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Month: December 2018

A Look at the Sakuga and Animation of 2018

A Look at the Sakuga and Animation of 2018

Welcome back to the most special post of the year! As is tradition, we’ve gathered writers from different communities but a shared trait: a love of animation and all it encompasses. The goal, to praise at length the greatest productions and most resonant direction in all of 2018 anime, according to a series of categories. These are our yearly anime awards – the sakugabowl!

SSSS.GRIDMAN Production Notes 12 And Final Impressions

SSSS.GRIDMAN Production Notes 12 And Final Impressions

SSSS.GRIDMAN‘s finale gave the show emotional, thematic, and even narrative closure for the viewers who paid attention to all the pieces we’ve been presented, while also offering some impressive action as the production’s final gift. These are our final thoughts on studio TRIGGER’s magnum opus, a proud heir of the Gainax spirit that was so sorely missed.

SSSS.GRIDMAN Production Notes 10-11

SSSS.GRIDMAN Production Notes 10-11

We’re approaching the end of SSSS.GRIDMAN at full force, with barely any time to breathe but still enough for you to enjoy this penultimate look at the series. Let’s examine the directorial and production choices as usual, the staff behind them, but also the context at studio TRIGGER that influenced how this show turned out – not just their current projects, but those that might come next.

Tsurune Production Notes 2-7

Tsurune Production Notes 2-7

Now that Tsurune‘s past its halfway point, it’s time to return to the series to examine various aspects; how the staff want to balance the meticulous depiction of Japanese archery with entertaining experiences and characterization, the intent behind the storyboards, the state of the production as a whole, and so on!

High Speed! The Movie Interviews – Character Designer & Chief Animation Futoshi Nishiya And Prop Designer Seiichi Akitake

High Speed! The Movie Interviews – Character Designer & Chief Animation Futoshi Nishiya And Prop Designer Seiichi Akitake

The High☆Speed! interviews continue with two conversations with artists commanding the animation department: character designer Futoshi Nishiya and prop designer Seiichi Akitake talk about how they project the character’s personality into the design work, be it general traits or daily life minutiae, while also sharing anecdotes regarding the production process.

SSSS.GRIDMAN Production Notes 9

SSSS.GRIDMAN Production Notes 9

SSSS.GRIDMAN casually dropped one of the most memorable episodes of the year, a tour de force of evocative layouts and energetic animation that managed to make a hateful villain into a sympathetic person as if it were easy. Let’s explore this show’s greatest episode, the team behind them, and the industry movement it represents.

High Speed! The Movie Roundtable – Director Yasuhiro Takemoto x Scriptwriter Maiko Nishioka x Character Designer Futoshi Nishiya

High Speed! The Movie Roundtable – Director Yasuhiro Takemoto x Scriptwriter Maiko Nishioka x Character Designer Futoshi Nishiya

High☆Speed!, a somewhat overlooked movie in Kyoto Animation’s repertoire, is approaching its third anniversary. To celebrate that we’ll be hosting a series of interviews translated by Pen over the next few days, starting with this roundable where the core staff talked about their general feelings towards the movie as a whole and some key scenes in particular. Yasuhiro Takemoto: Director x Maiko Nishioka: Scriptwriter x Futoshi Nishiya: Character designer and chief animation director