Short answers, pulled from the story.
Yasuo Otsuka (1931-2021) was a Japanese animator who worked at Toei Animation, Nippon Animation, TMS Entertainment, and Studio Ghibli. He is considered one of Japan's foremost animators and served as a key mentor to both Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata.
Otsuka worked for Toei Animation, where he started in 1956, and later joined A Production after completing The Wonderful World of Puss 'n Boots. He also worked with Nippon Animation, TMS Entertainment, and Studio Ghibli, and served as an advisor to Telecom Animation Film from 2003 until his death.
Otsuka coined "constructed realism" to describe animation movement that feels believable without being literally realistic. He developed this philosophy after his realistic skeleton animation in Magic Boy (1959) was unintentionally perceived as comical, leading him to conclude that genuine realism does not suit animation.
Otsuka joined Toei Animation after seeing an advertisement in the Yomiuri Shimbun in 1956, then studied under animators Yasuji Mori and Akira Daikubara on The Tale of the White Serpent. He also sought out a textbook on American animation by Preston Blair to deepen his theoretical understanding.
Otsuka wrote several books about the anime industry. His writings are considered a prime resource for the history of anime from the 1960s and 1970s.
Yasuo Otsuka died in 2021 at the age of 90. He worked with Studio Ghibli and was an important mentor to both Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, the two directors who co-founded Studio Ghibli.