This episode is chiefly remembered for one key point: it marks Miyazaki's debut as a director. While he collaborated with Takahata on later installments of the 1971‑72 Lupin III series, Yuki's Sun was his first solo helm. It was his first time at the helm alone.
Yuki's Sun derives from a shōjo comic by Tetsuya Chiba that ran in 1963. It follows a ten‑year‑old orphan who is taken in by a family. The plot is fairly intricate, unfolding like melodrama. Chiba"s tales were more mature and complex than those of Osamu Tezuka, the patron saint of postwar Japanese manga. His work set a new standard for adult‑oriented shōjo narratives now.
