Miyazaki

Hayao Miyazaki is considered to be the godfather of animated movies in the West, with his films often being Westerner's first experience with Japanese animation. I myself am no exception, with my mother coming across his work and quickly collecting as many films as she could get her hands on, and sharing them with little kid me. I fell in love with his worlds, with the stories and adventures, with the imperfect characters and their choices that felt human and real. As I've grown older, I've grown out of the blanket idealization and the thought that he could do no wrong, but I still enjoy much of his works.