Remember when famed animator Hayao Miyazaki retired? No, not that time. When he retired this past September. Well, don't be surprised if he comes out of retirement. Studio Ghibli's Isao Takahata won't be.
Isao Takahata, of course, is the anime director, perhaps best known for Grave of the Fireflies. His upcoming film is Kaguya-hime no Monogatari. Hayao Miyazaki is famous for anime like My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service, among many others.
NicoNico reports that at a recent press event for Kaguya-hime no Monogatari, Takahata talked about Miyazaki's retirement. He noted that this time Miyazaki said the retirement was for real. "There's sufficient likelihood that it could change," Takahata said, adding, "I think so as a long-time acquaintance."
"And even if that does happen, I want you not to be surprised," Takahata told the press.
Continuing, Takahata said, "[Miyazaki] is at Ghibli, so nothing's changed." When Miyazaki explained why he was retiring, he mentioned that making feature-length anime takes years. And since he's 72 years-old, Miyazaki said he worried about completing new films.
Well, Takahata is 78 years old, and that's going pretty well!
If Miyazaki has something to say and is up for making another feature film, he should do it. Hopefully he is.
高畑勲監督、盟友・宮崎駿監督の"引退"「変わる可能性も十分ある」 [ニコニコニュース]
Photo: Andrew Medichini | AP
To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft.
Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.