and its name was "Lynn Minmay." In her teens she would gain widespread acceptance for her portrayal of the said character in Super Dimensional Fortress Macross in '82, and after an appearance at a con, realized her role as Lynn would be a stigma she would have to live with for the rest of her life. Thankfully, Iijima was strong and started up her music career without letting her Macross character get in the way, and the accomplished artist would come to terms with her past after deciding to dub her original character in AD Vision's re-release of the series. Here's hoping the best to her latest release, Uncompomising Innocence.
Mari inspires me to be more focused, never to let other people dictate who I should be, and I admire her ability to accept that sort of burden with grace.  6. Yoshiyuki Sadamoto - One of the founding members of Gainax alongside Hideaki Anno, Sadamoto was the company's main character designer. His style was very unique, his characters were widely expressive, and their figures were noticably anemic in some cases. But his contributions to the visual style of Gainax's products cannot go unnoticed, like with the deep portrayals behind The Wings of Honneamise, the adventurous Nadia series, or even the darkened nature of Neon Genesis Evangelion's designs. His work on .hack is also quite popular, and he's even a co-creator!
Sadamoto definitely has me think about expression, and I can't help but appreciate the visual aspect of life through his artwork.  5. Isao Takahata - Miyazaki's mentor was around well before his time, making films since the 60s, as his first feature "Horus: Prince of the Sun" failed financially, but garnered artistic success. Eventually, him and Miyazaki would leave the newly formed Toei Animation Studio and pursue their careers elsewhere. But Takahata's social edge helped him establish not just the quality of anime from around his time, but also helped his protege Miyazaki gain that same sensibility when their founding studio, Ghibli, was around. Takahata was certainly a director ahead of his time, and arguably more influential in his storytelling than meets the eye. A one of a kind commentary, I think Grave of the Fireflies and Only Yesterday speak for themselves.
Takahata makes me want to be socially conscious, to reach around myself and discover what's happening in the world. He also makes me very reflective of myself too. |
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dambuilder
 Posts: 42 |
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OK, my choice is very unoriginal, but for me, Osamu Tezuka clearly is my most appreciated figure in anime history. Not because of his reputation, but because he has created some of the most fascinating and daring animation movies I have ever seen. I love the way he combined nonsense and drama, his quirky sense for visuals and how even a naive childrens movie like "Unico" can actually provoke thoughts.
His best movies really are inspired works, you can feel how much thought and love went into creating them, even when the results sometimes can be occasionally inaccessible. He was a true creative spirit. I don't like all his works (never got into "Astro Boy", f.ex.) and he had his share of unoriginal titles, but his best works are among the finest I know. There are a couple of mangakas I also deeply admire: - The creator of "Ace wo nerae!", Sumika Yamamoto (some of the best panelling I have seen in manga) - Moto Hagio (her works are both very intelligent and visually creative) - Fuyumi Ogura (unfortunately rather obscure in the west. I haven't seen any other mangaka convey subtle emotions so well) |
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TestamentSaki
 Posts: 1012 |
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My personal choice is an author who began to work at age 16, and whose main (and up to now the best) series caused a TOTAL revolution in Japan.
Up to now, he's made mostly (if not only) sports manga series, but the two series he got on anime are total hits in Latin America. He was married to the seiyuu who gave voice to his most famous character, but they divorced. His art is well made, although somewhat disproportioned, but the fans love the action scenes where he excels. Who am I talking about? The author of Captain Tsubasa (which believe me, made a total sports revolution in Japan), Takahashi Yoichi-san. He's one of my idols. |
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fighterholic
Posts: 9193 |
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Miyazaki Hayao can definetly be mentioned for bringing some of the most fine anime features that I have ever seen. His movies even my MOM can enjoy, and she doesn't like anime too much.
I would also like to bring Tezuka Osamu into the picture. Without him, Astro Boy would never have existed, and some of those other good hits also. He tried to bring many messages to us through his works, and those messages I thik carry on today in the minds of many. |
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DragonsRevenge
Posts: 1150 |
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Without him, the anime look we know and love today wouldnt have existed. |
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TestamentSaki
Posts: 1012 |
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Especially the large eyes... To think Tezuka-sama based it on the Disney characters...
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Patachu
Past ANN Contributor
 Posts: 1325 Location: San Diego |
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Anyone who doesn't put Osamu Tezuka at No. 1 is wrong.
Tezuka is the reason anime and manga are popular. He's not only responsible for the "look," but for the whole way it is made -- both from the creative side and the business side. He was the one who put anime on TV; before the Astro Boy series, all anime was kiddie feature films based on fairy tales (gee, I wonder what company THAT reminds me of). Tezuka was the first to truly get into long-running series, complex storylines, philosophically challenging themes, and iconic characters -- pretty much everything that anime fans love and consider distinctive about Japanese cartoons. Do you like 26-episode series? Tezuka's contributions to Japanese TV made that possible. Do you like long-running plots full of unexpected twists? Tezuka did it first. Do you like to think about the ambiguity of good and evil and the value of human life and love? Tezuka asked all those questions in his works. Do you like to cosplay? Spike up your hair and you're Astro Boy, flip it over one eye and you're Black Jack. Were it not for Tezuka pushing the limits, anime wouldn't be anything. It'd be dumbed-down, easily marketable kiddie stuff. Which would make it the same as Western cartoons, except ... from Japan. And you know why Hayao Miyazaki went into animation? Because when he tried to draw manga, he realized he was just copying Tezuka, so he decided to branch out. So even the greatest living animator of our time stands in the insect man's shadow. |
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Milkymagic
Posts: 8 Location: Michigan |
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My thread's not about making an absolute list, why does everyone keep getting it all wrong? If I were assigned to write an essay on anime's most important figures, Tezuka would be at the top easily. But I'm not asking people to do that. I'm asking which anime figures INSPIRED you the most, or the ones you APPRECIATE most, y'know, the ones that made your experience what it was for you? Unless I did mistake your post, then I apologize. However, that's cool you really appreciate Tezuka a lot, I do too (he's in my honorable mentions), but I've never read or watched any of his works (aside from the 80s Astro Boy TV, which was good), so I don't have any commentary on him at the moment. I really hope I didn't get off on the wrong foot with you guys, I just wanted some folks to basically show some appreciation for their overall anime experience, given I've had some great things to express myself. Thank you for taking the time to read this thread! |
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Iritscen
 Subscriber Posts: 910 |
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I liked your post a lot, Milkymagic! You clearly worked on that for a while. Most of us don't use pictures when we post, but I think it makes the post more readable and colorful (even with B&W pics!).
Speaking of which, you ought to get an avatar for yourself, mister! Finally, don't apologize for your picks and opinions under any circumstances. I don't think anyone meant to attack your list in particular, and if they did, it's they who are out of line for missing the point of the topic. You were clear from the beginning that you were only giving your (well-informed, I might add) opinion, and that you were looking for others to make their own lists, not debate yours. I'll post my own admired figures at some point in the next day. Gonna do some research and image-Googling 
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BrothersElric
 Posts: 1996 |
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I know most wouldn't agree with me, but I personally think that Akira Toryama, the creator of the three highly famous Dragonball series, should be on some kind of list. He has to have one wild and crazy imagination to come up with some of the stuff he did, even if his stories are very basic. Not to mention he inspired an entire genere. Without him, there would be no shonen.
I know most people would consider that to be a reason he should be one of the most hated people in anime, but for those of us who not only are big fans of shonen, but are also inspired to have their own shonen series published someday (like me in both areas) have to look to Toryama for that inspiration. At least I do, anyways. |
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Son-kun
Posts: 345 |
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Shouldn't the title be changed to "Most Appreciated Figures in Anime/Manga History" as to not prevent any confusion. I wanna make a list, but it's most likely exculsive to manga artists.
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