It is a sad moment for the anime industry as another anime maestro passed away today.
Various news sources confirmed on Thursday that Studio Ghibli co-founder and director Isao Takahata has passed away at a Tokyo Hospital at the age of 82. According to reports, his health has been declining since last summer.
He and Hayao Miyazaki founded the well-acclaimed animation studio Studio Ghibli. One of Takahata’s notable films that he created and/or directed are Pom Poko, My Neighbors the Yamadas, and Only Yesterday. He is mostly known for directing the anime film masterpiece Grave of the Fireflies.
The last film that he did as an animation director was The Tale of Princess Kaguya which premiered in Japan in 2013.
In a 2016 interview by entertainment news website Variety, he expressed that “I have several projects that I still have in mind that I am currently working on to get closer to realizing. Whether those will be finalized as films is something that no one, myself included, can know.”
Rest in Peace, Isao Takahata. Thank you for giving us memorable anime masterpieces. You are a legend in the anime industry and your name will always be remembered forever through the works you’ve done in Studio Ghibli.
Source: Anime Next, Sanpso, and NTV News 24
