Hayao Miyazaki and Hideaki Anno sign autographs for fans in Miyagi/ Iwate Prefectures

by Chris MaGee

If you have ever had the privilege to go to a signing by a manga or anime artist you know that more often than not you're going to get a lot more than just a quickly scribbled autograph. It's more common that the artist will take several minutes creating a one of a kind drawing on a piece of paper or on the fly leaf of their book. Obviously these drawings end up being treasured keepsakes for fans (I should know, I have a few myself), but there are drawings and autographs and then there are DRAWINGS AND AUTOGRAPHS.

Anime News Network reported that none other than Hayao Miyazaki (My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke) and Hideaki Anno (Neon Genesis Evangelion) held autograph and drawing sessions in both Kesennuma City in Miyagi Prefecture and Rikuzentakata City in Iwate Prefecture, this past weekend. The signings coincided with special screenings of Studio Ghibli's latest animated feature "Kokuriko-Zaka Kara" directed by Miyazaki's own son, Goro. The screenings where arranged by Peace Winds Japan in both Miyagi and Iwate, the two Prefectures hardest hit by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami, as a way to brighten the spirits of their citizens; and what wouldn't brighten anime fans more than drawings made by Miyazaki and Anno themselves?! Follow the link above to Anime News Network to check out full photos of these events.