Agreed that Takahata was a master in his own right.

Everybody knows about Grave of the Fireflies, but a few years ago I discovered the more subdued Only Yesterday and found it impressive. It stirred emotions, a true animated movie for adults.

I also enjoyed Princess Kaguya a lot. The art style alone is very different from Miyazaki's style (which I love, of course).

My Neighbors The Yamadas is always the first thing that I recommend to adults who have never seen anime before.

Only Yesterday was a lovely movie and really touching. (Would recommend it in Japanese with subtitles)