The collapse of anime’s mentorship systems and the attempts to fix them aren’t new. At its peak 10 years ago, the Young Animator Training Project produced Little Witch Academia and Death Billiards while raising new talent—but did it succeed, and what’s their legacy now?
Anime’s possibilities have multiplied with the growth of digital 2D animation, both in terms of techniques available and accessibility. This industry has more tools at its disposal for more people than ever, but how did we get to this point? Who are the main people responsible for all this change? And how did they convince both industry peers and audiences that this was a valid path worth heavily investing on? That’s what we’re here to address in a very special anniversary!
We’re heading into a Spring anime season that, barring a few exceptions, won’t have as many prestige projects and obvious animation festivals as some of the lineups we’ve covered before. However, it makes up for that with a multitude of smaller projects with potential to shine in unique ways. With talent being spread so thin, including some unlikely projects that would normally get overlooked, this preview is more needed than ever!
There’s no need to hold back on the praise for this: Fate/Apocrypha #22 was the best animated episode of anime in 2017, one of the greatest outings in general terms, and a genuinely significant moment for this industry. So as much as we find the production notes format useful to provide you the important points of all the shows we cover, this time we’re offering an even more in-depth write-up about everything that made this episode so special. Enjoy!
Our series highlighting the work of the most promising young anime creators returns with someone you might unknowingly be acquainted with: Naoki Yoshibe, the director behind fantastic openings for Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures and Gatchaman Crowds, who also happens to be behind the yotube persona who keeps on making his effects animation clips go viral online. Prepare for an in-depth look at an artist who truly deserves it!
A new season approaches with more titles than anyone can watch, so it’s our self-imposed duty to keep on curating the ones handled by the most capable creators. Strong premises still require skilled directors and animation teams to support them after all! So, which Summer 2017 titles are most likely to live up to their potential?
It’s time to highlight an interesting industry anomaly, since a mysterious incident that has been going on for a while has finally been solved. What happens when an anime director who also happens to be the show’s main writer gets fired months before the broadcast?
Maidragon comes to an end with a spectacular episode, so it’s time to congratulate its director Yasuhiro Takemoto for multiple reasons.
Let’s take a look at purposeful character designs.
As most season previews focus heavily on premises and vague hopes that the execution will live up to them, we continue to do our job to curate upcoming shows supported by strong directors and staff that can properly articulate their vision – at the end of the day, good anime tends to be a more satisfying watch than the idea of a good anime. Let’s see what awaits us!