Takahata Isao (1935–2018), often referred to as the “Second Pillar” of the renowned Studio Ghibli, is one of the most esteemed animation directors in the history of the form. He is also the first, and thus far the only, anime director to have a solo exhibition at the prestigious National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo and was widely recognized for his advocacy of environmental and pacifist causes. Takahata’s distinctive vision and range and diverse contributions in both television and film have left an enduring mark on the genre, earning him a place of high regard among anime enthusiasts and scholars alike.

The Many Worlds of Takahata Isao is the first English-language book dedicated to exploring lesser-known works and aspects of Takahata’s career and providing in-depth analyses of the films that garnered him international acclaim. Bringing together some of the foremost authorities on anime, it examines his pioneering television work on World Masterpiece Theater and its precursors (1974–1979) and Chie the Brat (1981–1983), as well as his directorial feature film debut Horus, Prince of the Sun (1968) and the documentary The Story of Yanagawa’s Waterways (1987), which combines live-action and animation. The book delves into Takahata’s best-known films, including Grave of the Fireflies (1988), the intensely moving story of children caught in the fire-bombing of Japan during World War II; the endearing, “Ozu-esque” Only Yesterday (1991); Pom Poko (1994), known not only for its humor and striking visual effects, but also for its sharp critique of ecological and cultural loss; the stylistically innovative My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999); and Takahata’s final feature, The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013), celebrated by many as a masterpiece of animation and story-telling.

• Lindsay Coleman, Editor

  Lindsay Coleman is an educator and academic who has edited numerous books on film, including Killers, Clients, and Kindred Spirits: The Taboo Cinema of Shohei Imamura.

• Rayna Denison, Editor

  Rayna Denison is professor of film and digital arts at the University of Bristol.

• David Desser, Editor

  David Desser is emeritus profess of cinema studies and comparative and world literatures and East Asian languages and cultures at the University of Illinois.

Contributors

• Darren-Jon Ashmore
• Jonathan Clements
• Lindsay Coleman
• Rayna Denison
• David Desser
• Thomas Lamarre
• Helen McCarthy
• Laura Montero-Plata
• Susan Napier
• Shiro Yoshioka

• Takahata has sometimes been eclipsed by his creative partner at Studio Ghibli, Miyazaki Hayao; but his work is often more moving for the unique ways that it blurs the line between fantasy and everyday life. This volume is a perfect introduction to Takahata, with essays that cover his major films from a range of critical perspectives. Together the chapters reveal new insights about the role of realism and magical realism in Takahata’s work, the threads of adaptation and influence that link his animation to other media, and the interesting and important place he occupies in the history of Japanese film.
  —Christopher Bolton, author of Interpreting Anime
• This book brings together key writers on Japanese animation to make an excellent case for the need to pay closer attention to Takahata as a director and writer, public intellectual and educator. The chapters situate him within the context of Japanese animation history and explore in detail key themes of environmental awareness, nostalgia, and civilian wartime experiences, as well as Takahata’s unique approaches to animation itself.
  —Lori Morimoto, University of Virginia