By
Gruic on
Friday January 25, 2019 03:10 am
That's it. More than 20 years without Yoshifumi Kondo. 21 to be specific. That's rough.
1995.
A great year for animation. Hit like Evangelion or Slayers are popping on television and Studio Ghibli, once again, brings a new revolution on the big screen. With only one ticket, lucky Japanese people can see both animated music video [url=https://www.tvore.com/?page=movie&id=168]On Your Mark as well as [url=https://www.tvore.com/?page=movie&id=155]Whisper of the Heart/Mimi wo Sumaseba, the all new Ghibli productions.
The director of Mimi wo Sumaseba is [url=https://www.tvore.com/?page=star&id=86]Yoshifumi Kondo. Sometimes character designer, sometimes animation director, Kondo-san is an amazingly talented artist. His specialty is the creation of very realistic movements and expressions. His characters feel very alive. He worked on great series with Hayao Miyazaki long before joining Ghibli. You can easily guess his work on series like [url=https://www.tvore.com/?page=series&id=20464]Sherlock Hound/Meitantei Hômuzu as well as his work on movies like [url=https://www.tvore.com/?page=movie&id=327]Kiki's Delivery Service.
Mimi Wo sumaseba is an adaptation of great shojo characters by Aoi Hiiragi as well as an invitation to discover the world of Iblard by artist Naohisa Inoue. Kondo-san and Miyazaki-san deal with that challenge very cleverly.
Mimi Wo Sumaseba is not “just” another great Ghibli movie, it's also the first one dedicated to all aspiring creators, reminding them that magic can be found at any corner. He does not hesitate to invite them to go after their creativity. This movie was able to bring energy to all the marginalized of the imagination.
Kondo-san is so creative that Takahata-san and Miyazaki-san want him as a successor for the Ghilbi Studio... but on January 21, 1998, Yoshifumi Kondo died of an aortic dissection at age 47. At this very moment, the destiny and the future of the anime movies changed forever.
