Honda is one of Japan's outstanding animators.[2]
He is best known for his character design and animation directing work on Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo, The Boy and the Heron, Millennium Actress and Den-noh Coil.[2][3]
While Honda is an animator who draws realistic, theatrical characters, he also specializes in catchy "Bishōjo" characters.[4]
He was nicknamed Shisho (師匠, Shishō, lit.'master') from the early days of his career.[5][a]
Honda made his debut as an animator with the inbetweening for the 1987 OVA Relic Armor Legaciam and debuted as character designer on the series Metal Fighter Miku in 1994.[1][6]
Honda moved to Studio Ghibli in 2017 to accept the post of animation director for Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy and the Heron.[10]
He had already been offered a position on the final film in the Rebuild of Evangelion series, Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time, but Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki approached director Anno directly, resulting in his transfer to Ghibli.[14]
It all started in the summer of 2016. He was approached by Hayao Miyazaki himself, who had long held him in high esteem, about taking part in his new film.[14][c]
When Honda withheld an answer, he was summoned by Toshio Suzuki at the end of the year to discuss the matter. Honda concluded that he would work on both films, but he tried to arrange a meeting with Anno, believing that he should speak to him directly. However, six months passed with Anno avoiding him, and when he met with Anno in June 2017, perhaps having already had discussions with Suzuki, Anno gave him a curt attitude, as if to say he could do as he liked. After meeting with Anno, Honda was excluded from all meetings on Evangelion, so he decided to concentrate on Miyazaki's work and began actual production in July.[14]
Japan Animator Expo: 20min Walk From Nishi-Ogikubo Station, 2 Bedrooms, Living Room, Dining Room, Kitchen, 2mos Deposit, No Pets Allowed (2014, original story, director (with Mahiro Maeda))
Japan Animator Expo: Sokokara no Ashita (2015, key animation)
Japan Animator Expo: Obake-chan (2015, key animation)
Japan Animator Expo: Sora no Robo kara (2015, animation director, key animation)
Shirō SagisuPeaceful Times(F02)petit film (2013, key animation)
Notes
^It all started when Takahiro Kishida called him so during the production of the 1991 OVABubblegum Crisis.[6] Since then, many of his fellow animators and even directors have come to refer to him as such.[7][8]
^ abHonda was credited as chief animation director until the final episode, but was actually absent for the second half of the series. His work was taken over by Toshiyuki Inoue and Yoshimi Itazu.[12]
^It was not the first time that Honda had worked with Miyazaki, and at that time he was also the animation director for the short film Boro the Caterpillar, which was shown at the Ghibli Museum.
^He was not involved in the production of the film.
References
^ ab"本田雄インタビュー 「千年女優」と今敏監督の思い出を語る(前編)" [Interview with Takeshi Honda on his memories of 'Millennium Actress' and director Satoshi Kon (Part 1)]. Anime! Anime! (in Japanese). IID, Inc. 20 February 2014. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
^ ab"前田真宏と本田雄がタッグ 日本アニメ(ーター)見本市第6弾が予告編も公開" [Maeda Mahiro and Honda Takeshi tag-team Japan Anime(ator) Trade Fair Vol. 6, which also features a trailer]. Anime!Anime! (in Japanese). IID, Inc. 11 December 2014. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
^"「野中くん発 ジブリだより」2019年2月号" [“Ghibli News from Nonaka-kun” February 2019 issue] (in Japanese). Studio Ghibli. 8 February 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
^"【月刊アニメスタイル】本田雄さんの取材" [Monthly Anime Style Interview with Takeshi Honda]. WEB Anime Style (in Japanese). Style. 2 June 2011. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
^"『ももへの手紙』沖浦啓之監督インタビュー第5回 丸4年を費やした作画作業" [Interview with Hiroyuki Okiura, director of Letters to Momo no tegami (Letters to Momo) Vol. 5: The drawing process took four whole years]. WEB Anime Style (in Japanese). Style. 11 May 2012. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
^"日本アニメ(ーター)見本市 資料集発刊記念トーク&サイン会前半戦に本田雄と前田真宏が登場、「アニメ(ーター)海の家 @ 渋谷2.5D」企画語り編" [Takeshi Honda and Mahiro Maeda appeared at the first half of the talk and signing session to celebrate the publication of the Japan Anime(ters) Trade Fair material collection, "Anime(ters) Umi no Ie @ Shibuya 2.5D" project talk session]. WebNewtype (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. 17 August 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
^"電脳コイル:宮崎、庵野に続く"新星"磯光雄が初監督 NHKの新オリジナルアニメ" [Dennō Coil: NHK's new original animation directed by "rising star" Mitsuo Iso for the first time, following in the footsteps of Miyazaki and Anno]. Mantan web (in Japanese). 12 April 2007. Archived from the original on 15 April 2007. Retrieved 29 February 2024.