[Milkymagic]

Well, just in case you guys are curious, here's some more of my favorites!

7. Mari Iijima - Many voice actors that turn singers go through some ups and downs, and most dodge some rather close bullets. But unlike those better said stars, Mari took one of those bullets, and its name was "Lynn Minmay." In her teens she would gain widespread acceptance for her portrayal of the said character in Super Dimensional Fortress Macross in '82, and after an appearance at a con, realized her role as Lynn would be a stigma she would have to live with for the rest of her life. Thankfully, Iijima was strong and started up her music career without letting her Macross character get in the way, and the accomplished artist would come to terms with her past after deciding to dub her original character in AD Vision's re-release of the series. Here's hoping the best to her latest release, Uncompomising Innocence.

Mari inspires me to be more focused, never to let other people dictate who I should be, and I admire her ability to accept that sort of burden with grace.

6. Yoshiyuki Sadamoto - One of the founding members of Gainax alongside Hideaki Anno, Sadamoto was the company's main character designer. His style was very unique, his characters were widely expressive, and their figures were noticably anemic in some cases. But his contributions to the visual style of Gainax's products cannot go unnoticed, like with the deep portrayals behind The Wings of Honneamise, the adventurous Nadia series, or even the darkened nature of Neon Genesis Evangelion's designs. His work on .hack is also quite popular, and he's even a co-creator!

Sadamoto definitely has me think about expression, and I can't help but appreciate the visual aspect of life through his artwork.

5. Isao Takahata - Miyazaki's mentor was around well before his time, making films since the 60s, as his first feature "Horus: Prince of the Sun" failed financially, but garnered artistic success. Eventually, him and Miyazaki would leave the newly formed Toei Animation Studio and pursue their careers elsewhere. But Takahata's social edge helped him establish not just the quality of anime from around his time, but also helped his protege Miyazaki gain that same sensibility when their founding studio, Ghibli, was around. Takahata was certainly a director ahead of his time, and arguably more influential in his storytelling than meets the eye. A one of a kind commentary, I think Grave of the Fireflies and Only Yesterday speak for themselves.

Takahata makes me want to be socially conscious, to reach around myself and discover what's happening in the world. He also makes me very reflective of myself too.