Category: Anime

What Is The Super Deformed Art Style?

Published June 10, 2021

I was recently rewatching all of the Slayers anime series with some other people and one of them asked me why the characters would become small every so often. It took me a moment to figure out what she meant but she was referring to when Lina Inverse was shouting at someone and they became tiny or how when the characters were explaining their plan on a blackboard they would all become much smaller looking with large heads. I realised that I didn’t know that much about the super deformed art style and I decided to do some research on it.

First off, I should describe what super deformed art style is. Super deformed, also referred to as chibi, art is where anime/manga characters are depicted with a less realistic head to body proportion. In contrast to the standard head to body proportion where the head makes up about 1/7th of the body, a super deformed character may have their head make up 1/3rd of their body, 1/2nd or even cases where the head is larger than their body!

Okay there’s “super deformed” and then there’s “whatever-the-hell-Gourry-is-doing” in this scene!#SLAYERS #SlayersNEXT #Episode2 #AnimeRetroRewatch pic.twitter.com/ss7swLLMOf
— Ochan30🏳️‍🌈 (@Ochan30) November 19, 2020

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Why Mini Theaters In Japan Are Important

Published June 7, 2021

I was recently scratching my head over the existence of the Gundam Reconguista in G compilation films. Considering the negative reception surrounding Gundam Reconguista in G, it seemed like a strange move to release five compilation films. “Is anyone actually watching these films?” I distinctly remember wondering. I decided to go to Anime News Network and see if they had any information on the box office of the Gundam Reconguista films that had been released so far. I found an article detailing box office grosses in Japan around March 2020 and, while perusing, I noticed the statement that the first Gundam Reconguista compilation film had “ranked at #1 in the mini-theater rankings for its two weekends.” I was quite perplexed. “What’s a mini theater?” I wondered. Upon doing some impromptu research, I realised that mini theaters are an important and fascinating aspect of the film industry in Japan and decided to share what I had learned.

First off, what’s a mini theater? A mini theater is a type of movie theater that is smaller than a typical movie theater, is not associated with any major film companies and is free to distribute the films they desire. With regards to mini theaters in Japan, these films are typically Japanese indie/arthouse films or indie/arthouse films from other countries. Of course, it would also seem as though they distribute other types of films as well. After all, I wouldn’t refer to Gundam Reconguista in G compilation films as either indie or arthouse.

The poster for the first Gundam Reconguista in G compilation film.

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The Unusual Process of Japanese Voice Acting

Published May 27, 2021

When it comes to the differences between anime and animation from the rest of the world, I’m always startled at how different the various processes can be. Easily one of the more unusual is the process of recording Japanese voice acting for anime. Considering how different it can be compared to other forms of animation, I thought it might be worth examining this process and learning why it’s done this way in Japan.

First, I should probably explain the standard outside of Japan. In Western animation, and most of the world, the voice actors are provided the script, deliver their lines and the animation is later animated. There are numerous reasons why this is done but a sample would include being able to use the performance to inform the way the character moves and emotes and to lip synch the dialogue to the character’s mouth. If you have ever watched a Disney animated movie, a Dreamworks animated movie etc., this process is how those films were produced.

Interestingly, Akira, an anime, was also produced via this method.

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Why Is Audrey Hepburn So Popular In Japan?

Published May 24, 2021

I’ve recently begun watching Gundam Unicorn, an entry in the Universal Century timeline, and have been finding it to be an incredible experience. However, something that caught my attention was when one of the characters, not wishing to use their real name, identified themselves under the alias “Audrey Burne”. “Surely this is a reference to Audrey Hepburn” I can remember thinking to myself but it also made me wonder how popular and well-known she was in Japan.

First, it might be worth explaining who Audrey Hepburn is for those who are unfamiliar with her. Originally born in Belgium before moving to Britain and performing at the West End, she eventually made her way to Hollywood and ended up becoming an exceptionally popular actress, being recognised by the American Film Institute as the 3rd greatest female star of the Golden Age of Hollywood.

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How Successful Have Anime Films Been At The US Box Office?

Published May 13, 2021

One of the more notable pieces of anime news recently was the announcement that “Demon Slayer: Mugen Train” had become the first anime film in decades to reach the top spot in the US box office. Having recently taken a look at how anime films perform in the Japanese box office, I found myself quite intrigued by this success and thought it might be interesting to take a look at anime films at the US box office and how successful they’ve been.

The first anime film to be released theatrically in the United States of America was Panda and the Magic Serpent, sometimes referred to as The Tale of the White Serpent. Originally released in Japan in 1958, Panda and the Magic Serpent was the first anime film to be released in colour and was later released in the US in 1961. The US release of this film, along with two other anime films that year, Magic Boy and Alakazam the Great, underperformed at the US box office, either being box office failures or mild successes at best.

A shot of Xu-Xian and Bai-Niang from Panda and the Magic Serpent. — A shot from Panda and the Magic Serpent.

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What Are Anime Filler Episodes And Why Are They Made?

Published April 26, 2021

For those of you who watch various long running anime series such as Naruto, Dragon Ball, One Piece, etc., you’ve probably noticed that many of these series occasionally enter an arc which feels less substantial than many other arcs within the series, particularly in hindsight. These arcs may focus more on comedy and have little to no bearing on the overall story with seemingly throwaway villains and side characters. These are typically referred to as filler arcs and there are various reasons why these episodes exist and why anime continues to make these arcs.

I think one of the most important aspects to look at when it comes to why anime filler is made is the way Japanese shows are aired on television. If you take a look at the airdates for the episodes of any long running anime series such as Naruto, Dragon Ball, One Piece etc., something that might stand out to you is how, beyond the occasional one week break, the episodes air continuously throughout the year. This results in about 50 episodes per year, a very impressive number.

A promo image for Naruto. — Naruto’s 80 episode long string of filler episodes has become a thing of infamy.

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The Interesting Use of Manga To Promote Public Awareness

Published April 15, 2021

The promotion of public awareness campaigns can be quite a tricky ordeal to run. I, and many others, have seen billboards, internet ads and the like promoting public health, safe driving, political awareness and many other causes. However, we tend to shrug them off, not even sparing them a second glance. This is not to say that they cannot be effective, perhaps working subliminally. However, any effort that can make someone pay more attention to a public awareness campaign will, of course, be highly desired. In that effort, there are plenty of Japanese organisations that use characters from manga series to promote their causes. Considering this, I thought it might be interesting to take a look at some of the uses of manga to promote public awareness.

I can distinctly remember the first time that I heard of a manga being used to promote some kind of public awareness campaign and how interesting I found the concept. It was back around 2010, not too long after I first started to get into anime, when I heard that the characters of K-On!, a 4-koma manga that was adapted into several anime media, were being used to promote the Japanese census in Kyoto. Since then, we have seen other series such as Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha and Sound! Euphonium (originally a light novel rather than a manga) being used to promote the census within Kyoto. While I would love to see statistics of how effective these campaigns were, the fact that manga characters are continually being used seems to indicate that they have been successful enough to continue this cooperation.

Kyoto City National Census anime advertisements:
2010: K-On!!
2015: Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha
2020: Sound! Euphonium pic.twitter.com/ZM5efflRGX
— ultimatemegax (@ultimatemegax) August 31, 2020

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How Prominent Is Anime In the Japanese Box Office?

Published April 12, 2021

I was perusing Anime News Network some time ago and came across an interesting article called “Japan’s Box Office Dropped 45% in 2020, With Demon Slayer Accounting for 1/4 of Total“. While the article has a variety of information concerning box office grosses, percentage of Japanese movies revenue etc., what really stood out to me was the fact that five of the top ten highest-grossing Japanese movies were anime films. These were Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train at first place, Doraemon the Movie: Nobita’s New Dinosaur at fourth place, Violet Evergarden: The Movie at seventh place, Fate/stay night: Heaven’s Feel III. spring song at ninth place and My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising at tenth place. This made me ponder the question of how prominent is anime in the Japanese box office.

Before I begin discussing this topic, there are a few facts that I wish to point out. First, it’s important to remember that 2020 has proven to be a highly unusual year given the fact that the world is, as of the writing of this article, facing a pandemic on a scale not seen in many decades. The quarantines in place throughout the world to slow the effect of this disease has also had a dramatic effect on many industries including the film industry and has seen box office grosses plunge dramatically. Secondly, it’s important to remember that the success of Demon Slayer was quite an anomaly with the article clearly pointing out that the Demon Slayer movie grossed a quarter of all revenue in the 2020 Japanese box office! For perspective, the second highest-grossing Japanese movie of the year, the live-action film Kyou Kara Ore Wa!! only grossed about a seventh of what Demon Slayer managed to gross. Finally, I’d like to mention that while I do intend to look at some of the highest-grossing anime films of all time, I also intend to look at how the average anime film performs in the box office and how they compare to Japanese live-action films.

The poster for the film “Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train”.

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Why I Hate The Term “The Big Three”

Published April 1, 2021

When one first discovers manga and anime, you quite often begin choosing titles based on what critics, fans and friends have to say. By the time I got into manga and anime around 2009, I began to hear the term “The Big Three” frequently. Naturally, these series were amongst the first that I watched and were quite formative on my initial tastes. However, as time has gone on, I have slowly come to detest and hate the term “The Big Three” for numerous reasons.

First off, I should begin by explaining what “The Big Three” are. The term refers to both the manga and anime incarnations of One Piece, Naruto and Bleach and were considered by many to be essential reading/watching when it came to exploring the worlds of manga and anime. However, the term has become not only irrelevant as time has gone on but it has also contributed to misinformation when it comes to both the manga and anime industries and the role that these series play within them.

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The Fascinating World of Anime Production Committees

Published March 29, 2021

I’ve spoken before about the economics of anime but, in that article, I was more focused on the sources of revenue rather than the actual production of the anime themselves. Today, I’d like to take a look at the world of anime production committees and why I find them so fascinating.

To begin, let’s discuss what a production committee is. When an anime is being developed, a committee is established where companies invest money into production and are awarded certain rights such as merchandising, domestic broadcast rights, overseas distribution etc. These investments help to minimise the risk to any one company by spreading costs while allowing them to make money in their field of expertise.

Bandai is typically part of the Gundam production committees to secure merchandising rights.

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