To those who haven't heard but are fans of the Japanese animation studio Studio Ghibli who's great works include Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Kiki's Delivery Service and Porco Rosso just to name a few one of their veteran animators Michiyo Yasuda passed away on October 5th due to an illness. She was an accomplished animator and color designer was integral to the studios rise to the acclaimed studio that is today with only a few missteps.
I don't have much to say about her other then she works on many of Studio Ghibli's most well known works. Spirited Away which was my first exposure to the studio and probably my favorite of their films and possibly one of if not my favorite film of all time, Princess Mononoke which i've only watched once but I'll remedy that soon, My neighbor Totoro which i've only seen chunks of and Howl's moving castle which I've only seen a few times but don't feel like watching it much.
The last film she worked on before her death was Miyazaki's alleged final film The Wind Rises which she came out of retirement in 2008. That film in my opinion was a story about a man who simply did what he did out of a sense of being an artist but knew the horrible implications what it be used for and the ending...nearly brought me to tears.
I hadn't heard about her until now but I thought I'd share it in case anyone was curious.
If you're an anime fan, a fan of animated films or a fan of films in general watch any Studio Ghibli films. You'll find something you like in there. Most of them have been dubbed in english at this point except for maybe a handful at this point but the fact Only Yesterday which only this year got an english release after being over 24 years old I suspect the rest will become available here soon.
Rest in Piece Michiyo. Your work will never be forgotten.