Best Animation of 2016

Animation comes in many styles and forms. From highly detailed and polished to sketchy and fluid, anime brings multiple dimensions of art straight to our eyeballs and the result is an EYEGASM. I don't know if other people use this term but all it means is that whatever you're looking at is so good or beautiful it gives your eyes an orgasm! 

As you all see I want to talk about animation today! A while back I had seen Crunchyroll's Anime Awards on their site and I looked at who won best animation (not best anime, animation). I was not personally happy about which show won So I thought it would be great to talk about the shows that were in my opinion top quality when it comes to the animation of a show. I've added a poll that can be seen throughout my blog where you can vote for one of the eight shows I'm talking about today so I can see once and for all which show people think has the best animation. I'll write a paragraph about each show as if I was making the case why that show should win and you all get to decide after reading! 

KEEP IN MIND:

• Spoiler free! \*(^o^)*/
• Vote at the end
• Keep an open mind (Try to be as little biased as possible)
• This is not for best anime, this is for the show with the best animation.

Let's get started!!!!!!!!!!

ERASED

From the winter season I present to you Erased by A-1 Pictures. I would describe the animation of Erased as polished and complex. Every shot you see, every color that's expressed has meaning throughout the show. The symbolism of the color red is impactful and adds a second layer of awe that few other shows can replicate. If you haven't noticed, the color red is used in the show for two purposes; moments of warmth and love and moments of danger. Don't believe me, watch the show again and watch out for it. The animation's polish gives Erased the crisp look we like to see but even better, the angles and art direction of the show give it's animation a new perspective that's rejuvenating. The scenes can be heartwarming and then suddenly turn drastic and intense. This show provides animation that is just jaw dropping! How can you not vote for this one!

KABANERI OF THE IRON FORTRESS

From the spring season, it is Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress by Studio Wit. There's only one phrase that can describe the are of this show; DAAAAAAAMN! I mean have you looked at this, there's so much detail and good motion that I'm having a heart attack just looking at it. The animation for Kabaneri knows how to set the mood when it comes to zombie butt-kicking action. Detailed death animations, explosions of blood pouring out of Kabaneri bodies is just a beautiful thing. Let's not forget the warriors kicking that butt! Characters are highly detailed and have a larger than life feel that you expect from Studio Wit. The landscapes are awesome too. green pastures mixed in with steampunk architecture is something we don't see too often but man does it look good! The animation of Kabaneri just screams epic and that is why there is no other show you should be voting for than Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress! 

My Hero Academia

Spring brings the hit shonen show, My Hero Academia by Studio Bones. I would describe this show's animation as cartoonish and fluid. Studio Bones is great at creating this cartoonish look to anime that they're famous for such as in Soul Eater. The cartoonish nature of the show perfects the sense of adventure that we expect from this story. The animation is at its best when expressing extreme emotions like determination or desire. The animation is used in such a way that it enhances that emotion tenfold! the same could be said about action scenes. Action scenes are well drawn and flow very naturally. People may be turned off by anime that looks a bit cartoony but I say nay! We don't get to see anime like this often so I find it to be a fresh take from the traditional anime we see today. Stellar animation that enhances the feelings of characters and audience is the reason why My Hero Academia deserves to be the show with the best animation!

SPACE PATROL LULUCO

Last contestant coming out of the spring season is Space Patrol Luluco by Studio Trigger. Trigger always does amazing work and it's no different here either. Not many people have even seen this show since the episodes only run for 7-8 minutes but that doesn't make this show any less great! Honestly, thanks to the animation, I've gotten more excitement out of this short than many full length shows that I've seen this year. The animation is best described as being active and fun. When you watch Luluco, you can see that there aren't many times when the show is still; something always happening or changing.The animation is colorful and simpler than traditional anime giving it the lively feel that we enjoy. The animation is great at heightening the comedy and absurdities that Luluco is known for and which really makes the show unique. That's why Space Patrol Luluco is a cut above the rest and deserves the title of best animation.

MOB PSYCHO 100

From the creator of One Punch Man comes a new epic series with the best animation you could ever hope for. From Studio Bones, its Mob Psycho 100. There's only one way to describe Mob Psycho's animation; messy but refined. This purposely messy art style gives a flair we haven't seen in the anime industry for quite some time. The animation can seem lackluster and then suddenly jumps into a burst of detailed and fluid art that has you standing in complete awe. Hours of hard work go into an animation that looks messy but terrific at the same time. Animation  like this is innovative, refreshing, and above all completely awesome!!! The action scenes are the best you'll ever see and that's saying something! Psychic abilities, evil spirits, hand to hand combat is all demonstrated beautifully through the work of Studio Bones.The art-style of Mob Psycho is one of the best that I've seen this year and that is the reason everyone should vote for this show.

YURI ON ICE

From the fall season comes a story of figure skating like it's never been told before. I present to you all Yuri on Ice by Studio Mappa. I didn't think figure skating would ever be so attracting to me but after seeing the beautiful animation done by Studio Mappa, I was highly impressed. This show was definitely an underdog at the beginning of the season but now has become one of the most popular shows of the year. I think the main reason for this is because of the great skating animations that we get to see so often. You an describe Yuri's animation as breathing with life. Skating scenes take a life of their own thanks to fluid animation and great camera work. The camera moves as if you were skating with them inside the rink and the angles the camera takes is absolutely spectacular. Even when watching performances from afar, you feel like a spectator sitting in your seat watching the performance take place in front of your very eyes. Yuri on Ice's animation and approach to camera work make it the best animation of the year and should easily win this competition. 

SHELTER

This next entry isn't a show at all but deserves great praise for what it has done; This is the song Shelter by Porter Robinson and A-1 Pictures. In the span of a couple minutes the animation of this music video had our eyes balling which other shows need an entire season to accomplish. The animation by A-1 Pictures is breathtaking to say the least. The sense of loneliness was perfectly created with the variety of open background scenery. Wide and vast fields, icy tundras, empty neighborhoods; all of it giving the feel that the video aspired to reach. Beautiful effects design give the video that professional touch that you expect from A-1 Pictures and adds an extra layer of depth that makes the video all the more enticing. Overall, it's just great animation doing its job; telling a story. Although this entry will get a lot of debate, I believe that there is no better choice than Shelter to be best animation. 

FLIP FLAPPERS

From the fall season, the beautiful original Flip Flappers by Studio 3hz. This studio may not be all that well known yet but they made sure their voices were heard with this project. Flip Flappers is an extraordinary piece that can only be described as colorful and epic! To start off, I'm not even a huge fan of magical girl anime so it really has to take me away in order for me to watch it and Flip Flappers did just that. The reason I took a liking to the show was primarily for two reasons. The first reason is that the action animations are spectacular. I can genuinely call this a show full of Sakuga (over the top quality animation). The second reason being the the color palette and world creation is top notch. Every new world you see is well drawn and gives off the sense of adventure that this show is all about! The spontaneous color changes with scenery and characters is exciting and keeps you interested in whats going on. That's why Flip Flappers deserves to win best animation of the year for all the great things it does.

So everyone, what do you think? Which show deserves the crown of best animation? Tell me down in the comments below and if the show you thought had the best animation isn't here, then tell me the show i'm missing. Don't forget to vote at the poll for your favorite (or other if you completely disagree with everything I've said). Before you click out, consider checking out my YouTube Channel, GiraffePants Anime for more anime content! With all that said, I hope you all enjoyed reading and hope to see you here next post!

 

Film Theory & Art Direction: March Comes in Like a Lion

Now that the Fall 2016 season is over with we can look forward to a bunch of new exciting anime to blow our minds but even before that I have to talk about a lot of shows that I witnessed during the past year. One of those is March Comes in Like a Lion. I'm not doing a review on this show because it's only halfway done but I can't help but write about this show a little so I thought it would be a great idea to talk about one of the show's strong points; its art direction. I hope you guys are ready for some film theory and deep analysis (if you're not, read anyway because why not!) because I have a lot of good things to talk about.

THERE WILL BE SPOILERS (maybe...)

Before I begin, I'm assuming you know what I'm talking about but if you don't here is a little synopsis (Skip to the next subheading if you know the story):

Rei Kiriyama is a 17-year-old boy who recently started living alone, financed by his salary as a professional Shogi player. Despite his independence, however, he's yet to mature emotionally, and his problems continue to haunt him in his daily life. His relationship with his adoptive family is strained, and he has difficulties interacting with his fellow high school students. Meanwhile, his professional career has entered a slump. Burdened with the heavy expectations placed on him as the fifth to become pro in middle school, his wins and losses are fluctuating as his record and progression into the ranks begin to stagnate.

Acquainted with Rei are the three Kawamoto sisters: Akari, Hinata, and Momo. Unlike Rei, they live happily in their modest home, which they warmly welcome Rei into as if he were one of their own. Despite his reservations about becoming too close to the family, he frequently visits, interacting with them and receiving the kind of care and affection he never quite had while under his foster home.This is the story of Rei's triumphs and failures, relationships new and old, and his growth as a person

-Information provided by: MyAnimeList

Attention to Detail

The first thing I want to talk about is the detail put into the simplest of scenes. If you don't think small attention to details matter then let me tell you, YOU ARE DEAD WRONG!!! Detail can elevate a show to monstrous proportions if done right. It's like when you watch Inception (by the way, great movie) and start picking up on little clues to unfold the story before they tell you. March Comes in Like a Lion is good at putting in subtle scenes that perfectly describe the situation at hand.  

This next picture will be a perfect example but first some context:

Before the following scene, our main character Rei is having a match against a fellow shogi professional who's career isn't going to well. His career is bad to the point where he results to drinking and gambling. Because of this, he now faces a divorce from his wife who can't take anymore of his BS. While Rei and the man play, we might not be sure who is winning but then comes the scene that describes what's going on. 

Rei's side shows a perfectly clean tray but on the other side, the man's tray is contains spilled bottles and some water all over the tray. We can clearly understand the situation thanks to this single frame that anyone can overlook. The man is obviously frustrated and anxious. as we continue the scene, we begin the scene you'll see that Rei is taking control of the game while the man is being backed into a corner. Scenes like these can really tell you what's happening without spelling it out for you and that's a mark of a good show. 

Artistic Decisions Done Right

Now let's get into a little bit of film theory. Continuing with the previous scene I was talking about, the man Rei is playing against is on the losing side of things and then we see this scene.

This is another great scene that shows how powerless the man is to the talent of Rei. In this scene, we see the man looking down towards the shogi board but his body only covers about 10% of the screen. His small size represents how powerless the man is compared to Rei. Rei is represented by the light above the man's head because Rei's talent is bright and prodigious. The light hangs above the man to say that Rei is above him or in a position of power. I could be reading too much into it but then again, who knows what the director was thinking when making this. Okay onto another example. 

Let's get into some more context:

This next scene takes place in an episode prior to the last one where Rei plays against an old man who's career as a shogi player is just abysmal. He plays mediocre at his best and terrible at his worst. This match happens to be important for both Rei and the old man because Rei's income as a shogi player is at stake and the old man intends to retire if he loses. The old man realizes that his chances of winning are slim so instead he accepts that his career will be ended at the hands of Rei. The old man states, followed by the next scene.

 "I could only think of you as a grim reaper, come to close the curtain on my life as a shogi player."

This is another great artistic scene. at first it just looks like Rei silhouetted by a bright light in the background but there's a lot of meaning here. First, the light. The light in the background represents the afterlife. We know this because the old man refers to Rei as being a reaper so we can imply that the light is meant to show the end of his career. Rei's face is black and covered by shadows to give a sense of mysteriousness, power, and supernatural prowess. The purpose of this scene is to strengthen the statement made by the old man and it does just that. 

This show is full of beautiful art and excellent story telling so If you haven't checked it out yet then I highly suggest you do so. It's a great show and I'm excited to continue it in all of its glory. The next blog coming up will be a top 10 of my favorite female characters with blue hair so make sure you follow me on Google+ to stay informed on that. I also have a YouTube Channel just about anime called, GiraffePants Anime so you can check out my videos over there and subscribe if you like what you see (Note* I'm fucking hideous...). With all that said, I hope you all enjoyed this post and I will catch you all later.