Michiyo Yasuda

保田道世

Michiyo Yasuda was a color designer, mainly known for her work in Studio Ghibli films.

In 1958, Yasuda joined Toei Animation immediately after her graduation from high school, and started out in the studio's finishing department. Through her work and union activities at the company she made the acquaintance of Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki whose careers also began at Toei. The three built a lasting working relationship that endured for over 40 years.

After leaving Toei, she worked at multiple studios participating on production such as a Haha wo Tazunete Sanzenri, directed by Takahata, and Future Boy Conan, Miyazaki's directorial debut. In 1983 she served as the color designer on Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, a film adaptation that Miyazaki was creating out of his own manga by the same name. The film's collaborations culminated in the creation of Studio Ghibli in June 1985.

She took charge of Ghibli's color department from its inception and collaborated with various directors and animators in the creation of nearly all of the studio's films until her retirement in 2014.

In 2011, she received an Animation Lifetime Achievement Award from the Japanese Movie Critics Awards.

Yasuda passed away on October 5, 2016.