Recording engineer and sound mixer Yoshio Obara has died, according to Anime News Network. His anime credits included In This Corner of the World, Summer Wars, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Wolf Children.
For viewers who usually recognise an anime through its director, cast or character designs, Obara’s credits offer another way to look at familiar titles: through the people working on their sound.
The supplied report identifies a body of work spanning films and television series, with titles ranging from Neon Genesis Evangelion to Dragon Ball Daima. It does not provide his age, the date of his death or a cause of death.
A career connected to recognisable anime films
Several of the films listed among Obara’s credits will stand out immediately to anime fans:
- In This Corner of the World
- Summer Wars
- The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
- Wolf Children
These are the clearest starting points for readers looking to recognise his work. Rather than tying his career to a single franchise, the reported credits place him across multiple distinct anime productions.
There is an important distinction here: ANN describes Obara’s work as including recording engineering and sound mixing. The supplied text does not break down his exact role on each production, so it should not be read as confirmation that he held both positions on every title listed.
His credits extended well beyond feature films
Obara’s other reported credits include Neon Genesis Evangelion, Dragon Ball Daima, Little Witch Academia and Komi Can’t Communicate.
The list also includes FLCL Alternative, FLCL Progressive, Knights of Ramune & 40, Love Hina and Saber Marionette J, alongside Slayers Revolution and Slayers Evolution-R.
Taken together, those titles show the breadth of the productions associated with his name. They also make this news relevant beyond fans of any one film or series: readers may recognise a different part of that list depending on which anime first drew them into the medium.
Why this matters to Malaysia and SEA readers
Editorial perspective: For anime readers in Malaysia and across Southeast Asia, this is a reminder that the credits are part of the story too. Discussions naturally focus on characters, animation and voice performances, but recording and mixing are also part of how an anime reaches its audience.
That does not mean assigning particular scenes or creative decisions to Obara without evidence. It means recognising his credited contribution while being careful about what the available report actually establishes.
If one of these titles matters to you, taking a moment to look beyond the most prominent names is a fitting way to acknowledge the people behind it.
ANN cites posts from Naoko Matsui and Sunao Katabuchi as its sources. The supplied material contains no further biographical details or quoted tributes.