5 Anime You Must See According to Mamoru Hosoda

Acclaimed anime director Mamoru Hosoda shared five "must-see" anime on the "The Most Useful School in the World" TV program on Saturday. The list is as follows:

1. Anne of Green Gables

For its portrayal of Anne's personality and objective camera shots (the latter was an influence on Wolf Children)

2. Aim For The Best! 

Also known as Aim for the Ace!, it is the quintessential anime by director Osamu Dezaki, which perfectly encapsulates his unique approach to visual storytelling and his ability to condense a story to its essentials

3. Mobile Suit Gundam

The robot anime that didn't feel like a robot anime. The realism made a deep impression on Hosoda, and was an influence on the style of movements depicted in The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

4. Galaxy Express 999 

For the beautifully animated battle scenes, directed by Rintaro

5. Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro

Recommended especially for the car chase and for animator Atsuko Tanaka's fluid techniques

All of the above titles were first released in Japan in 1979, when Hosoda was in sixth grade. Thus, they were deeply formative for him.

Hosoda also shared some insight into the production of his latest film BELLE, saying he was particular about creating the internet part of the setting with computers and the real-life parts with hand-drawn animation.

BELLE opened in Japan on July 16. GKIDS licensed the film for North America, and will release the film in English and in Japanese with English subtitles this winter.