It’s time to talk about the somewhat confusing, misunderstood shifting labor and creative dynamics of Spy x Family’s co-production, how Kusuriya no Hitorigoto is able to elevate from a solid adaptation to an exceptional one, and more!
It’s time to discuss the late but interesting arrival of Kusuriya no Hitorigoto / The Apothecary Diaries—with a focus on its well-fitting creative team, but also the industry trends that surround the project. Also, other topics like Overtake!‘s elegant control of the information, matching confident writing & direction, plus more fun stuff!
At its absolute best, Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 is a focused effort to fully realize its directors’ ideas, from the grandest action to the least perceptible details. But at all points, it’s also something else: a fight against an asphyxiating schedule. Let’s catch up with one of the biggest, coolest, but also most troublesome productions of the year.
By popular demand, we’re starting a new column for shorter commentary on animated works and their craft, as well as news and general industry happenings. To open things up: parallels between Hayao Miyazaki and Masayuki Yoshihara’s new films, the quiet theming amidst the bombast of Frieren #06, and much more!
Frieren is, at its best, a story tightly written about time; its passage, how different people perceive it, and the tangible marks it leaves in the world and its inhabitants. Its anime adaptation is a beautiful spectacle, but what makes it truly extraordinary is how it imagines that setting and people beyond the original boundaries, solidifying their existence so that you can feel their aging almost physically.
As the anime industry fails to properly train new generations of creators, “convenient” technological advances (whether good or not in their own right) have accelerated the loss of technique, fundamentals, and knowledge among the workforce. This is how veterans and newcomers face an already devastating issue that only stands to get worse.
Hibike! Euphonium Ensemble Contest is the belated comeback of a series that has come to represent its team’s understanding of animation as a fundamental step in the writing process, and also one that exemplifies how Kyoto Animation buck negative anime industry trends in meaningful, sometimes amusing ways.
The first episode of Zom 100 is one hell of a showcase of inventive, fresh, and very bombastic animation and direction, all packaged together with clear intent. It’s well worth looking into the team behind it and its rising star of a director, but also into the risks in their approach.
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou‘s contemplative view on the passage of time and inevitable decadence made it a greatly melancholic work upon release. Decades later, that feeling has strengthened, and the influence of those who brought it into anime form quietly endures still.
In an industry like anime where almost everything comes down to personal relationships, is it possible to quickly assemble an entirely new high-profile studio? Cygames Pictures have found a way, and Uma Musume: ROAD TO THE TOP‘s intense, expressive animation stands as proof of their achievements.