Isao Takahata, co-founder of Studio Ghibli, and the man responsible of the first and only cartoon ever to have me in tears, Grave of the Fireflies, has passed away, reportedly from lung cancer, at age 82.
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Rest In Peace.
A man who brought wonder and joy to so many, you shall be missed.
May he rest in peace.
His impact upon the animation world was so great and lasting that eventually crept even into the fighting games.
Although he wasn’t as world-famous as his friend, pupil and colleague Hayao Miyazaki, he was a much better director, and his works are always flawless. @d3v already remembered Grave of the Fireflies; I like to remember his Academy-nominated The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (unfairly snubbed in favour of Big Hero 6, but let’s be honest: the Academy never really understood nor cared about animation…), and his majestic work on the animated series that revolutionised Japanese animation in the Seventies and the Eighties: Heidi, Girl of the Alps, 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother and his masterpiece Anne of Green Gables, the adaptation of the Canadian novel.
Anne was such a success that in Japan and Europe its popularity far overshadowed the original novel itself. Many Japanese tourists still go to Canada only to visit the farm of Green Gables in Prince Edward Island, who has become a popular site for Japanese weddings.
3000 Leagues was so popular in Japan that it ended up being, in fact, the primary source of stereotypes and perceptions that the Japanese had about the Italians until JoJo arrived. It featured the young Genoese protagonist Marco Rossi, who embarks on a journey to South America in search of his mother. Along the way he befriends the young Fiorina Peppino. If that sounds familiar, it’s because SNK used the names for its Marco Rossi and Fiolina Germi (her 3000 Leagues’ original surname Peppino was given to SNK Fio’s teddy bear, and her new surname Germi comes from Genoese film director Pietro Germi. The L in FioLina is… well, it’s because they’re Japanese). Even the fact that Capcom’s Rose is Genoese comes from that.
So long, Paku-san, and thanks for all.
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RIP. Grave killed my soul and had me bawling.
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RIP to a great creative mind. Also he used to love chain smoking and throwing cigs at the prostitutes he used to frequent in Soapland, another legend gone.
Something that’s recently come to people’s attention regarding Grave of the Fireflies.
The original Japanese poster, the one with the kids surrounded by fireflies, if you look at it closely (and maybe alter the color a bit),there’s actually a B-29 bomber hidden in it.
And if you adjust the colors further, some of those fireflies don’t seem to be fireflies at all, but either bullets, or bombs being dropped.
So yeah, happy Monday everyone.