Postby TheSubtleDoctor » Sat Sep 24, 2011 10:20 pm
Quite a few.
I think more anime fans should try finding directors, writers, animators and/or character designers that appeal to them and watch other stuff they have done or are going to do. In my experience it is a much more reliable method of finding quality shows than "Oh, that looks cool," or "Man, that premise sounds neat."
Now, I'll actually name a few people I follow/followed:
Osamu Tezuka
Notable Anime: Astro Boy (writer/director), Black Jack (original creator), Phoenix (original creator)
Manga no kamisama is also known as the father of anime, since he created the first modern television anime in Astro Boy. By extension, he also founded the first anime studio and pioneered most of the production methods of the medium, many of which are still in use today (kind of a bad thing for the industry as much as it is a compliment to Tezuka, actually). Tezuka is a brilliant man, and it is a joy to read and watch his work. Even though his early work suffers a bit from his discovering how to use the medium to tell a story, Tezuka's works are enduring classics to this day.
Noboru Ishiguro
Notable Anime: Legend of the Galactic Heroes (director), SDF Macross (director), Astro Boy (director), Megazone 23 (director), Space Battleship Yamato TV (director)
My personal favorite anime director is Mr. Ishiguro. The man can tell a science fiction story like no other. Ishiguro got his chops working with people like Leji Matsumoto (Captain Harlock, Galaxy Express 999) and "The Nish" on Yamato and never looked back. Additionally, he has also directed some random children's movies, which I haven't seen yet. If you're looking for the cream of the sci-fi anime crop, then this is your guy.
Mamoru Oshii
Notable Anime: Ghost in the Shell (director), Patlabor (director), Angel's Egg (director), Sky Crawlers (director)
In many ways, Oshii casts himself as a foil to Hayao Miyazaki, though his films share more thematic elements with the Ghibli co-founder than he might let on. Oshii's work is often set in a dystopian future in which humanity faces many problems because of rapidly advancing technology. Unlike Miyazaki, Oshii's characters will overcome these hurdles not by returning to nature or natural ways, but by embracing the new era we find ourselves in and moving forward. Human beings must use technology in order to transcend its problems/limitations. Oh, and Oshii is a fantastic director. His films are sometimes accused of being overly-philosophical or too ponderous, but, when you're watching an Oshii movie, you can be sure that you're watching a film that has meaning behind it.
Ryosuke Takahashi
Notable Anime: VOTOMS (original creator, director), Armor Hunter Mellowlink (director), Gaogaigar (writer), Astro Boy (writer), Layzner (director), Dougram (director)
If there's a good robot show from the 80s, chances are Ryosuke Takahashi was involved. He often gets labeled as a director of dark works (VOTOMs, Dougram), but he also wrote for Gaogaigar and directed Panzer World Galiant, both more lighthearted fare. Takahashi has worked extensively with Osamu Tezuka on projects such as Astro Boy and Phoenix (the former he wrote, the latter he directed). Though he does many things well, Takahashi does excel with directing gritty, real robot series such as the acclaimed VOTOMs and Fang of the Sun Dougram. These series took the departure from super robots that Gundam had initiated to the next step. War is a grim affair, and it is about soldiers. Mecha are nothing more than machines to accomplish the purposes of generals. Perhaps this is how he gained his reputation?