Masaaki Yuasa, anime’s oddest auteur, still feels like he has so much to learn

polygon.com:

There are animators, anime directors, and studio heads, and then there’s Masaaki Yuasa: one of a handful of globally renowned animation auteurs who only seems to get more beloved the stranger his work gets. With the release of Masaaki Yuasa: Five Films, a gorgeous tour through Yuasa’s cinematic oeuvre, there’s never been a better time to revisit his cinematic output, from his astonishing psychedelic debut, Mind Game, through 2022’s genre-defying historical rock opera Inu-Oh. Also included in the set: 2017’s The Night Is Short, Walk on Girland Lu Over the Wall, and 2019’s wild fantasy romance Ride Your Wave.

In support of the new collection, the Science Saru co-founder sat down for a Zoom interview with Polygon, reflecting on his career, his unique approach to animating characters with impossibly big feelings, and the ways he pushes himself to make deeper, more emotionally profound characters every time.

Polygon: How has it been to look back on these five films for this release? Did anything surprise you about them?

Masaaki Yuasa: You know, rewatching the five films, I really think I still have a lot of work to do. Looking at my skill set, I still have a lot to learn. Mind Game is a really old project that I worked on! And then looking at my newest one — yeah, I think I still have a long way to go.

Your animation style is spectacular for depicting big feelings — do you have a favorite feeling to portray?

I think my favorite feeling that I like to represent in my animation is the feeling of release. Or like, being free, you know? Like, there’s a problem in life and then trying to clear that problem — that’s really what I enjoy expressing.

Even in your sadder stories, there’s usually some kind of optimism. Is hope or