NYT is about as mainstream Western media as you can get, so I thought it was interesting to see their take on the use of CG within anime (and that they even thought it worth their time to write about). I think it is a fair take. From the article:
“Fans often balk at any announcement that a show will be produced in 3-D, especially when it’s from an established franchise,” May said in an interview. “The gap between good and bad C.G. anime is wide, and fans can spot mediocre 3-D animation easily thanks to having seen decades of top-range American 3-D films.”
This lines up with my experience. Often, if the CG is done well and integrated into a consistent visual style, there aren’t any as many complaints. However, bad CG that sticks out is what annoys fans the most and garners the negative connotation.
The article also goes into some of the reasons that we should expect CG to stay and expand in usage going forward:
“I feel like the large insurgence of 3-D anime comes from the dream of an easier production,” said Austin Hardwicke, a 3-D animator who specializes in anime that is heavy on digital effects. In part, that’s because it’s easier to maintain consistent quality. “Thanks to the enormous video game industry, there are hands available across the globe, making it easy to scale a team up or down at will. And it’s famously difficult for veteran 2-D animators to teach junior animators up to their level, but 3-D animation is infinitely easier to teach.”
This lines up with what industry veterans within Japan have been saying; that there is a lack of junior talent being developed to be able to fill senior roles.
Combine this lack of traditional 2D talent with an ever-growing number of productions in any given season and more CG is what we should expect.
I’ve been watching this old anime from the 90s called “you’re under arrest.” It’s not exactly smart, but the elaborate, indulgent animation suprises me constantly. It’s shockingly beautiful at times. It trandsends almost anything I’ve watched produced recently in terms of detail.
From what I understand, it’s money. Back in the bubble economy in Japan, you could throw cash at this kind of thing. Now, it’s just so much more cost effective to utilize 3d animation whenever possible.
People point at films like, “The boy and the heron” as some sort of model to follow, as if it’s a choice. But, by the producer’s admission it’s “probably the most expensive anime ever made.” 7 years of production by the oldest, most seasoned veterans in the space. How could even substantial studios take on such risk and expense?
I really wish we lived in a world where low tier stuff like “you’re under arrest” could afford such high quality animation.
However, there are always new tools being developed. I’m confident that new digital techniques will eventually compensate for high cost if nothing else.
sighs in
oldmiddle-aged manHaha, okay it’s not that old, but wow does it feel dated in terms of theming. I mean, it’s about three things: cool cop babes, fast subcompact cars, and cool cop babes driving miniature motorcycles which fit inside of subcompact cars.
🫠
Part of the dated theming is the manga going back to the mid-80s, where suitcase scooters fitting into fast subcompacts were definitely a thing for a hot minute.
This is really veering off topic, but a few years ago a third-party transforming toys company made an unlicensed YUA homage out of a repaint of their unlicensed Skids figure, and it is glorious (if not particularly fun to transform).
You weren’t kidding! I have seen both of these vehicles separately before, but didn’t realize that it was (at least partially) intended to fit in the hatch like that.
I think the money point is a huge part of it. In an unrelated thread, I had mentioned Cowboy Bebop and @mindbleach@sh.itjust.works said the same thing. The early 90’s were the peak of Japan’s economic power before the effects of the Lost Decades settled in for good.
I agree that Ghibli’s model really only works for Ghibli. A smaller, unproven studio would never be able to attract enough investment on a huge gamble of a project like that. The movie has been a huge success with virtually no marketing campaign based solely on the studio/Miyazaki’s reputation. That is something that no other studio could even hope to replicate.