It’s time to look at a handful of notable opening and ending sequences from this season of anime, briefly disclosing the staff that made them possible and highlighting their particular strengths. Since people were fond of this concept last time, I went ahead and decided to make it into a recurring thing. Enjoy!
It didn’t have to be this way. Not that long ago, GoHands’ name inspired hopeful excitement amongst animation fans, rather than a mix of hysterical laughter and sheer horror. There’s no getting around the fact that Hand Shakers is one of the most hideous pieces of entertainment ever conceived, let alone anime. But even something this abysmal can become an educational experience, so let’s learn a bit about a young studio and how anime is put together.
Last week I mentioned the outrageous number of artists who had to work on Yuri!!! On ICE’s finale so that it could be finished in time. The general reaction seemed to be of bewilderment as people realized just how messy the situation had become, but I also noticed confused outliers; people who simply lacked any frame of reference, and even some who thought that multitude was something positive. It’s time for some research into how many animators it takes to…
But Wataru Uekusa is a fantastic effects animator, so flames will suit him.
Ever since Sakugabooru’s beginnings, and especially once we launched this Sakuga Blog, people have been approaching us asking for tips to get into animation appreciation. We’ve been building a solid foundation of 101 production knowledge you need, but there are some daunting steps after you’ve generally grasped how anime is made. One of them stands out in particular, since it’s the least intuitive one and ties into the particularities of the Japanese industry; the room for expression individual key animators…
Scorching, even.
Don’t drink and direct, people.
Do we need some rebranding if Pokemon becomes the show with Digital Monsters?
Sometimes anime’s most impressive draftsmanship isn’t found in prestige projects, and that doesn’t make it any less interesting.
Two weeks in a row of this column meant to celebrate animation being used to clarify painful issues with the anime industry doesn’t exactly make me happy, but I think it’s worth it.