Making the position of anime on the world cinema map cannot fail to mention generations of extremely talented Japanese directors such as Hayao Miyazaki, Shinkai Makoto or Mamoru Hosoda.
Hayao Miyazaki
As one of the two co-founders of Studio Ghibli, Hayao Miyazaki is known worldwide as a master, “witch” of anime. Even those who are not fans of the anime genre have more or less heard of his name and the cult works that have been released from Studio Ghibli.
Hayao Miyazaki’s iconic works at Studio Ghibli must include Howl’s Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service and especially Spirited Away – the only non-English speaking work to have ever won an Oscar at the show. Best Animated Film category. Common in Hayao Miyazaki’s works are strong female characters, thrilling, magical magical materials and the director’s particular concern for environmental issues.
Isao Takahata
The remaining founder of Studio Ghibli is Isao Takahata, one of the other icons of the anime industry. Together with Hayao Miyazaki, he created a series of works of a lifetime, becoming the childhood of the 8x – 9x generation and still have a profound cinematic value to this day. He passed away in 2018, but until the last moment, he still worked hard, devoted to his lifelong career.
Isao Takahata’s films are interesting in that they always allow the viewer the space to imagine the most perfect form of the character based on his feelings. His most famous works include Graves of Fireflies, Pom Poko, Princess Kaguya – the film won an Oscar nomination in 2015.
Kon Satoshi
Graduated from Musashino Art University, Kon Satoshi owns the most popular anime in this industry, including Perfect Blue, Tokyo Godfathers or Paprika.
“Mix of fantasy and reality” is the keyword to talk about Satoshi’s works. In his works, he uses a variety of methods to approach this subject. Symbolism is also an important part of his films. Not afraid of topics that are too mature or sensitive, Satoshi’s films always straddle the line between “animated” and the real world.
Makoto Shinkai
Behind one of the highest-grossing anime of all time Your Name, Makoto Shinkai can be considered the symbol of the next generation of anime directors after the legendary Hayao Miyazaki or Isao Takahata. He began his anime directing career in 1999 with the short film She and Her Cat. This work has won many awards, helping to launch Makoto’s illustrious anime career.
Shinkai Makoto’s films are loved for their poetic, melancholy drawings, creating an animated world full of emotions. Besides Your Name, he also created many typical anime such as 5 Centimeters per Second, The Garden of Words or Weathering With You. In 2016, he was selected by Variety magazine as one of the most watched anime directors.
Mamoru Hosoda
Along with Makoto Shinkai, Mamoru Hosoda is also a representative face in the next generation of anime directors, owning works that have an important position in the current anime world. Mamoru Hosoda briefly worked at Studio Ghibli before leaving after disagreements over the production of Howl’s Moving Castle and founding Studio Chizu.
Mamoru Hosoda’s most popular works include The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer War, Wolf Children and Mirai of the Future. In particular, Mirai of the Future earned him an Oscar nomination at the 2018 Academy Awards, something that no other anime other than Ghibli films had done at that time. Mamoru Hosoda’s films are bright, simple and focus a lot on themes of family affection.
Mr. Belle’s latest film (Vietnamese title: Belle – Dragon and Freckles Princess) has won a big win at the Japanese box office when it premiered last summer. Earning 5.85 billion yen, the film became the third highest-grossing domestic film at the Japanese box office throughout 2021. The film was also honored to receive a 14-minute round of applause when it was screened at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival and won like “Beauty and the Beasts Anime version”.
BELLE – Vietnamese title: BELLE – DRAGON AND FARMED PRINCESS – premieres in theaters from February 25, 2022.