Let's talk about one of the greatest animators of our time, Makoto Shinkai. Those familiar of his works (5 Centimeters a Second, Your Name, Weathering with You, Children Who Chase Lost Voices and Garden of Words), are astounded by his artwork. His last two anime (Your Name and Weathering with You) were huge commercial successes, with Your Name becoming the 3rd highest grossing anime of all-time.
Sadly, his success and art has been largely ignored by Hollywood and the Oscars, while paltry, juvenile animations like "Wreck it Ralph" get heaps of praise. I am not sure if the Oscar voters ignore his work because it is in Japanese or because he is Japanese. Hollywood has not kept any secrets about their disdain for the anime industry and their lack of cooperation in promoting political views in their works. (See English VA Twitter and Facebook accounts)
Any art enthusiast or animator can easily see the mastery Makoto Shinkai possesses in his art. Yes, his anime are so beautiful you could call it art. Many in the industry refer to him as the "new Miyazaki" (in reference to Hayao Miyazaki and Ghibli Studios). His works extend beyond the anime industry, having delved into animating commercials and video games as well as anime and manga.
If you are interested in looking into some of his works, be sure to check out Your Name and Weathering with You, the most recent and easiest to find. Both have spawned an new group of illustrators that have tried to duplicate the beauty Makoto captures in his anime (see Fireworks, Should We See It from the Side or the Bottom?) He is truly a pioneer and renaissance man of anime. We have shared some of his works in our earlier livestreams if you look for them. An artist in every sense of the word.
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