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These are people who have worked closely with Miyazaki at one point or another. While this isn't a comprehensive list, you will find information about many of Miyazaki's closest colleagues here. If you have more information about someone listed here or new info on someone else who should be on this list, please let us know.
 

Masashi ANDOU Hideaki ANNO Joe HISAISHI Katsuya KONDO Yoshifumi KONDO Tomomi MOCHIZUKI

Kazuo OGA Mamoru OSHII Yasuo OHTSUKA Toshio SUZUKI Isao TAKAHATA Yasuyoshi TOKUMA Michiyo YASUDA

 
 

ANDOU, Masashi

Masashi Andou is one of the young rising stars at Studio Ghibli. After joining Ghibli in 1990 and working as an in-betweener for Only Yesterday in 1991, he was quickly promoted to a key animator for Porco Rosso (1992). He worked as the supervising animator for both On Your Mark and Mononoke-hime and as a key animator on Yamada-kun.
 

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ANNO, Hideaki

While doing work for Studio Ghibli, Hideaki Anno was a key animator on Nausicaa and Grave of the Fireflies. Some of the other well-known shows on which he has worked (not at Ghibli) include the NHK TV series Fushigi no Umi no Nadia (Nadia of the Mysterious Seas) and the acclaimed TV and movie series Shinseiki Evangerion (Neon Genesis Evangelion).

Anno has worked in every area of production, from layout and storyboards to directing, and has said he considers Miyazaki his mentor. He is one of the founding members of the fan-created animation studio Gainax, though he is rumored to have recently quit the studio (November 1999). He is also rumored to be considering work on a new project at Studio Ghibli.

• Marc Hairston's comparison of Nadia and Laputa
  
• A page about Anno
  

MOCHIZUKI, Tomomi

Born in 1958, Tomomi Mochizuki is one of the prominent directors of the new generation, and is famous for doing sensitive love stories. He has directed animation films and OVAs such as Kimagure Orange Road: I Want to Return to That Day (movie), Maison Ikkoku (movie), and Here is Greenwood (OAV series). He is not a member of Ghibli, but was chosen to direct its first TV movie, Umi ga Kikoeru (I Can Hear the Sea). The project was for the young staff members, and Ghibli wanted a young director as well.

Mochizuki is a big fan of Saeko HIMURO, the author of Umi, and he once proposed to make Umi into anime when it had been serialized in Animage, a Japanese animation magazine. His wish was later granted, although Ghibli's choice of him as director was unrelated to his earlier proposal.

He was already committed to direct the Here is Greenwood OAV series, but not wanting to pass up the opportunity, he decided to take on both projects at the same time! During production, he was hospitalized due to stress from overworking, but he somehow managed to finish the jobs. Both Greenwood and Umi are considered masterpieces by many fans.
 

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OSHII, Mamoru

Mamoru Oshii is the director of Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer, Angel's Egg, both Patlabor movies, and Ghost in the Shell. Born in 1951, Oshii is considered one of the leading directors of the younger generation. Oshii's movies are darker and more cynical than Miyazaki's, yet Oshii and Miyazaki are good friends. Oshii has been offered a director's job at Ghibli several times, but the projects were never realized.

• Interview: Oshii speaks about Miyazaki and Takahata
  
• Interview: Miyazaki and Oshii discuss Patlabor 2
  
• Manga: Fearsome Takuwan Rock Head, by Oshii about Miyazaki.   (image)
  

 

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OHTSUKA, Yasuo

A long time partner of Miyazaki, Ohtsuka worked as the animation director on Horus: The Prince of the Sun, Lupin III (the first TV series), Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro, and Conan, The Boy of the Future.

Born in 1931, he is now fostering young animators at Telecom Animation Film.

• Webpage by the Takahata-Miyazaki Film Laboratory (in Japanese, but with some beautiful graphics).

 

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SUZUKI, Toshio

As a producer and an executive managing director at Studio Ghibli, Toshio Suzuki has been a driving force behind the studio's success. According to Miyazaki, "If it were not for Mr. Suzuki, there wouldn't have been Studio Ghibli."

Born in 1948, he was an editor at the animation magazine Animage, one of the committee members to make Nausicaa, and he has been involved in all the Ghibli movies since. He later became the chief editor at Animage, and in 1989 he officially moved to Studio Ghibli. Since then, he has been a producer of all the Ghibli movies.
 

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TOKUMA, Yasuyoshi

Tokuma became the president of Tokuma Shoten, the parent company of Studio Ghibli, in 1954. Before becoming president, he had worked as a reporter for the Yomiuri Shinbun and as a president of another printing house. Since becoming president, Tokuma has produced many films, including all of the Studio Ghibli films except Grave of the Fireflies.

Tokuma passed away at a Tokyo hospital on Wednesday, September 20, 2000. He was 78 years old.
 

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YASUDA, Michiyo

Michiyo Yasuda is a color designer and the chief of the ink and paint division of Studio Ghibli. She is an old colleague of Miyazaki and Takahata and has worked with them since the start of their careers. She is responsible for choosing the beautiful colors used in Ghibli movies.

Yasuda's work was highlighted recently in the book Animation no Iro Shokunin (The Color Artisan of Animation).
 

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