Dragon Ball Super

Last July, the anime Dragon Ball Super premiered in Japan and quickly found its way over to the U.S. Fans of the immensely popular Dragon Ball series were understandably excited, as this was the first new story in the Dragon Ball universe since the last show aired its last episode in 1997. The series is known for its very well animated and ridiculous, over the top action sequences, and many were wondering what new show would have in store for them this time. However, during the first big fight scene of the show, which was currently telling a story arc that mirrored a recently released Dragon Ball movie in which Goku, the show's protagonist, fights the universe's strongest being, there was a noticeable drop in the quality of animation that fans expect from the series.

 



These are stills taken from the 5th episode of Super, and they contain some of the worst animation in the history of the Dragon Ball franchise. Quite a lot of outrage was thrown in the direction of the shows's animators, all of which I believe was justified. With such an iconic, almost revered series as this, it's very difficult to imagine that the show's producers would be okay with this kind of sloppy work. Since this point, though, the quality of the animation has continued to be on and off, with some episodes lacking many, if any real glaring issues and some not being pleasant to watch. The most recently aired episode, episode 39, has actually had some of the best animation that I have seen in all of the various Dragon Ball shows I have seen, which I hope means that the animators learned from their mistakes and that this will be the standard for the show moving forward. When such a large group of people have these kinds of expectations for what they consider to be an acceptable product (expectations that have, up until this point, been consistently met), a disappointment such as this can have serious ramifications.

Cult anime series FLCL is back

http://www.theverge.com/2016/3/25/11304134/flcl-anime-new-seasons-2017-cartoon-network-toonami

Cult anime series FLCL — otherwise known as Fooly Cooly — will be getting two more seasons, according to an announcement from Cartoon Network parent company Turner. The two seasons will include 12 new episodes, and be produced with Cartoon Network's Adult Swim and Japanese anime studio Production I.G. Series creator Kazuya Tsurumaki will also return for the new seasons, which will air on Cartoon Network's Toonami block.

Ping Pong Opening

This opening sequence is from Ping Pong The Animation.  I find the style of this show really unique. It has a very loose, hand-drawn rotoscope-type of feel to it, that I don't see very often. Because of the "loose" style, there's a lot of variation in how the characters look in different parts of the show. This style does a really great job of conveying emotions to viewers. The characters look almost grotesque at times, but it shows the character's expressions more clearly than a lot of other more polished (or as my friend likes to say "shiny") animations. In addition to that, I think it's also just a lot more interesting to look at.

Assassination Classroom Ending Credits

This is video shows the ending credits for an anime called Assassination Classroom. I'd really like to use this as the inspiration for my title/credit sequence project. To create something like this, I'd first draw the images in Photoshop and then use the "write on effect" in After Effects to reveal them. I'd also use Sure Target to direct the camera around the chalk board and then to eventually zoom out and reveal it all.
At certain points in this animation, there's a lot of images being drawn on the screen at once. It's likely that coordinating all those images with the effects could be challenging at certain points in my animation.
At around 1:03 in the animation, it looks like they've stopped "writing on" images, and have transitioned to just switching between images that are placed close together. A possible way to create this effect would be to lower and raise the transparency of the drawings.

AIKO: An Adult Cartoon

In recent years the idea that cartoons are not only for children, but also for adults has become as more popular view. With series such as Avatar: The Last Airbender that challenge what kinds of messages cartoons can convey, Aiko seems to be following with the trends.

With a Japanese anime influenced art style Aiko looks fabulous; however, it still needs funding. Although it's come a long way from it's original concepts, and the entire first season is planned out, Aiko still needs support. It's director and one of the founders of ROYGBIV (an LA based animation studio), recently released the trailer in hopes to gain attention and funding for the flagship series.

As a fan of American and Japanese cartoons, and 2D animation, I hope this project recieves all the funding it needs to get this project off the ground. The style reminds me of one of my favorite childhood cartoons, Samurai Jack, and I hope that this show can live up to it's more adult - themes.













Aiko Trailer
More Info

A new wave of creation

Taking a link from one of the many Youtubers that provides tutorials on animation software, I was particularly drawn to this one in particular called Hexjibber.  What I found to be unique about his tutorials is that they include techniques and working in more than one Adobe software program.  The playlist that I found was a series that creates some looping animations of special effects that are akin to those from anime.  There are some like waves washing, dust flying, dirt streaks, and even fire.  What makes these so valuable is that he goes through After Effects first to create a template to follow, and then draws over them in Flash.  The specific one I was working in was the tutorial that creates dust and smoke flying, which I wanted to use for creating a race car scene and have them drive past real quickly (still brainstorming how that will fit into my projects...).  The video starts out with applying a series of wave warp effects to some shape layers in After Effects, exporting them as a PNG sequence, importing it into Flash and then drawing over each reference layer to create your own effect.

It really was and is a great way to get more practice in both the technical and artistic side of animation, and it could be a great way for an animation team to create action sequences and special effects.  Members with the more technical knowledge would create the reference layers, and the lead animators would draw over them in Flash.  I love how this series of tutorials encompasses both pieces of software, making it for quite an interesting exercise.  I would have been able to do the drawing part if it weren't for the fact that me and my drawing tablet have a love-hate relationship.

Cowboy Bebop

Cowboy Bebop is a Japanese anime series that started in 1997. It only ran for 26 episodes but in my opinion it is one of the best anime series I've every watched. It is a dark western style show which is very interesting because it combines two different cultures.

The animation in the show is pretty standard "anime show" animation. It reminds me of when I used to watch Naruto. The sale of the fight scenes are similar and also other motions within the show as well.

This series Is short and a good watch for anyone looking to get a little more into Anime. It is not on Netflix currently but if you do a little searching you can come across it.

Attack On Titan

Attack on Titian is a is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama. It was created back in 2009 in Japan and shortly after its realize became very popular. It even became popular enough in western culture that they decided to dub over the audio so that subtitles were no longer necessary.

 What is Manga? Manga is a style of Japanese comic books and graphic novels, typically aimed at adults as well as children. These are commonly turned into television series now days.

This particular story is aimed at older audiences because it is extremely graphic and also deep. The story contains many characters with very complex pasts. The show also likes to keep the audience in the dark to keep the story suspenseful. 

The premise of the show is that humanity has been pushed to the brink of extinction and the only place they are safe is within the walls of a huge castle divided into 3 sections. The antagonists are huge humanoid creatures that are very hard to kill. 

I personally find the show to be a little to graphic at points. It is extremely violent and oftentimes as soon as you become attached to a character they get killed off. The story is written extremely well and the animation is beautiful. I often don't like watching these shows because the action is too slow for me but this show has a very fast pace and great fight scenes. 

I would recommend that people looking for an in-depth story give Attack on Titan a chance even if "you don't like anime".  

It surprised me. 

Avatar

Last month, the famous Nickelodeon series, Avatar, just concluded the fourth and final chapter of the Legend of Korra. It's amazing to think that an animated series that began in early 2005 consistently entertained so many viewers over the span of ten years. What's even more amazing to realize is that while the characters have changed throughout the series, the style of animation has remained the same. In elementary school, I remember rushing home to catch the latest episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender; a fictional series, based on modern martial arts, that highlights a group of friends who can "use the force" to move the world's elements: water, fire, air, and earth.

The color pallet utilized throughout the series, accompanied by the varying camera shots and object motion tracking draw the viewer into the animated world. Even though each of these characters are fictional, the accuracy of detail in the faces, skin tones, and emotional storyline invite the viewer to befriend Aang and his friends on their journey to save the world (Even the animals resemble real-life animals!).

It's also interesting to note that each of the voice actors for the series physically act out their lines to better interpret the scene and provide strong vocal emphasis to increase the realism of the cartoon. Even the direction of vision for the actor is identical to the cartoon (below). And it's interesting to note that this animation doesn't even incorporate motion capture.

 Give it a watch; you'll enjoy it!

Okay. 3 2 1. Let's Jam!

The anime series, Cowboy Bebop, started in 1998, has one of the coolest openings of any show. Created by Sunrise Animation Studios, the entire show is drawn beautifully. Each character has their own little segment in the opening that is different colors. The quick flashes and strong colorful backdrops with black silhouettes complement the jazzy music and fun percussion. They created a band called The Seatbelts to play all the music created for the show. This jazzy music carries through in the visuals - the bright colors, swift camera movement, and strong editing - which support the exciting and free nature of the music.

On the website, Art of the Title, they discuss the art direction: The art direction for the title sequence of Cowboy Bebop is reminiscent of Seijun Suzuki’s Tokyo Drifter (a 1966 film made during the Japanese New Wave or Noberu Bagu) and also from the pop art movement. The primordial element, however, is the bebop jazz influence (hence the term’s inclusion in the show’s title and the labeling of the show’s episodes as “sessions”).

While I may have watched the opening too many times by itself, I have also seen the whole series. It has it all - amazing art and colors, well-developed characters, good writing, and fun original music. I know anime is not everybody's cup of tea, however, I believe those people would still enjoy Cowboy Bebop.

And if you're anything like me, it provides a great escape from reality and makes you fall in love with animated, fictional characters.

It's OK to Be Different.

As a current attendee of Ithaca College's, Park School of Communications, I have noticed a certain tension between students studying Television/Radio and students working towards a degree in Cinema. Because the two majors share similar territory, every determinable difference between the two degrees are immediately picked out and then blown entirely out of proportion. Recently, I've come to the realization that the stereotypes held between TV/R and Cinema majors are strangely reminiscent of those between American, and Japanese animators.

I know it sounds ridiculous now, but allow me to elaborate. You may discover that the comparison isn't as absurd as you thought.

STYLE:

Let me start out by describing some stylistic characteristics of American animation. Here in the U.S., many animations tend to lean toward a "cartoon-ish" animation style.

For example, cartoon characters often possess rounded, highly exaggerated features. Furthermore, the characters/settings of this style of animation tend to lack both detail and shading.

The character, "Cheese," from Cartoon Network's show,
"Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends"
is a great example of the American "cartoonish" animation style.

Compare this style now to that of Japanese animation-- specifically anime. Anime characters often possess large, detailed eyes and small noses/mouths. Japanese animators are known to use angular strokes, and pay far more attention to shading and highlights than their American counterparts. 

Below is a classic example of the "anime eye."

Notice the degree of detail portrayed through color and highlights to add depth to the eye. 

One of the primary reasons that American animators avoid including so much detail in their animation has to do with merchandising. It's a lot easier to produce a Mickey Mouse doll than it is to produce an intensely detailed anime character.

                   Mickey Mouse Doll--  $0.50 to produce,

                   extremely cuddly, and very durable.

    

                                                                       Anime Doll-- $10.00 to produce,

                                                                    not so cuddly, flyaway hair guaranteed 

                                                                    to snap off on the ride home from the toy 

                                                                                            store.

Another stylistic difference between Japanese and American animation has to do with camera angles. Anime makes sure to incorporate creative angles and unconventional perspectives-- something that the majority of American animation lacks.

^Japanese angle chosen for dialogue between 2 characters ^

^American angle chosen for dialogue between two characters^

     

PRODUCTION:

I realize that so far I've been successful in making American animators look like lazy, money-crazed SOBs; I can fix that. What American's lack in technical detail, they make up in animation. As a rule, American animations contain far more animation than the Japanese do. Why? Well, the answer is simple really: the Japanese are a bunch of rotten cheaters. That, or they're just a little bit smarter. Maybe both. 

Here are ways our asian counterparts cheat the system:

1. When a character begins reciting a long monologue, the creators only focus on moving the character's mouth and perhaps a few strands of hair-- ignoring the rest of the scene. 

1. Action sequences are created by moving the background in a quick, stylized fashion, while the character remains frozen in a cool fighting pose. (see below)

AUDIENCE/CONTENT:

One of the main inconsistencies between American and Japanese animation has to do with the target audience: or the people whom the animation caters to. 

For example, the majority of American animation is intended for child viewers. Furthermore, the few animated series that DO cater to adults, (think Family Guy, The Simpsons, American Dad!, etc.) often possess absurd plots and vulgar humor. Because of their content, even adult animated series' may be considered "immature." 

In Japan, animation is not confined by generational boundaries. Anime is followed and enjoyed by children and grandparents alike. (This is why many American parents are shocked when they discover "mature" content in the anime "cartoons" their children are watching.)

Also, unlike cartoons in America that can be watched out of episodic sequence with little to no penalty, anime is distributed in serial episodes. Serial episodes require the viewer to understand the content revealed in previous episodes in order to fully appreciate the current episode. Some shows that follow this sequential building style in America include dramas like, "American Horror Story," or "Breaking Bad." 

REASONS WHY TVR STUDENTS ARE LIKE AMERICAN ANIMATORS AND WHY CINEMA STUDENTS ARE LIKE JAPANESE ANIMATORS:

1. Japanese animators like making the bad guys blonde-- Cinema students dye their hair dark to appear more "artsy."

"I hate blonde's because they're evil" -the Japanese and/or American cinema students

Ok, ok. You were right. My initial comparison between Japanese/American animators and Television Radio/ Cinema majors was unreasonable. But at least you learned a little something about animation. You'll thank me later.

R-R-R-REDLINE!

                This movie might be the greatest piece of animation I have ever seen. With over 100,000 frames of painstakingly drawn art I don't think that's an outrageous statement to make. It took 7 years to make because of those 100,000+ drawings. I'm posting about it because of a few things. First the shear amount of work it took make this film. It's stunningly beautiful and unique, I have never seen anything like it. I can't imagine drawing all of those frame each one its piece of art by itself. Second, because this is a racing film there's a lot of warping going on, a lot of accelerating and an over all ebb and flow of distortion. Having made several stop motion movies I know how hard it is with still animation to get the timing of things accurate. That on it's own is an arduous task, but when paired with so much warping I really can't believe the animators pulled this off. I think everyone can look at this trailer and see how much motion is in this movie and be as amazed as I am by it.

Vimeo Anime Type Videos

So while I was bored the other day I was looking at various videos on vimeo and came across this video:

TODOR & PETRU from CRCR on Vimeo.


When I first started watching this short video I thought to myself "oh well this is just another stop motion video." However, as I continued to watch I realized it turns into this intense more upbeat anime type of animation. The music takes away from the video, but besides that and a few semi vulgar moments I think the actual animation is pretty interesting. The one aspect of the video that I really enjoyed would be the part when the tattoos on the one guy's body turns into this cartoon type liquid and moves off of his body and floats behind him. I think the overall look gives off a type of "comic book" feel to it, which is pretty cool. I was just interested in what programs or plugins they may have used to generate an animation similar to this. This video was created by a French production company named Wizz Design and by Remi Bastie. If you visit their website you can see a few videos that the company has generated as well.

Here is another short video by the same company, with a similar feel and look to it as the previous video I posted in this blog:

Elle est belle Machette from CRCR on Vimeo.


Overall some pretty interesting videos and I apologize again for the music/visuals that may have bee incorporated in this video! ENJOY!