Sunao Katabuchi, a former collaborator of Hayao Miyazaki, has built a career based on historical accuracy and everyday humanity. His most famous work, In This Corner of the World, portrays life in Japan during World War II with a documentary-like detail that few animators dare to tackle. But before that, he surprised everyone by directing episodes of Black Lagoon, an action series that has little in common with his slow-paced style. How can the same director go from bullets to atomic bombs? 🎬
Historical research as the engine of animation 📜
Katabuchi is not satisfied with just drawing pretty backgrounds. For In This Corner of the World, he traveled to Kure, interviewed survivors, and studied how people cooked, dressed, and worked in the 1940s. Every scene featuring the protagonist Suzu, from making rice balls to gazing at the sea, is backed by real data. His animation technique avoids excessive movement to focus on small gestures: a trembling hand, a distant gaze. That is harder than drawing explosions, and they know it.
From gunfire to rice balls: Katabuchi's double life 🎯
Yes, the same guy who lovingly recreated the smell of gunpowder in war also wrote scripts for Black Lagoon, where mercenaries shoot non-stop and sweaty t-shirts are the official uniform. It seems Katabuchi wanted to prove he can draw fast-paced shootouts as well as bumblebees over a cabbage field. In the end, his thing is detail: whether it's the gleam of a bullet or the texture of a kimono. A director who does both without breaking a sweat—now that's versatility.