Summary

• As famous as Hayao Miyazaki may be, he's not the only noteworthy anime film director – with many standout examples in the industry proving this.
• There are many anime film directors who have received praise due to their unique animation and writing styles, such as Science Saru's Masaaki Yuasa and Satoshi Kon.
• Even directors who are newer to the industry and don't have as large of a filmography as Miyazaki have proven themselves as a worthy contender in the anime film world.

When it comes to anime directors, the first director to come to mind is likely Hayao Miyazaki, and for good reason. Ever since founding Studio Ghibli, Miyazaki has created some of the most iconic films in not just anime, but animation, in general, and Spirited Away has especially earned him recognition for being the only anime film to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

Hayao Miyazaki has more than earned his status as a world-renowned anime director, but he's hardly the only director worth praising. Over the years, there have been many anime directors who have crafted wholly unique and all-around fascinating styles of their own.

This has often shown up in franchise works or original projects, and in some cases, it's even been seen in other Studio Ghibli films. These people have all made films just as worthy of praise as Hayao Miyazaki's best work, if not more so, in some cases, and there are several directors, in particular, who especially stand out.

10 Akiyuki Shinbo Has Redefined Surrealism In Anime

Notable films include Negima!? Magister Negi Magi Anime Finale, Kizumonogatari, & Madoka Magica Rebellion

Akiyuki Shinbo got started as an animator in the 1980s, but he wouldn't receive noteworthy acclaim until he started working on Yu Yu Hakusho in the 1990s, specifically the Dark Tournament arc. Shinbo's work of Yu Yu Hakusho was so good, that when Nippon Victor producer Hiroyuki Birukawa saw his work on episode 74, he hired him to be the director of Metal Fighter Miku, Shinbo's directorial debut, after originally only being contracted to storyboard a single episode.

While Akiyuki Shinbo is usually a co-director of films, his work cannot be understated. Shinbo was one of the main creative influences behind Puella Magi Madoka Magica and the Monogatari series, and thanks to him, the sequel films Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Movie Rebellion and Kizumonogatari had even more surreal and all-around spectacular art and animation that made them visual masterpieces. Anime is a medium that always lends itself well to surrealism, and Akiyuki Shinbo is one of the best directors at exploiting that idea.

9 Masaaki Yuasa's Visual Style Is One Of The Best In Anime

Notable films include Lu Over the Wall, Ride Your Wave, & Inu-Oh

Another film director known for their surreal animation style is director Masaaki Yuasa. Yuasa's big break into anime happened in 1992 when he became involved with the famous Crayon Shin-chan franchise, with Yuasa animating and directing multiple projects over several decades. In 2013, Yuasa founded the animation studio Science SARU with the current president and CEO Eunyoung Choi, their first production being the season 6 episode of Adventure Time "Food Chain", and a decade later, they've made a name for themselves as one of the biggest studios in modern anime.

Masaaki Yuasa is known for anime like The Tatami Galaxy and Devilman Crybaby, but his films are just as worthy of praise. Masaaki Yuasa's films always do a great job of showing off the chaotic and surreal animation and writing style he's become famous for, with Lu Over the Wall, The Night is Short, Walk on Girl, and Inu-Oh in particular, all being some of the best examples of his directorial prowess. Very few directors have taken off in recent years, like Masaaki Yuasa, and whatever his next project ends up being, is sure to be a great one.

8 Katsuhiro Otomo Was The Only Person Who Could Bring His Masterpiece To Life

Notable films include Steamboy, Cannon Fodder, & Akira

Not every great director starts off working in animation, and one notable example of that is legendary manga writer Katsuhiro Otomo. Otomo began his career as a writer in 1973 with an adaptation of Mateo Falcone called A Gun Report, but he wouldn't begin to receive acclaim until 1980 with the short series Domu. In 1982, Otomo created the cyberpunk series Akira, and both the manga and its film adaptation would receive a multitude of domestic and international awards and become one of the biggest stories in the history of anime.

Working primarily as a mangaka, Katsuhiro Otomo has also dabbled in film, and his work has always been great. In addition to Steamboy and the Cannon Fodder segment of Memories, Katsuhiro Otomo also directed the film adaptation of Akira, and after over 30 years, Akira's incredible writing and stellar animation still have it considered one of the greatest anime films of all time. Otomo is set to direct another adaptation of one of his manga, Orbital Era, and if it has the same level of ion that Akira did, it's certain to be another historical achievement for anime.

7 Mamoru Oshii's Work Helped Define Filmmaking, Worldwide

Notable films include Patlabor: The Movie, Urusei Yatsura: Only You, & Ghost in the Shell

Mamoru Oshii got his start in 1977 at Tatsunoko Productions as a storyboard artist on Ippatsu Kanta-kun, and he continued to work on shows in the Time Bokan franchise like Yatterman and Zenderman. In 1981, Oshii became famous for his work on the hit romcom anime Urusei Yatsura, and his success with the anime would lead to him directing the first two feature films: Urusei Yatsura: Only You and Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer.

Oshii is one of the older anime film directors actively working in the business, and his work has always been great to watch. In addition to the aforementioned Urusei Yatsura films, Mamoru Oshii has famously directed Ghost in the Shell, and with its incredible animation, direction, and themes of artificial intelligence, Ghost in the Shell is still regarded as one of the best films in animation. Ghost in the Shell has been noted by The Wachowskis and James Cameron to have influenced The Matrix and Avatar, respectively, and that speaks wonders to how great a director Mamoru Oshii is.

6 Hideaki Anno Is a Master Of Animation & Live-Action

Notable films include The End of Evangelion, Rebuild of Evangelion, & Shin Kamen Rider

Of all the big names in anime, few are as well-known as legendary director Hideaki Anno. Anno began his career as an animator on The Super Dimension Fortress Macross, and he began to rise to prominence in 1984 when he worked on Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, most notably the scene of the Giant Warrior's assault on the Ohm. That same year, Anno would become one of the co-founders of the once-prominent Studio Gainax, and he would work on shows and films alike for them before leaving to start Studio Khara in 2006.

Hideaki Anno is easily one of the biggest names in anime, and for good reason. Hideaki Anno is best known for Neon Genesis Evangelion, and sure enough, The End of Evangelion and the Rebuild tetralogy all feature incredible animation and writing that perfectly encapsulate Hideaki Anno’s themes of human connections wrapped around bombastic fight scenes. Anno's talents can even be seen in live-action, as the Shin Japan Heroes Universe does a great job of combining his usual writing and directing prowess with lovable camp, and that's made him one of the most versatile and overall great directors in the business.

5 Mamoru Hosoda Excels In Action & Family Drama

Notable films include Digimon Adventure: Our War Game!, Summer Wars, & Belle

Among modern anime film directors, few have earned as much recognition as Mamoru Hosoda. Hosoda began his career as an animator working for Toei Animation, with his first work as a director being the 1996 adaptation of GeGeGe no Kitaro. This would eventually lead to Hosoda's work on the Digimon Adventure series, with his credits including the pilot film to the anime, several episodes of the series, and the 2000 film Digimon Adventure: Our War Game!, which still stands as one of the most famous projects for both Digimon and Hosoda.

Mamoru Hosoda is known for combining gorgeous art and animation with human drama, and it's resulted in some amazing films over the past 20 years. Films like Summer Wars and Belle have unique utilizations of sci-fi and fantasy aesthetics that make them stand out, and Belle, in particular, is one of the most critically acclaimed anime films to be released in recent years. Not only that, but Mamoru Hosoda's Mirai is the only anime film not made by Studio Ghibli to be nominated for Best Animated Feature, and it achieving that honor makes no better statement of Hosoda's abilities.

4 Makoto Shinkai Is One of the Greatest Directors In Modern Anime

Notable films include Your Name, Weathering with You, & Suzume

Another modern anime film director who’s more than deserving of praise is, of course, Makoto Shinkai. In 1999, Shinkai self-produced his first short film, She and Her Cat, which earned him immediate recognition from fans, critics, and industry people, most notably the people at CoMix Wave Films. CoMix Wave Films produced Shinkai’s next film, Voices of a Distant Star, and ever since then, they’ve been responsible for all of Shinkai's films, with each one garnering varying degrees of critical success.

Makoto Shinkai has had an incredible rise to stardom in recent years, and it’s easy to see why. Over the years, Makoto Shinkai has honed his craft to become a master at pairing rich, emotional character writing with breathtaking animation, and that’s led to Your Name, Weathering with You, and Suzume all being some of the most beautiful looking and beautifully written films in all of anime. Critical and fan reception has been just as good, and with his work only ever getting better, it's no wonder why Makoto Shinkai is often regarded as the best director of modern anime.

3 Satoshi Kon Was a Once-In-A-Lifetime Director No One Could Follow

Notable films include Perfect Blue, Millenium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers, & Paprika

Some of the best anime directors beyond Hayao Miyazaki are, unfortunately, no longer with us, and one notable example is legendary director Satoshi Kon. Kon started his career as a manga assistant to Katsuhiro Otomo, which led to him writing Otomo's live-action film World Apartment Horror, and his first major contribution to anime was writing, directing, and animating three episodes of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders OVA. Kon's success there led to him being commissioned for his debut film, Perfect Blue, and the surreal writing and animation of the film instantly made Kon a household name.

Satoshi Kon didn't release many projects before his tragic ing in 2010, but he left an incredible legacy, nonetheless. Satoshi Kon's penchant for surreal art and animation, combined with thought-provoking writing about the human condition, made him one of the biggest names in anime, and his legacy is so big that Satoshi Kon's final film, Dreaming Machine, remains unfinished because no director has been able to live up to his standards. Very few directors, animation or otherwise, have received the worldwide acclaim that Satoshi Kon has, and it will always be a shame that someone like him died so young.

2 Isao Takahata's Legacy at Studio Ghibli Is Just as Great as Hayao Miyazaki's

Notable films include Grave of the Fireflies, Only Yesterday, & The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

Just like there are great anime directors beyond Hayao Miyazaki, there are great Studio Ghibli directors, including Isao Takahata. Takahata made his directorial debut in 1968 with The Great Adventure of Horus, Prince of the Sun, with Miyazaki also working as an animator. While the film was a commercial failure, it paved the way for other hallmarks of Takahata and Miyazaki's career such as their work on Lupin the 3rd and, of course, their founding of Studio Ghibli.

Isao Takahata wasn't as prolific a director as Hayao Miyazaki, but his work cannot be overlooked. Just like with most Studio Ghibli films, Isao Takahata's films all did a great job of expressing touching, human narratives through beautiful and inventive art and animation, and his final film, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, easily stands out as one of the greatest Studio Ghibli films of all time. Isao Takahata was one of the few directors who could be considered on par with Miyazaki, and with his ing in 2018, it’s unknown if there will ever be anyone like him again.

1 Yoshifumi Kondo Showed His Talents With His Single Film

Directed 1995's Whisper of the Heart

Yoshifumi Kondo worked alongside Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata on many projects, such as Lupin the 3rd, Anne of Green Gables and Future Boy Conan, and he continued working as one of their main animators after the founding of Studio Ghibli. It was a common thought that Kondo would have succeeded Miyazaki as the head of Studio Ghibli, but whether there was truth to that is moot thanks to Kondo's untimely ing in 1998.

Yoshifumi only directed one film before he died, Whisper of the Heart, but that isn't a slight against him, in any regard. With its emotionally mature writing, incredibly fluid art and animation, and impeccable direction to make every scene feel alive, Whisper of the Heart stands out as one of the best Studio Ghibli films ever made, and it's the perfect showing of why Yoshifumi Kondo was so trusted at Studio Ghibli before his tragic ing. There has never been another director quite like Yoshifumi Kondo, and he easily stands out as the best anime movie director besides Hayao Miyazaki.

Sources: Wave Motion Cannon, Dazed.