Anime/Manga - Discuss Japanese cartoons and comics here; NO CULTURE WAR DOOMPOSTING!

[Trilby]

Gee, it's like waiting four years to release the sequel to the most popular anime of the 2010s only to dick around with spin-offs and push back the release date at least twice just to greenlight twelve episodes wasn't the smartest business decision in the world.

EDIT: Holy shit I just found this out, but Ed Blaylock (voice of King Bradley) passed away recently from cancer.

EDIT 2: There is indeed an animator shortage in Japan. It's like the animation industry over there needs to be reformed or something.

It definitely needs someone who understands how to make the industry work and how to encourage an interest in it through education. Also having a union doesn't hurt!

I finally ordered Golden Boy on DVD and binge-watched it after putting it off for so long. It's just as amazing as everybody says; very raunchy but hilarious as fuck (think Leisure Suit Larry, but with a younger protagonist doing odd jobs). The voice acting for the supporting cast (depending on the episode) was a bit lackluster, but with Kintaro hamming up the atmosphere well, it was forgiving. And yes, he has just about the best facial expressions I've seen in an anime character.

Out of all the girls, I liked Noriko the most because of her kind-hearted personality, and that her episode got the greatest reactions out of me besides laughter. (it was a mix of "OH SHIT" and "d'awww")

I also heard that the manga was much more surreal than the OVA, so I'm on the fence about checking it out. Still, this is easily a personal favorite of mine!

I haven't read the manga, but the anime was the only thing from creator Tatsuya Egawa to ever come out over here at all (mostly known for "Magical Taluluto" back home). I will say I love the last OVA episode myself, and even have a few cels/drawings from this series in my collection!


DON'T LOOK AT HIS FACE!!!

 

[Ponderous Pillock]

EDIT 2: There is indeed an animator shortage in Japan. It's like the animation industry over there needs to be reformed or something.

This will probably be solved one of two ways: More 3D anime (cutting the workload down to keyframe animators only, far more sustainable) or cutting production. And I doubt any studio wants to cut production because they'll be utterly screwed.

The flipside problem is, when 3D animation is used... the Jap industry seems highly reluctant to go "all in" and just deal with it, you can see this now with KADO: The Right Answer (an original by industry legends Tohei) in which it seems for no apparent reason we swap back from the 3D animation, which actually looks pretty good, suddenly has shots which are hand drawn, which then makes the 3D look like garbage.

There's others like Frame Arms Girl which seems to use 3D in a more clever manner with the majority of its characters being decently 3D animated, but the humans are still 2D drawn and it provides a nice comparison with the F.A Girls looking like the small dolls they're supposed to.

Buuuuuuut then we get stuff like Alice & Zoroko which is fantastic as a story but the first episode's use of CGI is utter fucking garbage and done to such a hideous shoestring budget that it nearly ruins the episode.

Sad!

 

[Jewelsmakerguy]

This will probably be solved one of two ways: More 3D anime (cutting the workload down to keyframe animators only, far more sustainable) or cutting production. And I doubt any studio wants to cut production because they'll be utterly screwed.

The flipside problem is, when 3D animation is used... the Jap industry seems highly reluctant to go "all in" and just deal with it, you can see this now with KADO: The Right Answer (an original by industry legends Tohei) in which it seems for no apparent reason we swap back from the 3D animation, which actually looks pretty good, suddenly has shots which are hand drawn, which then makes the 3D look like garbage.

There's others like Frame Arms Girl which seems to use 3D in a more clever manner with the majority of its characters being decently 3D animated, but the humans are still 2D drawn and it provides a nice comparison with the F.A Girls looking like the small dolls they're supposed to.

Buuuuuuut then we get stuff like Alice & Zoroko which is fantastic as a story but the first episode's use of CGI is utter fucking garbage and done to such a hideous shoestring budget that it nearly ruins the episode.

Sad!

Yeah, a large part of that can be chalked up to just how many productions a year these days (over the 200 mark just for all the new shows, including long-runners like Pokemon and Detective Conan increases the number a fair bit). It's more or less the reason why people see the same 5-6 animators (or animation subcontracting companies, like Nakamura Pro) pop up on numerous shows around the same time.

It doesn't help that whenever we get a Japanese-animated CGI cartoon, it's always going to be a crapshoot (For example, Ajin looks decent, whereas the recent Berserk series looks like ass). More if it's being blended in with 2D animation.

The industry as it is is a complete and utter mess, and I can't or don't see it improving any time soon.

 

[Kari Kamiya]

It doesn't help that whenever we get a Japanese-animated CGI cartoon, it's always going to be a crapshoot (For example, Ajin looks decent, whereas the recent Berserk series looks like ass). More if it's being blended in with 2D animation.

I will always go out of my way to say that Winter 2016 had some of the best CG in anime to date, I was honestly surprised by how good it looked in many shows or at least the ones I watched that season. Despite the bitching by ungrateful weebs, it gave me some hope that anime will be able to transition to 3D in the future, but the state of the industry's been slowing it down and forcing them to cut corners. Then after watching NetoYome (cute show btw) and looking things up a bit more on TV Tropes, I found there was a question submitted to Answerman on ANN about computer usage in Japan in how it's considered "unusual" for someone to be on their computer over there. And this I think also contributes to why it is the use of 3D animation looks rather amateurish and why it still feels like they're all copying 2000s Gonzo.

(That also made Digimon and Serial Experiments Lain much more awesome and interesting in hindsight, but that's something else entirely lol.)

 

[Ponderous Pillock]

I'd probably say the big problem is as said above, a lot of traditional stuff slows it down.

On top of that it's still a little jarring when compared to other stuff. I wonder if doing a Borderlands style "drawn textures" thing would fix the problem...

 

[Jewelsmakerguy]

I'd probably say the big problem is as said above, a lot of traditional stuff slows it down.

On top of that it's still a little jarring when compared to other stuff. I wonder if doing a Borderlands style "drawn textures" thing would fix the problem...

I think Berserk does something similar to that (I don't know how they go about with the CGI on that show). But it fails at pulling it off.

Only company I've seen attempt it with decent results are the works of Kamakaze Doga. Thing is, they aren't really a TV anime studio, commercial work not withstanding.

 

[Coster]

The best example I can think of CG anime being done correctly is to point out the Naruto Storm games, which effortlessly blend 3D and 2D elements together (though there's more of the former than the latter). Especially after they patched in 60FPS for the PC version of the latest game (the games have always been capped at 30), the cinematics in this game are a delight to watch.

Every one of these ultimates are rendered realtime, in-engine, and they surpass almost all CG anime productions that're anime-styled/cel-shaded. That's based CC2 for you though, their cinematic prowess is great enough that they're working on the cinematics for the FFVII remake.

 

[Trilby]

I think Berserk does something similar to that (I don't know how they go about with the CGI on that show). But it fails at pulling it off.

Only company I've seen attempt it with decent results are the works of Kamakaze Doga. Thing is, they aren't really a TV anime studio, commercial work not withstanding.

I'm sure it really comes down to budget and experience. Obviously smaller, boutique studios like Kamazake Doga could afford to do what they do because of the advertising clientele they have to appease and the amount of experience given to a particular project.

 

[Hui]

https://myanimelist.net/news/49629379 Soon, this year might be saved yet.

 

[Halberd Sonichu]

I am just going to bundle all the Chinese cartoons and comics I have read/watch recently.
I haven't able to check out any of the recommends you guys gave me yet. Cause while I enjoy anime and manga it isn't my main hobby of chose(That dishonor goes to videos games). despite also being busy with work I have been able to check out a few things. First off I finished volume 1 of Drifters the day I started and I thinks its going to be violently stupid fun like the another's past work Hellsing and I will be definitely check the rest. Another I check out was The Tiger & Bunny Comic Anthology, I bought thinking it was a omnibus of the manga, but it was really a collection of short comedy stories. I just be up front about this unless you enjoyed Tiger & Bunny you'll get nothing out of this. The art is mostly good, a few stories have some wonk art. The stories themselves are ok, Any chapter with staring Origami Cycle got a chuckle out of me and I found the story about Sky High's dog was cute. overall it was a average read and the only reason liked it was because I liked Tiger & Bunny a lot. I plan on buying a shit ton of manga some point soon since I found a lot of stuff cheap. on the anime front its been pretty dire for me. not lot of new anime has been catching my interest. Dragonball Super and Yowashi Pedel are the only shows following actively. When it comes to older stuff its only like two shows. Ghost Stories with the comedy dub since its a snore otherwise. The fucks towards keep it somewhat fateful just start to wan as the episode go on. The other is obvious Golden Boy with its golden dub, it is a blast to watch. But beyond that I am not watching much. Though I do plan on finally driving into Gintama to see why everyone loves it.

 

[Ponderous Pillock]

The best example I can think of CG anime being done correctly is to point out the Naruto Storm games, which effortlessly blend 3D and 2D elements together (though there's more of the former than the latter). Especially after they patched in 60FPS for the PC version of the latest game (the games have always been capped at 30), the cinematics in this game are a delight to watch.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=yca59xdeUV4
Every one of these ultimates are rendered realtime, in-engine, and they surpass almost all CG anime productions that're anime-styled/cel-shaded. That's based CC2 for you though, their cinematic prowess is great enough that they're working on the cinematics for the FFVII remake.

To be honest, the industry in Japan could really learn from RWBY's success, of all things. It's first "season" is basically a joke and was mostly done with no budget and only because Monty wanted to try something different.

But the fights? Oh the fights....

And as Season 2, 3 and 4 turned up the show has matured with the 4th season easily being the best animated and looking by far, with more environmental fighting appearing in that season as well.

 

[Kari Kamiya]

I only just watched the first episode, but I think I made a mistake starting Pilot Candidate. I thought I was ready.

 

[Jewelsmakerguy]

I only just watched the first episode, but I think I made a mistake starting Pilot Candidate. I thought I was ready.

You'll never be ready for Pilot Candidate.

 

[Trilby]

You'll never be ready for Pilot Candidate.

The show doesn't wait for anyone. Oddly, I still call it "Candidate for Goddess" as that title was always used on Toonami anyway.

 

[Coster]

Just watched the movie Redline. Good god that was a gorgeous movie, every individual frame was like a panel from a comic book. It was pretty light on plot but there was just enough to make it satisfying in-between all the titties, racing, and explosions. It's best summed up as a 14 year old's wet dream.

 

[Trilby]

Just watched the movie Redline. Good god that was a gorgeous movie, every individual frame was like a panel from a comic book. It was pretty light on plot but there was just enough to make it satisfying in-between all the titties, racing, and explosions. It's best summed up as a 14 year old's wet dream.

Really is.

 

[Kari Kamiya]

So I watched E.Y.E.S. of Mars (since I need a break from Pilot Candidate) and I just have one thing to say:

How the fuck was this animated by Toei Animation? The animation looks more like it was a cheap 80s movie made by Magic Bus (the studio behind My Sister Momoko, which is a great 2003 movie that looks like an 80s/maybe 70s movie) rather than something that came out in 1993.

 

[Trilby]

So I watched E.Y.E.S. of Mars (since I need a break from Pilot Candidate) and I just have one thing to say:

How the fuck was this animated by Toei Animation? The animation looks more like it was a cheap 80s movie made by Magic Bus (the studio behind My Sister Momoko, which is a great 2003 movie that looks like an 80s/maybe 70s movie) rather than something that came out in 1993.

The film was technically bankrolled by another group who used Toei to animated it at from what I know, so it's not entirely their fault, whoever this "Mother Project" was credited in the film.

The film is certainly tree-hugger of the higest order, and for whatever reason, it's US home video distributor (famous for their "Noel the Tracking Adjustment Kid") claimed this won the Film Advisory Board Award of Excellence, yet I look on their website and not find it at all. I guess they had another look at this and changed their mind!

 

[Jewelsmakerguy]

So I watched E.Y.E.S. of Mars (since I need a break from Pilot Candidate) and I just have one thing to say:

How the fuck was this animated by Toei Animation? The animation looks more like it was a cheap 80s movie made by Magic Bus (the studio behind My Sister Momoko, which is a great 2003 movie that looks like an 80s/maybe 70s movie) rather than something that came out in 1993.

I'd chalk it down to a few things:

- Toei is a big company, and likely, due to working on Sailor Moon and DBZ (both also having movies released that year as well), had not enough manpower to lend to the film.
- Outsourcing: The KA staff for the film includes a company by the name of Studio Sign (the animators of the Kirby anime) working on it, so that might have also lent itself to the quality.
- As @Trilby mentioned, Toei didn't directly fund the film, just simply animated it. This was actually somewhat common with their American projects like Transformers or American Rabbit, but it's rare to see with an anime the company worked on. Especially a theatrical one.

All and all, I wouldn't say the animation is terrible, especially not to the extent of some of Toei's later efforts. But I can see where you're coming from, just from looking at the trailer alone.

 

[Trilby]

I'd chalk it down to a few things:

- Toei is a big company, and likely, due to working on Sailor Moon and DBZ (both also having movies released that year as well), had not enough manpower to lend to the film.

They certainly were at their game at that time with those properties.

- Outsourcing: The KA staff for the film includes a company by the name of Studio Sign (the animators of the Kirby anime) working on it, so that might have also lent itself to the quality.
- As @Trilby mentioned, Toei didn't directly fund the film, just simply animated it. This was actually somewhat common with their American projects like Transformers or American Rabbit, but it's rare to see with an anime the company worked on. Especially a theatrical one.

Given the way I said "Mother Project" is credited for the film, it wouldn't surprise me if it was more like a production committee and Toei was just one of many groups involved in this (the film Akira is one example of this sort of thing as that film gets credited to "The Akira Committee").

All and all, I wouldn't say the animation is terrible, especially not to the extent of some of Toei's later efforts. But I can see where you're coming from, just from looking at the trailer alone.

The whole point of the movie feels very bland for what was essentially an "end of world" flick (the Japanese title alone (titled "Mother") confused me with the familiar Nintendo game series of which is unrelated though one of the games did have a space ark that gets taken down just like in this film).

If it weren't for it's home video release, or its SciFi Channel airings Saturday mornings, nobody would've wasted their time on this nonsense!

If you want a better "end of civilization" flick, I recommend Gall Force (namely the first OVA episode, as the second and third merely prolong what we already know).