Kitarou Kousaka

Kousaka began his career in 1979 at Oh Production debuting as an inbetweener on Moero Arthur: Hakuba no Oujihttps://anilist.co/anime/4614/ and as a key animator on Minami no Niji no Lucyhttps://anilist.co/anime/2573/ in 1982 and got instructed by animators like Toshitsugu Saidahttps://anilist.co/staff/186591/ and Kouichi Muratahttps://anilist.co/staff/191548/. Before having gone freelance in 1986 he had partaken in Nausicahttps://anilist.co/anime/572/ as an animator working alongide famed director Hayao Miyazakihttps://anilist.co/staff/96870/ whose work he himself is an admitted fan. He has since worked on numerous of Miyazakis and Ghiblihttps://anilist.co/studio/21/s films as both an animator and an animation director. In 2003 he directed the cycling anime film Nasu: Summer in Andalusiahttps://anilist.co/anime/1209/ set on the Vuelta a Espaa road bicycle race adapted from Iou Kurodahttps://anilist.co/staff/97910/s manga Nasuhttps://anilist.co/manga/31245/ which Miyazaki a fan of cycling had recommended to Kousaka. The film soon went on to become the first Japanese anime film ever to be selected for the Cannes Film Festival.