Yoshifumi Kondō (近藤 喜文, Kondō Yoshifumi, March 31, 1950 – January 21, 1998) was a Japanese animator who worked for Studio Ghibli in his last years. He was born in Gosen, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. He worked as an animation director on Anne of Green Gables, Sherlock Hound, Kiki's Delivery Service, Only Yesterday and Princess Mononoke. Kondō directed the animated film Whisper of the Heart, and was expected to become one of the top directors at Studio Ghibli, alongside Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, and to become their eventual successor.

He attended Niigata Prefectural Muramatsu High School beginning in April 1965, where he was a member of the art club. His senpai was the future manga artist Kimio Yanagisawa. After graduating in March 1968, he began studying in theanimation department at Tokyo Design College. He began working in October 1968 at A Production (formerly Shin'ei Dōga), participating in the production of such shows as Kyojin no Hoshi and Lupin III.

Kondō moved to Nippon Animation in June 1978, working on Future Boy Conan, Anne of Green Gables, and other productions. He coauthored a textbook that same year for beginning animators titled Animation Book (アニメーションの本, Animēshon no Hon).

In December 1980, he began working at Telecom Animation Film, where he was the character designer for Sherlock Hound. After being hospitalized in 1985 for over two months for pneumonia, Kondō resigned at Telecome Animation. He began doing contract work for Nippon Animation in January the following year, and began working for Studio Ghibli in January 1987.

Kondō died of aortic dissection–alternately aneurysm–in 1998. His death is said to have been caused by excess work, and seems to be the main reason for Hayao Miyazaki's announcement of retirement in 1998. Although in the end Miyazaki didn't retire for another 15 years, Kondō's death seems to have influenced Miyazaki to work at a more relaxed pace.

Ocean Waves, also known as I Can Hear the Sea (海がきこえる, Umi ga Kikoeru), is a 1993 Japanese anime television film produced by Studio Ghibli. It was directed by Tomomi Mochizuki and written by Kaori Nakamura based on the novel of the same title by Saeko Himuro. The TV special first aired on May 5, 1993 on Japanese TV. The film was an attempt by Studio Ghibli to allow their younger staff members to make a film reasonably cheaply. However, it ended up going both over budget and over schedule.The story is set in the city of Kōchi, on the Japanese island of Shikoku. It concerns a love triangle that develops between two good friends and a new girl who transfers to their high school from Tokyo.

At Kichijōji Station in Tokyo, Taku Morisaki glimpses a familiar woman on the platform opposite. Later, her photo falls from a shelf as he exits his apartment before flying to Kōchi Prefecture. As the plane takes off, he narrates the events that brought her into his life. The story is told in flashback.

In Kōchi, two years prior, Taku is working in a restaurant, where he receives a call from his friend, Yutaka Matsuno, asking to meet at their high school. He finds Yutaka at a window, looking at an attractive girl. She is a transfer student from Tokyo whom Yutaka was asked to show around. Taku's interest piqued, he tries unsuccessfully to view her. The boys discuss their upcoming school trip to Hawaii. Taku meets Yutaka at the school gates, where he is introduced to the new girl, Rikako Muto. She smiles, and thanks Yutaka for his help. He explains that she was asking for directions to a bookstore. Walking home, Taku teases him about his infatuation.

Rikako proves to be gifted academically and at sports, but also arrogant. Taku believes she is unhappy at having to leave Tokyo. His mother learns from gossip that a divorce brought Rikako's mother to Kōchi. In a later phone conversation with Yutaka, he also discovers that Rikako is living alone, away from the family house.

Magic Pengel: The Quest for Color, known as Rakugaki Ōkoku (ラクガキ王国, lit. "Doodle Kingdom") in Japan, is a 2002 role-playing video game developed by Garakuda-Studio and Taito for the PlayStation 2, published by Agetec in North America. Studio Ghibli also collaborated with this game. The game had a sequel in 2004 titled Graffiti Kingdom.

Combining the collectible monsters genre (e.g., Pokémon) with the interactive art genre (e.g., Mario Paint), Magic Pengel is centered on the player, as a character able to manipulate a "Pengel" (which looks like a stylized fairy combined with a paintbrush) to create a creature, or "Doodle". Using the Pengel (pronounced "pen-jell") as a cursor, the player simply sketches out the limbs, body, and other features. Depending on the amount of magic ink expended, and the types of body parts, the creature will be given certain statistics and created.

The story begins when you (the main character - this character is never shown or given a default name in order to keep with the "second person" feel of the game, however, it is implied that the unseen character is a young boy) wake up in someone's yard and sees a Pengel. A mysterious voice tells you that you can use the Pengel to draw whatever you like, and that the shape will become your companion on your quest. You draw a simple shape to become your first Doodle, however, the Doodle falls off a cliff and is rescued by a girl.