Your Most Appreciated Figures in Anime History

[Milkymagic]

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. To bring back my original tagline from my second thread to represent this list: 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 optomistic 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 ****ing 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.
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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.

And if you're wondering why there's four, that's because of picture space! Make your lists as long as you need to, no restrictions here!

[mishka]

HAYAO MIYAZAKI IS THE MOST GIFTED DIRECTOR OUT THERE. His movies have motivated me in many ways, and they've been like therapy sessions for me! It made me sad when i read that he's only going to take one more prject, and then retire.

[Neohybrid_kai]

Makoto Shinkai
If I recalled correctly, he starts his anime doing a one-man project
This facts alone is so inspiring for me, and for the second facts, he does drama.
Drama anime using male perspective usually turns into harem or at least having some fanservice, but Makoto Shinkai's work is always pure drama.
His view towards relationship and how it was being visualized in his works always interesting to learn. And his art is very beautiful.
I hope he will continue making masterpiece in the future.

[LionsMane]

Hayao Miyazaki has always inspired me with his work. He is one of my favorite directors ever.

[Kaioshin Sama]

Anybody who knows me knows who I'm go to say before I say it. For those not in the know.

Spoiler:

Number 3 Yoshiyuki Tomino

[Milkymagic]

Miyazaki is definitely one of the greatest directors ever, his directing abilities are certainly on a professional level, and many of his films convey great points. Shinkai is amazing in his abilities as well, he's a one man storytelling crew!

Also glad to see somebody appreciate Tomino alongside me!

Here's some more of my list for those who are 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.

Thanks for responding everyone!

[Terrestrial Dream]

what about Go Nagai, the man who created Mazingar and Getta robot. I didn't watch his show but thanks to him robot anime became popular.

[Rahan]

I don't know much about the guys not working on movies.
I'll go for Miyazaki and Satoshi Kon.

It's quite off topic, but I would name Rumiko Takahashi as well. She not really belong to anime history, but I grew up with the animes of Maison Ikkoku, Ranma and Urusei Yatsura and I have yet to read one page of her works.

[Vexx]

My son saw "Graveyard of the Fireflies" for the first time in 2nd year JP class today.... his teacher didn't prepare them at all other than to say "Watch this Miyazaki film".
He said half the class was crying and everyone was completely messed up the rest of the day --- some powerful film making there (though the teacher *might* have said, "prepare yourself, this is difficult to watch" or something....). Takahata and Miyazaki -- the others were key figures to the growth of anime as well but these guys just know how to torque it to "11".

[Aoie_Emesai]

"Graveyard of the Fireflies" - is quite a touching story about drama and survival. Personally for me, I don't find that there's a single person that deserves all of the glory that ya have all talked about. Everyone adds a little part of anime history into the thread of anime itself. There are inspiring animes, and I find them over whelming other animes within that genre, but nothing that can associate them to be #1.

They are all pieces of a puzzle. Also i don't know my figures well enough to contribute enough here.

[Chiibi]

Tanemura Arina! Creator of gorgeous NON-stereotypical shoujo manga such as Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne and the beloved Full Moon Wo Sagashite, etc. I want to thank her for making me discover my dream career: to be a shoujo manga artist!

Daichi Akitaro!This insane genius directed the Kodomo No Omocha TV series, Elf Princess Rane, Jubei-chan, Animation Runner Kuromi, etc! And '(1999) Won the "Best Individual/"Individual Achievement" award at the 4th Animation Kobe'
Damn straight! XD

Itou Ikuko!For the beautiful mahou shoujo masterpiece, Princess Tutu.

Hayashibara Megumi! If you don't know who this woman is, SHAME on you!

Koge-Donbo! No one...I mean NO ONE can draw more adorable than this lady can. I award thee "Award for Making the Cutest Artwork EVAR"
(Di Gi Charat, Pita Ten, Snow Fairy Sugar, KAMICHAMA KARIN!!)

Miyazaki Hiyao! Big fat DUR. XD Who DOESN'T appreciate this guy!?

A.D.Vision! For dubbing anime RIGHT. Matt Greenfield, Luci Christan, Greg Ayres, Chris Patton, David Matranga,Hilary Hagg, Tiffany Grant...I love ALL of you!! >_<

[Kaioshin Sama]

Originally Posted by Chiibi

A.D.Vision! For dubbing anime RIGHT. Matt Greenfield, Luci Christan, Greg Ayres, Chris Patton, David Matranga,Hilary Hagg, Tiffany Grant...I love ALL of you!! >_<

Too bad they had to completely botch the Aura Battler Dunbine dub. Thanks a bunch Carl Macek. Why they even bothered with such a hack is beyond me.