Forum

Self explanatory.

I'm not huge into the movie format, but I do still watch my fair share. It's looking like a threeway tie between Anno for the EVA movies, Hosoda for Summer Wars, and Shinkai for 5 cm/s, who I think I'm gonna give the edge to.

Gotta go with Satoshi Kon, I just find his stuff magical in a way that I don't find of other big movie directors it seems. It's a shame we might never see The Dream Machine, but I do oh so hope we do. RIP, man, RIP

Would definitely say Satoshi Kon. Been a huge sap for his works thanks to his cerebral and realistic style that he implements with them.

A close second would be Hayao Miyazaki. I enjoy most of his older works with the themes he implements into his Ghibli films with women coming of age or being independent, some environmental awareness themes and the lack of a true villain in them (Castle in the Sky) being an exception to the third rule). But after Princess Mononoke, I always felt Miyazaki was slowly losing his touch with the later works he directed, especially with the pacing issues that happened with the second half to Howl's Moving Castle.

It's difficult for me to choose just one, but in the end I chose Miyazaki. His movies always have a magical quality and the worlds are so real and detailed. I love how most of the stories are epic in proportion and the characters are charming and intriguing. This is a man who has not just made one masterpiece, but several and many other excellent films.

Tied for second are Isao Takahata and Satoshi Kon. I love the fanciful feel of Takahata's Pom Poko. It is difficult to compare anyone to Satoshi Kon because his style is so distinctive and different. The way he blends illusion and reality is brilliant and perfect for his storytelling style, though at times it can frustrate me with confusion.

No one has voted Mamoru Hosoda? I'm just as guilty. *cough* I wonder if anyone here might want his autograph......

^ Rectified.

I'm not a big movie watcher, tend to see them more at events like cons and anime film festivals than watch them at home. I really enjoyed both Summer Wars and Wolf Children, so my vote goes to Hosoda.

It was tough for me to choose between Satoshi Kon and Hayao Miyazaki but I chose Satoshi Kon. I have seen every one of his films and I have never been disappointed.

@KOH-you mentioned Hideaki Anno in your opening post but I do not see his name on the list (of course, voters can vote "other" and name him in their post).

It's hard for me to evaluate the other directors on the list because Kon and Miyazaki are the only ones on the list I've seen more than one movie by (unless Voices of a Different Star counts as a movie, in which case I've seen 2 by Makoto Shinkai).

I used what Tris8 had.

I must be the only person in the world that doesn't like either Miyazaki or Kon. I've tried on several occasions to watch Kiki and Spirited Away, but always give up part way through. I watched all of Howl's Moving Castle, but I had to force myself to just so I could say I've seen a Miyazaki movie to completion. I ended up liking it when I finished, but I don't remember a single thing about it.

As for Kon, the only piece I've ever attempted was Paprika, and that didn't go well.

I'm just not a movie guy. I've only seen 51 anime movies, but only 14 of those weren't connected to a TV franchise in some way. Seven of that fourteen belongs to Garden of Sinners. I like TV tie-ins because they're like extended episodes based around characters already known and developed.

Hayao Miyazaki: A little overrated (although more by virtue of his staggering reputation and not any lack of talent). Princess Mononoke is excellent. More or less as good as anything out there. But his other stuff has always been just okay. Spirited Away, Porco Rosso, Laputa...all real fun movies but I wasn't truly blown away by any of them. Naussica is not especially good.

Isao Takahata: No opinion. His more family friendly stuff doesn't interest me. I do definitely plan to watch Grave of the Fireflies but you have to be in the right mindset I think so it hasn't happened.

Hiroyuki Okiura: Haven't gotten to Momo yet but obviously will. Jin Roh is a masterpiece. He could easilly jump to the top of the pile if Momo is on par.

Shunsuke Tada: Who?

Shinichiro Watanabe: A great director but probably more notable for his TV work. Baby Blue is pretty great though.

Mamoru Hosoda: Haven't seen Girl but I was very underwhelmed by Summer Wars.

Satoshi Kon: Perfect Blue is great. Magnetic Rose is great. Haven't gotten to Millennium Actress yet but I have high hopes. Paprika isn't all that good though and I don't know if I'd say I love any of his movies that I've seen yet. I merely like a number of them a whole lot.

Tatsuya Ishihara: No opinion.

Yasuhiro Yoshiura: Time of Eve was neat. I look forward to seeing what he can do in the future, especially with a full feature film.

Masahiro Ando: Not a super deep or overly arteur director but he can put together one hell of an entertaining show.

Makoto Shinkai: Haven't seen any of his stuff. Can't say I have an overwhelming desire to correct that.

Other:
-Katsushiro Otomo: A very talented guy. And although Akira is his only major film that's good (Steamboy is a turd) but he's done some excellent short movies as well.

-Yoshiaki Kawajiri: I don't think I'd call any of his works a masterpiece and in fact, he's made a couple downright bad ones. But he's also made a lot of super stylish, thrilling action movies.

-Mamoru Oshii: Ghost in the Shell is possibly my all time favourite anime movie. I haven't gotten to his Patlabor stuff yet. I don't know though. It's difficult to call him my favorite because it is really just the one movie so far. That seems to be a recurring thing here actually. There are 4 or 5 guys who have done movies that I absolutely love and consider to be masterpieces. They've all done just that one movie give or take a few other minor things though so I have a tough time picking them as my favorite.

I'm going with Mamoru Hosoda. I really enjoyed Summer Wars and the Girl Who Leapt Through Time. I'm not big on movies, so I haven't actually seen any Satoshi Kon films yet. I really should do something about that.

Guess I'll comment on other directors as well, besides what I have above:

Isao Takahata- Liked his down-to-earth work with Grave of the Fireflies and Only Yesterday, the latter I feel is a crying shame that it won't see the light of day in American distribution due to being considered too niche. However, my feelings of Takahata's fantasy-driven works, Pom Poko and Hols: Prince of the Sun, are mixed at best.

Hiroyuki Okiura- Jin-Roh and Momo appear to be the only works he has directed from what I'm looking up. But from what I've seen of both, the guy's done great with working titles with completely different genres, moods and themes.

Shunsuke Tada- Only know Tada from his work on Bungaku Shoujo. Feel a bit indifferent on how to comment with him as my thoughts on the film were mixed at best.

Shinichiro Watanabe- More a fan of his TV work than movie work.

Mamoru Hosoda- I forgot about this guy. Summer Wars and Girl Who Leapt Through Time were two of the best films I've seen in recent years with this guy at the helm. Look forward to seeing any later films he puts out.

Tatsuya Ishihara and Yasuhiro Yoshiura- Both did quite well with the direction of the single titles they've directed. Would like to see more work from Yoshiura considering Time of Eve's unique premise.

Masahiro Ando- No comment.

Makoto Shinkai- Feel he's a bit overrated. While his works are excellently animated, the guy seems to have an obsessive habit with all his works sticking with the same "long distance relationships suck" theme in some variant. He needs a new theme to implement into his works.

I'm going to go with a write-in for Mamoru Oshii, as GitS was hugely influential on me and the Patlabor movies are fantastic. I really wish he'd do more stuff.

I suspect my real vote should be Satoshi Kon, but of his works I've only seen Paranoia Agent (ie, not a movie). Everything else is currently sitting on top of my Pile of Shame.

I went with Satoshi Kon.

Once he gets a few more films under his belt, this might switch over to Mamoru Hosoda, and I haven't seen Wolf Children yet, but I need to see more to even think of putting him ahead of Kon. I did really enjoy both The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Summer Wars.

Shinkai > Miyazaki but just by a little Smile

Both are amazing!!! Though I can't believe you left out Anno!!!!??? You'know the master mind behind Evangelion---even though he's the biggest troll out there, but you have to be a genius to be a troll of that high level

Mamoru Oshii for me. Ghost In The Shell alone is untouchable for me. And nothing as of yet has come close to it in terms of story, animation, plot, etc.

Forum - View topic
Who is your favorite anime director? (movies only)

The Healer Who Was Banished From His Party, Is, in Fact, the Strongest Anime Series Review

Diamond Comic Distributors Files Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

This Week in Anime - An Isekai a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

The Winter 2025 Anime Preview Guide

We Ranked the Official McEva Burgers

Your Winter 2025 Daily Streaming Reviews

Digimon: The Movies - Movies 1-3 - Anime Blu-ray Review

Answerman - Why is Space Battleship Yamato a Big Deal in Japan?

40 Years of Newtype Magazine

Crowdfunding Launched After Voice Actor Mike McFarland's Successful Brain Tumor Surgery

Macross Plus Blu-ray Movie + OVA [Ultimate Edition] Review

Dorohedoro Sequel Season Reveals Returning Staff, 2025 Debut in New Visual

Strawberry Prince Member Jel's Toi-san Video Series Gets Anime Film in Summer 2025

How I Attended an All-Guy's Mixer Anime Series Review

Forum - View topicWho is your favorite anime director? (movies only)

Forum

Forum - View topic
Who is your favorite anime director? (movies only)