Anime Anime directors

[Dagger]

Which anime directors do you pay particular attention to, and why? Do you have a favorite director? What about least favorite? Does he or she display a distinctive & immediately recognizable style?

I wouldn't say that I have a favorite director, although if I see certain names attached to anime which I feel otherwise ambivalent about, it does encourage me to give them a closer look. For example, I started watching uncut Sailor Moon almost solely because [b]Kunihiko Ikuhara[/b] (the man responsible for Revolutionary Girl Utena) directed some of the later seasons. And obviously [b]Hayao Miyazaki[/b] movies tend to have a powerful draw.

Above all, I especially enjoyed seeing three very different [b]Hideaki Anno[/b] anime (Evangelion, Nadia and His & Her Circumstances) fairly close together. Though each has its own tone and they belong to separate genres, there were times when scenes from, say, His & Hers immediately made me think of Eva or Nadia, and vice versa. I can't wait to get my hands on the original Gunbuster.

~Dagger~

[AzureWolf]

[COLOR=blue]I don't know any directors' names, except for Miyazaki (and only because things are always referred to as "Miyazaki's x" or "Miyazaki's y"). Also, I've never noticed a persistent, "directing style" in any animes I've seen. On the other hand, I may be just too ignorant to notice it. Incidentally, I'm now aware of Anno only because of this freaky otaku "blog" I saw on some forum.

So, yeah, I can't say I have a preference for any director. I only pay specific attention to Miyazaki because he's mentioned, and that the animation and concept are things you can expect only from him. However, I don't use my knowledge that a film is a Miyazaki film to build any type of prejudice towards the movie before watching it. I prefer to judge everything on its own merits, regardless of how wealthy or great a director is.

I'd hardly call myself as true an anime fan as others here are, but I think most anime fans are in the same boat as I. There's little to no information about anime directors here in the states, IMO. Maybe if you actively searched for it, it's there, but most of us do entertainment passively. ^^

I don't know if it matters, but even in non-anime things, I've never noticed similarities in directing (John Woo for M:I-2? What the hell was that?).[/COLOR]

[EVA Unit 100]

Satoshi Kon has to be the most underrated genius in all of anime history. Anyone who can make something as sweet as Millenium Actress or as scary as Paranoia Agent is definately awesome, and being able to do both just incredible! Other than Kon, Miyazaki and Otomo are the obvious great ones, with Shinichiro Wantannabe up there by sheer value of cool.

[Qukey]

Osamu Tezuka's inspiration is still unbeatable. It is hard not to mention him in any thread about anime creator or director.

Other than Tezuka, Yoshiyuki Tomino is another of my favorite. Over 30 years in the industry, he can still bring in new ideas. He is willing to spend time making good mecha stories instead of just toy commercials.

[Otaku America]

[COLOR=Navy][B]Satoshi Kon[/B] is one of the directors I pay attention to because most of his anime work is based on realistic human stories or to put it more vaguely, psychological thrillers. Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers, and Paranoia Agent are all masterpieces. I believe Satoshi Kon is the [I]madman[/I] of anime. He likes to dive deep into people's minds and likes to find out what makes them tick. Satoshi Kon is a really unique director because he stays away from all the usual anime offerings such as sci-fi, fantasy, action, romance, etc. I believe he has taken a weak genre in anime and only made it stronger.

[B]Shinichiro Watanabe[/B] is another one I pay attention to because most of his offerings are different genre's blended into one. That's why he has unique shows under his belt like Cowboy Bebop & Samurai Champloo. I believe this guy is the[I] soul[/I] of anime. Whatever he puts in anime just comes to life. That is probably why this guy gets noticed a lot because his work just stands out.

And who can leave out [B]Mamoru Oshii?[/B] This guy is basically the James Cameron of anime. With classics such as Ghost in the Shell, Blood: The Last Vampire, Patlabor, Jin-Roh he is easily the most recognizable name in Anime. I like to think of this guy as the [I]monster[/I] of anime because most of the work he does just become blockbuster hits.[/COLOR]

:lecture:

[Leofski]

Shinichiro Watanabe and Miyazaki's work is artistically among my favourites. But my favourite anime director has to be Shinichi Watanabe AKA Nabeshin, for his shameless self-insertation in to excel saga.

[Lord Dante]

[quote name='Leofski']Shinichiro Watanabe and Miyazaki's work is artistically among my favourites. But my favourite anime director has to be Shinichi Watanabe AKA Nabeshin, for his shameless self-insertation in to excel saga.[/quote]
i'll agree. nabeshin directing an anime with nabeshin in it was cool.


aparrently, there's a rumor going around about him doing a nabeshin saga.



anyway, as for directors, the only two i know are masamune shirow and nabeshin. so i'll say them