I think it’s fair to say that among those who do not watch anime and even those who dabble from time to time, there is a stereotypical art style that is associated with the medium, that being of doe-eyed characters with proportionally correct bodies and highly exaggerated emotional expressions. I wouldn’t say that this concept is unfounded and I often see anime resort to what I would consider to be a bland, default art style. While the more mature stories were the primary appeal of anime for me back when I first discovered it, I’ve increasingly been more enthused by anime that stand out in their art direction and so I thought I’d discuss why I look for more distinct art styles in the anime that I watch as well as a few examples.
I don’t think many people will disagree that a major component of the experience of watching anime, and animation as a whole, are the visuals. I won’t name any names, whether with regard to the anime series themselves or people, but I remember being at the anime society of my college and noting people’s distaste for anime that looked too different to what they expected anime to be. In turn, there were a few anime that they watched which I found to be too bland, both from a story perspective and an art perspective, to keep my interest. Since then, I’ve found that I’m more likely to be interested in a show whose art style stands out as being distinct.
One of the first anime that I saw that allowed me to realise how distinct anime art could be was the 2009 film Redline. Beyond the 100,000 hand drawn frames that were produced over seven years, the visuals stood out to me and, after some time contemplating, I realised that, besides the use of colour and some of the crazier alien designs, what I was observing was the use of hard shadows. Every shadow in the film is pure black and this creates a high-contrast image that is simply splendid to behold. In some ways, it feels more like a Western comic book come to life rather than a traditional anime and that is not a bad thing.
Of course, I do want to emphasise that more typical anime artwork can still be visually sumptuous but that, as I see more and more anime, I want to see styles that are remarkably different and stand out. Many of the works of Masaaki Yuasa would certainly fall into this category with both Mind Game and Night Is Short, Walk On Girl standing out to me as among the most distinct artistically. Another title that stands out to me is Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo which, while featuring somewhat normal character designs, uses colours and patterns in such a manner that it ends up becoming an incredible visual experience.
Of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention one of my favourite anime that I’ve ever seen that perfectly encapsulates the power of artwork and animation, The Legend of the Forest. Part of Osamu Tezuka’s experimental anime shorts, The Legend of the Forest serves as a loving tribute to the evolution of animation as well as the conflict between limited and full animation by making use of these styles. What we see then is the shifting but all equally beautiful artwork throughout the first part and it’s truly the best example, although exceptional, when it comes to the strength of distinct art styles in anime.
Of course, there is more to anime than just the art style but it can often enhance the experience when it complements the story that it’s telling. That’s why I hope that we continue to see anime, whether they be films, TV series, OVAs or shorts, push boundaries when it comes to the artwork and not simply settle for safer, more typical styles. Let me know your thoughts on all of this, whether you also look for distinct art styles in anime, some of the best examples you’ve seen, how you think the art can impact the story being told and any additional information you might have on the topic.
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!