Mob Psycho 100: Episode 6
When Mob Psycho has an episode with very few animation highlights, the staff still makes sure it stands out when compared to regular TV anime through other means.
Episode 6
StoryboardStoryboard (絵コンテ, ekonte): The blueprints of animation. A series of usually simple drawings serving as anime's visual script, drawn on special sheets with fields for the animation cut number, notes for the staff and the matching lines of dialogue. | Direction: Takefumi Anzai
Animation DirectionAnimation Direction (作画監督, sakuga kantoku): The artists supervising the quality and consistency of the animation itself. They might correct cuts that deviate from the designs too much if they see it fit, but their job is mostly to ensure the motion is up to par while not looking too rough. Plenty of specialized Animation Direction roles exist – mecha, effects, creatures, all focused in one particular recurring element.: Kanako Yoshida
Animation DirectionAnimation Direction (作画監督, sakuga kantoku): The artists supervising the quality and consistency of the animation itself. They might correct cuts that deviate from the designs too much if they see it fit, but their job is mostly to ensure the motion is up to par while not looking too rough. Plenty of specialized Animation Direction roles exist – mecha, effects, creatures, all focused in one particular recurring element. Assistant: Sara Moroyuki
Key AnimationKey Animation (原画, genga): These artists draw the pivotal moments within the animation, basically defining the motion without actually completing the cut. The anime industry is known for allowing these individual artists lots of room to express their own style.: Satomi Kani, Miku Mitsuoka, Yoko Kadokami, Risa Suzuki, Yoko Suzuki, Masayuki Ojima, Saori Hosoda, Nanako Takahashi, Asako Aoki, Bunritsu Tsukida, Naoko Ikeuchi, Fujiko Aoyagi, Ikumi Oka, Kohei Tanaka, Yuta Otaka, Keiko Takano, Naoto Uchida, Takuya Yoshihara, Chie Nishio, Hiromi Niwa
Paint-on-glass: Miyo Sato
It’s not a stretch to say that this episode was the least impressive on the animation department so far. After the big action-packed climax last week, the narrative naturally has to slow down and that’s a good chance for the production to get some rest as well. Usually, it’s the perfect time to outsource an episode; full outsourcingOutsourcing: The process of subcontracting part of the work to other studios. Partial outsourcing is very common for tasks like key animation, coloring, backgrounds and the likes, but most TV anime also has instances of full outsourcing (グロス) where an episode is entirely handled by a different studio. when it comes to TV anime means that a different company is put in charge of direction – usually not storyboardStoryboard (絵コンテ, ekonte): The blueprints of animation. A series of usually simple drawings serving as anime's visual script, drawn on special sheets with fields for the animation cut number, notes for the staff and the matching lines of dialogue., though that does happen sometimes – animation directionAnimation Direction (作画監督, sakuga kantoku): The artists supervising the quality and consistency of the animation itself. They might correct cuts that deviate from the designs too much if they see it fit, but their job is mostly to ensure the motion is up to par while not looking too rough. Plenty of specialized Animation Direction roles exist – mecha, effects, creatures, all focused in one particular recurring element. and animation. The level of reliance on outsourced episodes depends on the strength of the studio and the individual production. Some studios outsource a lot (BASED MADHOUSE!!!), others do it a little (BONES), and one simply doesn’t do it at all (KyoAni). Rather than outsourcingOutsourcing: The process of subcontracting part of the work to other studios. Partial outsourcing is very common for tasks like key animation, coloring, backgrounds and the likes, but most TV anime also has instances of full outsourcing (グロス) where an episode is entirely handled by a different studio., Mob Psycho’s choice was to deliver an in-house low-key episode that moreso than ever focused on one of the major strengths of the series – the direction itself. It’s a good sign that they can afford to make that choice, and even better that it worked so well.
The director in charge of episode 2 Takefumi Anzai returned and also provided the storyboardStoryboard (絵コンテ, ekonte): The blueprints of animation. A series of usually simple drawings serving as anime's visual script, drawn on special sheets with fields for the animation cut number, notes for the staff and the matching lines of dialogue.. As I said in the episode 2 write-up, it takes notorious skill and idiosyncrasy to get noticed in this field. Anzai has definitely done some good work in the past, but this episode was the one that will make me remember his name and particular approach. It’s arguable how much impact the series directorSeries Director: (監督, kantoku): The person in charge of the entire production, both as a creative decision-maker and final supervisor. They outrank the rest of the staff and ultimately have the last word. Series with different levels of directors do exist however – Chief Director, Assistant Director, Series Episode Director, all sorts of non-standard roles. The hierarchy in those instances is a case by case scenario. Tachikawa might have had to elevate the episode, but good work is good work nonetheless; and if you’re officially responsible for it as the episode director, it’s at least positive for your cache! I won’t complain if this leads to him being involved in further high profiles titles, that’s for sure. Looking at the rest of the key staff – the animation director was Kanako Yoshida, a Dogakobo affiliated animator who did a solid but perhaps unremarkable work for a series on this level. If something stood out it was the occasional drawings with wild crosshatching shading; they were likely supervised by episode 4’s Sara Moroyuki, who was the assistant animation director this time around and had already done similar work in her solo episode.
The main focus of the episode was put on Ritsu and his struggle with the expectations that he himself and others have set on him. The scenes centered around him were tightly directed and put emphasis on his inner conflict, while building up the tension using the scenery around him. The atmosphere itself might as well have been a character this week. The student council meeting and the meeting with the council president – with whom he shares obvious parallels, as displayed in this wonderful scene – in a classroom both featured significantly darkened lighting making it more ominous. The cross-road scene kept on cutting to the shot of traffic lights, gradually increasing the tension. At the beginning of the episode, Ritsu is looking at his reflection in the water, unable to use psychic powers. By the end of it, he is so frustrated by his actions that he can’t even bear looking at his own reflection, and ends up letting loose his dormant powers. These scenes clicked perfectly for me and kept me on the edge of my seat. It was an overall really well put together episode that once again proved that Mob is a visually outstanding show, even when there’s no sakugaSakuga (作画): Technically drawing pictures but more specifically animation. Western fans have long since appropriated the word to refer to instances of particularly good animation, in the same way that a subset of Japanese fans do. Pretty integral to our sites' brand.. This thematic cohesion with the struggles about personal identity being perfectly mirrored by the storyboards are making this adaptation seemingly as good as it could be.
BONESやっぱり最高
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