Isao Takahata: 5 Must-Watch Works From the Anime Legend

Isao Takahata, the prolific anime director/producer and co-founder of Studio Ghibli, passed away on Thursday at age 82.

According to a statement released by the studio, Takahata died at a Tokyo hospital after a battle with lung cancer. With a career that spanned six decades, Takahata was a legend in anime. He directed and produced over three dozen television shows and films.

In 1985, Takahata and collaborator Hayao Miyazaki co-founded Studio Ghibli, which would become one of the most well-known and honored animation film studios in the world, with titles like My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away.

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya earned Takahata an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature in 2014, but 1988’s The Grave of the Fireflies — his haunting tale of two siblings during WWII — is considered his best and best-known work.

Below, FANDOM breaks down five can’t-miss works from the late, great Isao Takahata.

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2014)

The Tale of Princess Kaguya is a tragically beautiful movie. The late Isao Takahata paints the movie with traditional minimalist watercolor and sets it in a gorgeous Japanese fairy tale. Yet he also sees the glaring problems with that society, as pretty as it is. The magical Princess Kaguya is found by a kindly woodcutter couple. They love her beyond all else. So they make her the best life they can imagine, assuming she will be happy as a princess, surrounded by finery. But no matter what they do, Kaguya is still unhappy. In a pre-feminist society, Kaguya does not even have the words to explain her depression. What follows then is one of the most gut-wrenching endings Takahata has put to the screen. The Tale of Princess Kaguya is sublime beyond words, and also a painfully raw look at how even loving parents can fail their daughter.

— Eric Fuchs, FANDOM Fan Contributor

Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

Most war films focus on the soldiers in a conflict, but Takahata’s Grave of the Fireflies takes a more solemn and meditative angle. The story centers around the ghosts of two young Japanese siblings who were killed during the war. As they set out to find a place to rest, they recount their experience and how they fought to survive from starvation.

It’s a harrowing tale that doesn’t shy away from the gruesome truth of war and its casualties. The fact that such a dismal tale can be told with a sense of beauty and even hope is a testament to Takahata’s profound power as a storyteller. This is essential viewing for anime fans, film fans, and anyone who loves just how affecting stories can be. There is no doubt that this is both Takahata’s masterpiece and a seminal film in its own right.

— Drew Dietsch, FANDOM Entertainment Editor

Gauche the Cellist (1982)

An adaptation of Kenji Miyazawa’s short story, Gauche tells the story of a struggling musician who talks to animals to gain inspiration. Although it was one of Takahata’s earlier works, it took a reported six years to develop. It also showed his gift with music as well as direction.

— Lawrence Yee, FANDOM Editor in Chief

Lupin III (1971-1972)

When you talk about anime series that helped to define the genre, it is impossible to avoid talking about Lupin the 3rd. The wonderfully high-spirited show centers around master thief Arsène Lupin III and his team of accomplices as they pull off a number of heists while avoiding their nemesis, Inspector Zenigata.

Takahata co-directed fifteen episodes of the monumental series and it was a crucial part of his growing relationship with future anime master Hayao Miyazaki. When it comes to unadulterated fun, Lupin the 3rd is one of the anime series you need to have on your watchlist. It is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

— Drew Dietsch, FANDOM Entertainment Editor

The Red Turtle (2016)

I love movies. All kinds of movies from all kinds of places, in all kinds of genres. But for some reason, Anime has always been a form of storytelling that has been challenging for me to embrace. That’s not to say I cannot appreciate Anime or find value in it and to this day, I still don’t know why Anime is so hard for me to embrace. The bright flashes? The sharp edges? My super simple and Americanized brain? Who knows. But that all changed when I saw The Red Turtle, which has resonated with me in a way that no other Anime has. From its distinct yet simple visual beauty to the heart-wrenching story about the human experience and the cruel beautiful mysteries of life, The Red Turtle — Takahata’s final production credit (he served as artistic producer) — moved me in ways that I have never forgotten.

— Clark Wolfe, FANDOM host

http://studio-ghibli.wikia.com/wiki/Isao_Takahata