Makiko Futaki

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A Japanese animator who was widely known for her work in Studio Ghibli films. She was highly praised by Hayao Miyazaki, who called her someone who he could trust to execute his vision.

Futaki gained recognition as an animator for the cine-calligraphy style films she presented at the amateur PAF Animation Festival. At the beginning of her anime career she handled minor cuts on the projects she was assigned to, from Ghibli films to other feature projects with different studios. Her work on Akira received critical acclaim both nationally and internationally, and is what prompted Miyazaki to adopt her into Ghibli as a full-time staff member. She worked on nearly every single film the studio produced ever since then, with her final contribution being on When Marnie Was There in 2014.

She expressed particular interest to nature and animals, which reflected in her animation style.

Futaki was also one of three artists, along with Miho Satake and Yuuko Shimizu, that provided illustrations for Moribito, a fantasy novel series by Japanese author Nahoko Uehashi.

She passed away from an unknown illness on May 13, 2016.

(Source: Wikipedia)