I was browsing the internet when I came across the trailer for the new Lupin the 3rd film. Titled “Lupin the Third: The First”, it is going to be the first Lupin the 3rd film to be animated in 3D CGI (Computer Generated Imagery). As established in “Discotek Media Spotlight“, I’m a big fan of Lupin the 3rd. Watching the trailer, I felt mostly okay with the style of animation (although I feel that they ruined Daisuke Jigen’s character design) but I still had to question the decision of why this film is CG.
I wish to start by saying that I have nothing against CG animated films. In fact, Finding Nemo is one of my favourite films of all time. However, it is fair to say that CG animated films now dominate the cinematic landscape. I believe that one of the many appeals of anime is the stylish 2D artwork and animation but, as the anime industry continues to try to crack the world market, it is inevitable that they will try to create CG films.
The earliest CG anime film I can remember seeing was the 2004 Appleseed film, a loose adaptation of the manga by Shirow Masamune. While hailed at the time for its animation, I cannot look at the film now as I believe the animation to be awkward and stiff and the art ugly with poor lighting and expressionless characters. However, the 2007 sequel Appleseed Ex Machina showed a dramatic improvement in the animation and art. “Perhaps CG anime won’t be too bad.” I can remember thinking as I watched this film.
The problem arose when TV CG anime series began to be produced. To explain the problem, I first have to explain the different frame-rates between traditional animation and CG. An excellent example of this comes from Futurama where Scott Vanzo (of Rough Draft Studios) explained that the hand-drawn animation was animated at 12 frames per second. However, the CG effects are animated at 24 frames per second to reduce artifacting. This shows that there is a need to change frame-rate when moving from traditional animation to CG.
Anime typically has a frame-rate of about 8-12 frames per second. However, different parts of the show are animated at different frame-rates, depending on the level of action in a scene. When a CG show is rendered, it’ll typically have a steady frame-rate which can cause the characters and objects to move in a choppy, jarring way in contrast to 2D anime. I’m sure that, as time passes, the artists and animators will find tricks to solve this problem but that does not negate the problems many shows suffer from.
Returning to why the new Lupin the 3rd film is now CG, there is no doubt in my mind that the primary reason is to get access to lucrative international markets. We have seen several CG anime films become successes in countries outside of Japan such as the 2013 Space Pirate Captain Harlock in Italy and Stand By Me Doraemon internationally. Whether Lupin the 3rd can replicate these successes remains to be seen.
While I remain skeptical of CG anime in general, there can be no doubt of the potential of international markets for these films and for the industry. As time has passed, we have seen a steady improvement in the animation quality of these films and of TV series. Whether these films can replicate the success of Disney or Dreamworks remains to be seen.
Hopefully you have found this article interesting and informative and, if you wish to seek any of the works I mentioned, don’t hesitate to use amazon.co.uk or amazon.com for all of your needs!