Would the Green Jacket series been more critically acclaimed today if Masaaki Ōsumi wasn't fired prematurely in 71?
Hard to say. I know that I enjoyed his work on the show, probably more than Miyazaki's.
>>160213619
I think I enjoyed the earlier episodes, too, but when did Miyazaki start doing them?
>>160214002
From Masaaki Osumi's wiki page:
"Ōsumi directed the first seven episodes and episodes nine and twelve, with the remaining episodes being directed jointly by Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata."
>>160214095
OK, I thought Miyazaki only did the last quarter or so of the series, but I was actually confusing Red Jacket with his Green Jacket work for a moment. Miyazaki actually did very few episodes for the Red (2nd) series. He did very good episodes, though I prefer Red Jacket's earlier art style than the one he went with for his episodes.
I liked Red jacket better.