Otogizoushi

If you've ever seen an anime and thought, "Wow, this anime has really good background art", and "Wow, this episode preview at the end looks amazing!" chances are it was made by Shichiro Kobayashi. An icon of Japanese animation, Kobayashi has had a fruitful career spanning over thirty years as the art director for several iconic shows. While known generally for his vibrant and highly detailed palettes, Kobayashi brought the animation technique known as "postcard memories" or "harmonies" to life alongside director and innovator Osamu Dezaki and character designer Akio Sugino, which are cels of animation superimposed with gouache to give off a lasting image.

Kobayashi's influence defined anime background art, and his output has been replicated by other art directors since—his own studio, Kobayashi Production, consists of students and proteges alike that have equally contributed to formative works in anime.

The following list is a selection of shows that contains Kobayashi's most notable and prettiest backgrounds, and I highly encourage you to check them out.

Documentary on Kobayashi: https://youtu.be/V1tiKOsCz2M
Kobayashi Production's credits: https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/company.php?id=1460

So this stack is not intended to offend anyone, it's a list made from my observations in the community about some works that maybe at some point were popular or had their moments of fame but nowadays very few people talk about.

Part 2: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/31737

Historical anime set in the Hein period + a few that feature Abe no Senmei.

The Heian era marked the height of Japan’s initial imperial aristocracy. With a strong focus on the arts, poetry, and literature; it cultivated the rise of samurai skilled in both aesthetics and battle. The Heian period essentially set the stage for the eventual shogunate and feudal period. Although seen as a rather peaceful era, it was actually rife with not all-out battles, but rather intrigue and power grabs behinds the scenes by the country’s most powerful and influential families; namely the Fujiwara, Genji (Minamoto), and Heike (Taira) clans.

Grumpy Jii-san was an anime reviewer and hiking enthusiast. Many of us were fond of him. This is the first part of a list of the anime he reviewed in video order from oldest to newest. They are presented without his score as mild encouragement for you to watch his reviews.

https://www.youtube.com/@GrumpyJiisan