Forum - View topicSeirei no Moribito's high quality: trend or exception?
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Kimiko_0
 Posts: 1797 Location: Leiden, NL, EU |
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Yesterday I finished Seirei No Moribito (Guardian Of The Spirit). One of the first things I noticed was how good the artwork (backgrounds as well as characters) looked and how well 2D and 3D were combined.
Although the quality of anime art slowly improves over time (compare '80s, '90s and recent anime for example), Moribito looks a lot better than most anime of recent years. I was wondering if this is simply (one of) the first example(s) of a continuing trend, or really an exception. Does anyone know if Moribito's budget was much larger than usual? Is Production I.G. known for high quality animation? I see some top names in their list of anime, but like any large company they've also been part of lower-quality anime. Sisters Of Wellber would be an example of not quite blending 2D and 3D, as well as shoddy writing. Or are Moribito's creators simply some of the first to figure out how to make a combination of 3D and 2D look great, and can we look forward to more anime like this? |
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farruinn
 Posts: 122 |
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I think it's fair to expect this caliber of art and animation from Production I.G. given their track record with titles like Moribito, Real Drive, Tsubasa: Tokyo Revelations, etc. (I haven't seen everything from them... yet!). To me, Production I.G. has a distinctive style: very thin lines, detailed, fluid motion, realistic looking character designs, and excellent use, or maybe I should say excecution, of light. My only real criticism of the art in Moribito was that with the color palette they used, the La Lunga looked a little cheesy. Because they have a style that's so much their own, I don't know if we can expect future works from other companies to look like these, but hopefully other animation companies are taking note of the sheer quality. |
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walw6pK4Alo
 Posts: 9322 |
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Absolutely wrong if you think this will be a trend. It's a complete and utter exception. Every single season I see a whole slew of new shows, maybe five tops will actually have any kind of real budget, and they're usually always from the same studios. A show like Seirei no Moribito is extremely rare, for how well it was animated and a lot of work put on the sound and music.
A lot animation studios, from what I've observed, just want to get all their shows out, more or less the equivalent of shovelware. Quality might be slightly important, but it's nowhere close to having retarded moe girls taking up all the screen time, and then promising nipples in the DVD release. Not to say you can't expect some good anime on the horizon, but it will continue to be few and far between, and probably drop if nothing else. |
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braves
 Posts: 2309 Location: Puerto Rico (but living in Texas) |
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Yeah, Moribito is an exception, just like every title, anime or not, that's been good for last few centuries. There will always be more bad stuff than good when it comes to entertainment.
I would disagree that the quality of the art 20 or 10 years is inferior to the shows that come out nowadays. It's just that back then they didn't have all the technology that's available now, so the shortcuts that they used are a lot more noticeable. But actually, the same cheap tricks are being used nowadays, just with a new name. Production IG also made GITS:SAC. So, yes, I'd say that they're known for making quality work and for knowing how to blend 3D and 2D images. |
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Ian K
 Posts: 250 |
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Kimiko_0
Seirei no Moribito is at the high end of anime art, but it's not alone. Production I.G. has a reputation for periodically creating high quality shows with intelligent storylines. Some of their past hits include the Ghost in the Shell franchise, Le Chevalier de Eon, Ghost Hound, and of course most recently Moribito. On the other hand, they have as you noted been involved in plenty of less-than-spectacular shows (if TranceArts is listed in the credits, its a bad sign). In the past year, they have confused fans by releasing a number of poorly received (at least on this side of the Pacific) shows - although to be fair, part of the problem with Real Drive was everyone was expecting it to be the second coming of GitS, when the creators had something different in mind. The only thing that's gotten a lot of acclaim from them recently has been The Sky Crawlers. Their newest show, Kemono no Souja Erin, is based on a novel by the author of Moribito, so there's potential it will break the streak, but TranceArts is collaborating, so don't hold your breath. As for the combination of 2D and 3D animation in a manner pleasing to the eye, this is a relatively new development. Production I.G. has shown their mastery of it in Stand Alone Complex among other things. Madhouse has also used it to good effect, perhaps most appealingly in Paprika. I also liked the 2D/3D integration in Studio 4C's adaptation of Tekkonkinkreet. Of course, if the budget is big enough, anime with very little to no 3D work can look very good, as the original Ghost in the Shell and Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away show. |
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Ian K
Posts: 250 |
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I forgot to mention another show that had some very good (and some not so good) 2D/3D integration is Last Exile, perhaps the best thing GONZO has created.
To get an idea of how far Production I.G. has fallen, you can check out the Abunai Sisters, streaming on our very own ANN! (Actually, I haven't seen it - I'm too scared - but I hear its horrible. It certainly LOOKS horrible). And Trans Arts is actually spelled this way, if anyone cares. |
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farruinn
Posts: 122 |
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Yep, I was surprised that Production I.G. even allowed their name to be associated with that. To be fair, though, it's a gag comedy, so I think the poor quality is intentional. I just keep telling myself they had some interns who needed something to do... Last edited by farruinn on Wed Jan 14, 2009 11:15 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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anime advocate
 Posts: 46 |
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Well Production IG has almost always been good with making high quality work. You can not just say every major anime company does that even today. Having said that I strongly believe that Seirei no Moribito's high quality is an exception. I know it looks good but compared to today’s newly released animes, it just doesn’t make the mark. Do not get me wrong this was one of the best for when it was made in terms of quality, witch is good because that is what the people wanted to see. That high of quality was un heard of. |
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abynormal
 Posts: 427 Location: Louisiana |
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You forget Sturgeon's Law: 90% of everything is crap. It applies to movies, it applies to music, it applies to anime. Moribito is one of those lucky titles to make it into that 10% that is actually really good. The large majority of anime will continue to be forgettable "shovelware," so be glad you got to enjoy something that actually had a lot of love put into it.
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Mushi-Man
 Posts: 1537 Location: KCMO |
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I think, like most have agreed, that it's all because of Production G.I. It's come to the point where you can expect just about any Production G.I. product to have high quality art work.
But, keeping that in mind, I'm not sure that this is a "trend". I think that anime artist still like to try their own art style and to mix it up with something new from time to time (just look at Dead Leaves art work). But I wouldn't mind seeing a few more anime try this "high quality" art style out. |
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Sophisticat
 Posts: 165 |
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Keep an eye out for this season's Rideback. The quality is high right from the first episode.
The high quality seen in SnM is obviously an exception. Only the very best studios make a trend out of it since they have the talent and the resources to make high quality anime. I would put Production I.G., Madhouse and KyoAni among the top quality studios. Sunrise and Bones are also very good, but they tend to vary more. |
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farruinn
Posts: 122 |
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I think you're going a bit too far by saying it misses the mark compared newer anime. Moribito came out in the summer of 2007, it wasn't that long ago. Could you provide some examples and reasoning? Perhaps I haven't seen enough anime, but I can't think of the titles you must be referring to. |
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dennou_san
 Posts: 14 Location: Manila |
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Moribito was an exemplary exception. It's one of the few anime series that Production I.G. did right in terms of overall presentation and impact. You can certainly expect no less from that studio but since they've released their share of milk-and-water anime, it's not hard to think that Moribito was sort of stellar for its year. A lot of studios are erratic; even Manglobe, which has so far released three TV titles, didn't keep up well with the beginning quality of their series. To them, Michiko to Hatchin would most likely be their exception. Madhouse, GAINAX, Bones, Studio Pierrot, Studio DEEN, J.C. Staff, SHAFT,Sunrise---stop!--- also have their respective humdingers.
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ryuzaki11
 Posts: 67 Location: Kanbal,Sagu. |
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This is one of the most exceptional animes I've ever seen of not the only one. (I have memory disabilities)
The music, scenery and dialogue, overall quality was really well. I guess that is why I love this anime so much. I would hope that this would be seen in more upcoming anime. |
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