While most anime studios are scattered indistinctly in Tokyo, regional branches and rural studios with distinct cultures are becoming more common. Let’s dig into how their bonds with local communities develop, their affinity for mentorship, and KyoAni’s ever-evolving training systems.
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!
Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms is one of the most powerful anime movies you’ll come across this year, and perhaps in general. Beautiful in many senses of the word, committed to its themes, and elevated by a once in a lifetime production effort that served to train both a fascinating new director and a studio as a whole.
Fans and critics alike love to associate qualities and flaws to anime studios, but to which extent does that hold any water? Have companies managed to build an in-house style of their own, and do they want to do that in the first place? We’d like to address misconceptions in this regard while explaining the potential of studio culture in the anime industry, as illustrated by the very curious tale of one of the biggest anime series of recent times:…
Sayonara no Asa ni Yakusoku no Hana wo Kazaro, localized in English-speaking territories as Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms, is without a doubt one of the most noteworthy anime movies of 2018. Its affecting story and astonishing production values deserve the recognition they’re getting and then some, but this film’s significance extends beyond its artistic merits. This project is a decisive step in studio P.A. Works’ current plans, and an unprecedented opportunity to grow.
Summer season is upon us! To be perfectly honest, anime’s strongest creators are for the most part taking a bit of a break, but that only means that curation is even more important. It’s time to detail which upcoming shows have gathered the strongest creative crews under premises with potential!
To celebrate the recently announced Shirobako movie, which will finally give us a chance to follow Aoi Miyamori’s adventures further into the path of anime production, we returned to the TV series to compile some of the most amusing and enlightening nods to real creators and anime industry events that you may have missed throughout the show. Hop on for a fun educational time!
We often highlight interesting animators and directors who just irrupted into anime and are finding success at a young age, but some times we have to focus on the struggle of less fortunate individuals instead. At a time where anime needs the help of new creators more than ever, the working conditions for youngsters who want to join the industry have grown to be so poor that we’re stuck with very high attrition rates and miserable standards. It’s important that…
The Eccentric Family is one of the most unique TV anime, an exceptional project not only as far as P.A. Works is concerned but for the industry in general. Its sequel has now finished leaving behind some genuine production mysteries, as well as plenty of creative decisions worth talking about. Let’s return to its magical Kyoto once again.
Animation studio P.A. Works has been considered one of the better companies within the genuinely harmful space of the anime industry, but as I explained when a story about one of their unfortunate animators went viral, there were some massive caveats to that. The gap between how they are perceived and how they actually operate might finally shorten though, as the studio will start putting their money – quite literally – where their mouth is. As important as it is to…