The second episode of Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid S happens to embody some ongoing changes to Kyoto Animation’s inner workings: forced to adapt to the circumstances after the tragedy exactly two years ago, while also protecting the young talent they want to continue training. More than ever before, the studio works as one now.
Maidragon is back. KyoAni is back—in more ways than one, having given free rein to the next generations of creators trained under the studio’s unstoppable mentorship system. All these efforts shared a rallying cry that the studio altogether has adopted after their tragedy: inspiration for the future.
While many fans of Kyoto Animation have heard about the KyoAni School, it’s very few who realize their initiative to train new generations of anime creators has been in place for longer than the studio has actually been creating their own titles. This is the story of a well-known but never fully appreciated aspect of KyoAni’s unique strategy—essential to their success in the past, and even more so in the future.
One year after the devastating arson attack on Kyoto Animation, we’ve decided to share a series of articles shedding light on what makes them such a unique existence in the anime industry. For starters, here’s a roundtable talk from 2017 featuring many of their series directors, where they have lighthearted yet in-depth discussions about their creative methods and mindset, but especially about the attitude they feel you need to be a proper anime project leader.
The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya was released 10 years ago today, on February 6, 2010. A decade later and despite the tragic losses, its legacy at Kyoto Animation and the industry altogether still endures.
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!, 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
Tsurune‘s pleasant and surprisingly efficient first episode is yet another showcase of the importance of execution. An inspired directorial effort that makes no effort in hiding its inspirations and yet establishes an identity of its own, led by a team with more newcomers than you’d ever imagine. Who are they, and what should we expect?
Article pinned in memoriam of everyone who lost their lives in the terrorist attack today at the studio. We can only extend our heartfelt condolences to the victims, everyone’s families and friends, and all affected parties in general. Please take care.
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:…