If You Love Studio Ghibli, Don’t Miss These 3 Anime Directors
Three trailblazing anime movie directors you have to see
Many of the most internationally famous Japanese animated movies come from the legendary Studio Ghibli. Headed by Hayao Miyazaki, Ghibli has produced such beloved masterpieces as My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle.
Miyazaki recently came out of retirement (again!) to create his latest work The Boy and the Heron (Japanese title: 君たちはどう生きるか, Kimitachi wa dō Ikiruka).
The theatrical release in the US (and in many other English-speaking countries) will be in the next couple of weeks. Like many fans of Japanese movies, I’m excited to see it.
Hayao Miyazaki is far from the only Japanese animated movie director whose works have been gaining international attention in recent years.
In this article I’m going to introduce three more internationally-acclaimed Japanese animation directors and some of their best-known works.
I’m intentionally including works that are:
1. either stand-alone works, not part of a pre-existing franchise or function as stand-alone works despite being based on a previous work. (So no Pokémon or Evangelion here.)
AND
2. are officially available in English (either dubbed or subtitled).
1. Mamoru Hosoda （細田 守）
Notable works
- The Girl who Leapt Through Time (Japanese title: 時をかける少女, Toki o Kakeru Shōjo), 2006 *
- Summer Wars (Japanese title: サマーウォーズ, Samā Wōzu), 2009
- Wolf Children (Japanese title: おおかみこどもの雨と雪, Ōkami Kodomo no Ame to Yuki), 2012
- The Boy and the Beast (Japanese title: バケモノの子, Bakemono no Ko), 2015 *
- Mirai (Japanese title: 未来のミライ, Mirai no Mirai), 2018 *
- Belle (Japanese title: 竜とそばかすの姫, Ryū to Sobakasu no Hime), 2021 *
*Currently available to stream on Amazon Prime in the UK. Availability in other countries may differ.
What to expect
Of all the directors on this list, Hosoda’s style is the most similar to that of Hayao Miyazaki, which is not surprising considering that at one point he worked for Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli.
The main characters in Hosoda’s works are often children or young people facing interpersonal problems. There is usually a threatening fantasy element which symbolises the difficulties the protagonists are facing in their everyday lives, and by dealing with this they are ultimately able to face their real-life issues.
Where to start
The Boy and the Beast has clear similarities to Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away, which makes it a good place to start for those who enjoyed the Ghibli movie. It is a coming-of-age story about a young boy grieving for his mother. He enters a secret entrance in the middle of Tokyo and finds himself in a fantasy world populated by beasts. As with Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away, the main character learns to deal with his emotions and become self-reliant whilst having a lot of adventures along the way.
The Boy and the Beast official trailer:
2. Makoto Shinkai（新海 誠）
Notable works
- The Place Promised in our Early Days (Japanese title: 雲のむこう、約束の場所, Kumo no Mukō, Yakusoku no Basho), 2004 *
- 5 Centimeters per Second (Japanese title: 秒速5センチメートル, Byōsoku Go-Senchimētoru), 2007 *
- Children who chase Lost Voices (Japanese title: 星を追う子ども, Hoshi o Ou Kodomo), 2011
- The Garden of Words (Japanese title: 言の葉の庭, Kotonoha no Niwa), 2013 *
- Your Name (Japanese title: 君の名は, Kimi no Na wa), 2016 *
- Weathering with You (Japanese title: 天気の子, Tenki no Ko), 2019 *
- Suzume (Japanese title: すずめの戸締まり, Suzume no Tojimari), 2022
*Currently available to stream on Amazon Prime in the UK. Availability in other countries may differ.
What to expect
Makoto Shinkai’s works are characterised by their exploration of characters’ relationships and emotions, usually intermingled with elements of science fiction.
Shinkai’s works often incorporate aspects of traditional Japanese culture. The title of his earlier work 5 Centimeters per Second describes the speed at which cherry blossom falls. Your Name includes Japanese concepts of connections that bind human relationships (symbolised by red ribbons), intermingled with cultural heritage from the female protagonist’s hometown. Many of the ideas in Weathering with You are based on Japanese weather myths.
Another key feature is the stunningly beautiful animation. The Garden of Words, despite being very slow paced and (by Western standards) not having much of a plot, is worth watching just for the animation alone.
Where to start
Shinkai first came to mainstream international attention with Your Name in 2016. This movie has a faster pace and is more plot-driven than his previous works, which gives it a broader international appeal, making it a good place to start.
It tells the story of two Japanese high schoolers, one of whom lives in central Tokyo, the other of whom lives deep in the countryside. Despite never having met, they have a mystical connection which causes them to switch bodies at random. As well as being humorous and sweet, it has an engaging plot and deals tactfully with some serious themes.
Your Name official trailer:
3. Satoshi Kon （今 敏）
Notable works
- Perfect Blue (Japanese title: パーフェクトブルー, Pāfekuto Burū), 1997
- Millennium Actress (Japanese title: 千年女優, Sennen Joyū), 2001 *
- Tokyo Godfathers (Japanese title: 東京ゴッドファーザーズ, Tōkyō Goddofāzāzu), 2003 *
- Paprika (Japanese title: パプリカ, Papurika), 2006 *
*Currently available to stream on Amazon Prime in the UK. Availability in other countries may differ.
What to expect
The late Satoshi Kon’s works are characterised by reality-bending plots containing a blurring of fantasy and reality.
Paprika is arguably the most surreal of Kon’s works, with Matrix-like reality dream-bleeding sequences. Even in the relatively tame Millennium Actress, the story of an actress’s romances throughout her career, imagination and reality are blurred.
Kon has been well-known for a long time within international anime fan circles for the cult classic Perfect Blue (rumoured to have inspired the movie Black Swan) in which a former J-pop idol becomes mentally unstable. Her personality fractures in two, and the viewer is left unsure which parts of the movie are real and which the protagonist’s imagination.
Where to start
Tokyo Godfathers is a heartwarming Christmas story about three homeless people who find a baby and attempt to locate its parents. There is very little of Kon’s signature reality bleeding here, but I recommend it for its strong plot, original characters, and examination of issues in current Japanese society.
Tokyo Godfathers official trailer:
Do you have a favourite Japanese animated film that you think others would enjoy? If so, please recommend it in the comments.
