The anime industry is mourning the loss of Yoshio Obara, a veteran recording engineer and sound mixer whose work spanned decades of beloved anime films and television series. News of his passing was shared by voice actress Naoko Matsui and director Sunao Katabuchi on their respective X/Twitter accounts.
Obara contributed his craft to an extraordinarily wide range of productions, working across both theatrical features and long-running TV series throughout his career.
Selected Credits
Among his film credits are several widely acclaimed works:
- In This Corner of the World
- Summer Wars
- The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
- Wolf Children
His television and OVA credits include:
- Neon Genesis Evangelion
- Dragon Ball Daima
- Little Witch Academia
- Komi Can’t Communicate
- FLCL Alternative and FLCL Progressive
- Knights of Ramune & 40
- Love Hina
- Saber Marionette J
- Slayers Revolution and Slayers Evolution-R
The breadth of Obara’s filmography — ranging from Mamoru Hosoda’s emotionally resonant features to enduring genre classics — speaks to his versatility and the deep trust placed in him by directors across the industry. His passing represents a significant loss for Japanese animation.

