Sensei's 2015.04 Update: Just in time for Thanksgiving

[sensei]

Thank you, majinuub. AnH ("Living for the day after tomorrow" ) really is an extraordinary series, and each time I get a sketch set, I learn something I didn't know about the production values. They really did make an effort to get things not just good enough but right.

[Quacker]

*steps out from the shadowy recesses, de-cloaking from "lurker" mode.....whilst rubbing his eyes against the bright sunlight*

An update from Sensei; no matter how busy my schedule may be, deserves at least an hour or two dedicated to quiet time in order to enjoy the new viewing experiences on offer as well as paying attention to the Sensei's detailed descriptions & observations.

The new "Asatte no Hoko" Karada Douga is indeed very gorgeous - prior to me reading your notes, there was just 'something' about the image itself that made it 'pop' or stand-out for some reason. Then reading through your description & the patented "Sensei Check", I can understand why the Douga itself does stand out. The level of detail clearly incorporated into such an image is amazing - the intricate lace patterns on the collar, Karada's hair & eyelashes as well as the element of a single source of strong-light directed across Karada's right side. As an extra added bonus, you also got "hard-proof" of communication/instructions between Itoh-chan & Takashima-san. I bet you would have been totally chuffed Sensei once you discovered that little factoid?

The 'Karada-chan hears a commotion' along with 'Karada-chan wants to be a little older NOW' as well as the newly crafted animation for "I'll explain it when you're a little older" are all welcome additions to the distinctive "Asatte" gallery.

It is always a welcome surprise to see new additions within your "Angelic Layer" gallery; I am a huge fan of both Studio BONES & the talented Komori-san. In Australia, the first couple of volumes of the "Rahxephon" series was actually released before "Angelic Layer" officially came out here - I recall the distributor even cashing-in on the success of Rahxephon by advertising AL as the next production from the "studio that brought you Rahxephon"! The two new re-animations are very nice, thank-you for putting in the additional time crafting & piecing those together - unfortunately 'Angelic Layer' is another series i missed out on watching it entirely.

Then, finally we have my favorite "Rozen Maiden" - with two new roughs of Shinku to your "ep.12: epic climax" display. Of the two new roughs, I like to think the "Now you have become a useful servant" readily displays more emotion from this potent scene. I concur that Ishii-san utilizes some real skills in being able to both portray the confident & steel-resolved Shinku the audience has witnessed since the first episode as well as show an entirely new 'softer' side.
Thanks for sharing all of these little discovered gems & a Happy Thanks-giving to you & everyone State-side!

[sensei]

Thanks, Quacker, for working through the whole run of additions. As you can imagine, it takes much longer than an hour, first to figure out just what is going in in each sketch set, what the sequence of the sketches are (i.e., what level of work is this shuusei sketch correcting -- the layout, the genga, or another animator's rough?) and what problems were being worked through. It's a fascinating process, one I've enjoyed since my stint doing textual editing with the Nathaniel Hawthorne project (plus getting to handle some of the great man's letters and learning to read his difficult handwriting).

The sketch that I'm thinking must be Ikuko Itoh's was one of those that just jumped out at me on opening the set. It was an odd set, compared with the others: no rough, no genga, no shuusei, and the sketch did not have the usual notes (A1 circled, for example) on it. So I suspected it was one of Itou's that had gone "direct to douga," and it was nice to get the note translated and confirm it. That dapple of light on the right side shows up in other sketches as well for dramatic effect: I call it the "Vampire Princess Miyu" highlight because so many of my VPM cels use the same effect. The fact that it was done on the back of a blank sheet of layout paper also intrigues me, as a singleton cleanup sketch from Princess Tutu showed up on YHJ in 2010. Much less detailed, it is still a nice image of Ahiru and Fakir in an important moment. And it too was done on the back of a blank sheet of layout paper. It would be hard to prove, but the chances this is a production drawing by Itou-sama just went up about 25%.

In truth, though, that series that I titled "Shouko-san makes a fuss" was the one that I spent most time on. There was an unusual number of steps in the production process: most cuts have a predictable sequence of layout, rough, genga, shuusei genga, and douga. This one had layout, rough, shuusei rough, second shuusei rough, genga, shuusei genga, second shuusei genga, douga, plus a few of those odd "box-eyes" sketches on pink paper that I'm now convinced were episode director Takashima's way of communicating his reactions. And, of course, that odd couple of "kabuse dougas." Asatte is a series that loved to use three-quarters profiles for emotional moments, and this is one of the first really complicated ones. I got the feeling that everyone was struggling a bit, especially dealing with the impact that Shouko-san's big round eyeglass lenses have on the eyes seen through them. It was a little eerie to see how the paper had been erased so many times over the eyes, both in the drafts by Episode AD Oki and also in those by his supervisor Itou-sama. You get the same feeling when you see a simple-looking hand-made chair or basket, and look it over carefully and find that some part of it shows painstaking work, the kind that the artist tries hard to conceal rather than show off.

I'm glad that my bit of research on the larger significance of the artists is showing the links of this series, and of Angelic Layer, to the larger creative activity going on in anime with the shift from cel-based to CGI animation. Thanks again, Quacker, for your detailed comments, and my best wishes to you and to all my followers for an enjoyable Thanksgiving!

[cutiebunny]

Nice update as always, Sensei. Ito-san is one of my favorite artists, and I'm always hoping she'll make it to a con Stateside. She's definitely my favorite artist who worked on Sailor Moon, and the episodes that she worked on feature some of the most dynamic sequences in the show.

[sensei]

Thank you, CB. It would be a treat to see Ikuko Itou at a con stateside. She did guest at one in Texas in 2006, as I found this interesting account of her panel on a Princess Tutu fansite. That was helpful to me in clarifying her intentions of the ending of the series, which I was writing up for a scholarly paper.

And as I was reading it, I found myself puzzled by the mention near the end of her new project, "The Day After Tomorrow." Keep in mind that for a long time Anime News Network's encyclopedia, a resource on which I used to rely, misidentified the character designer of AnH as an otherwise obscure "Tomoko Ito" (they have since corrected this info). So until about a year ago, I had no idea that so many of the sketches I already owned were Itou's work. My gut had already told me they were good, but it was a bit startling for my head to wise up and explain why they were good.

[Jadeduo]

I promised feedback last week, but I have been insanely busy with Thanksgiving. However, other than getting the Xmas tree up this weekend I should have some time for my gallery, Beta-stuff, and the Cel Contest this weekend.

Sensei, you already know how much I adore the painted plastic. Your one addition to that side of your collection made me sad because pieces of that caliber are becoming harder to come by. It is also hard especially with a maturer collection to add something completely new and lovely to your collection which you do not have some form, movement, or expression in another wing of your gallery. Kudos to you!

As for the sketches, they are particularly lovely, and the quality of the art might change my mind about the move to completely digital, but somehow I doubt it! ^_^ I am going to ditto Quacker and say the "Asatte no Hoko" Karada Douga if my favorite as well, and the amount of research you put into that whole wing of the gallery is absolutely staggering. I wish I had your persistence and time that you put into your gallery.

I myself just picked up a staggering amount of Loveless sketches off of YJ, they were a reasonable price, and there were a few images I was VERY interested in. I now have well over a 100 new sketches to go through and dissect (The stack of sketches is like 1/2 inch thick), it is overwhelming, seriously KUDOS to you!

I will be definitely adding Asatte no Hoko and Rozen Maiden has been on my list to watch for a while now, if I had all the time in the world! LOL

I look forward to your update in the New Year!

JD
:jumps

[sensei]

Thanks, JD, especially for taking time out of the finger-chewing moments of the cel contest countdown to look through my update. It takes time, but, oddly, none of it seems tedious or mindless: it's time I'd spend puzzling over and figuring out what these sets are telling me about the production of this series. And it is such a rare opportunity to be able to look behind the scenes of a series you love and get a sense of what the animation team was fussing over, which might not at all be visible in the final footage.

Asatte no Houkou ("This way [big arrow pointing down] to the day after tomorrow" not "Living for the day after tomorrow") is well worth a watch. I will warn you that it is actually very much "slice of life" in its motion, and a lot of viewers will find it slow-going. There is the one big magical event that creates the conflict in the series, but the characters deal with it using real-life strategies, and these have real-life consequences, which lead to more conflicts. It can be very internal at times, and the resolution, which occurs off-camera just as the ED credits for the last episode start to roll, is extremely subtle and easy to miss. (I think it's clever, and throws a lot of light on other odd incidents earlier in the series, but it takes several re-watchings to catch it and probably a complete rewatching of the entire series to appreciate fully.)

But the production values of the art are top-quality. I got a sense of that when scanning the Angelic Layer art, where many of the inbetweener dougas are "good enough" but visibly amateurish compared with the key images. I got no such sense when reanimating the AnH dougas: every one was as good as every other.

Good luck with your Loveless sketches, JD! While not as flashy as cels, paper has a lot to say, and it has the advantage of being more stable in storage (once you get that dang tape off!) And there will be at least twice as much plastic in my next update!

[KinoLRB]

As always, a varied and thoughtfully researched update, Sensei. I'll agree that plastic is fantastic, but there's a lot to be said for the texture and rough emotion that sketches convey. First off, a special congratulations on snaring a sketch by the wonderful Hiroki Kanno. That is a real find. I love your Rozen Maiden selections as well, especially the front pose. There's a definite emotion in that piece, and the details in her bonnet are so soft and detailed, almost tangible.

And now I'm intrigued to watch Maeterlinck's Blue Bird. The eyes of the children are so beautiful and expressive. Deep, rich colors too. A great find. I'll defend paper all day long, but when it comes to the final product, digital colors can't compare to the organic brightness of paint-on-cel.

[sensei]

Thank you, Kino. I wish the sketch by Kanno-san were splashier, more RahXephonic, but it reminded me of the very first rough I ever owned, which was from Magic Knight Rayearth. It too was a small, simple sketch -- and yet the image of Umi was absolutely dead-on Umi. I was amazed that such a simple, quickly executed drawing could capture the character so completely (it's probably by Atsuko Ishida, character designer for both MKR seasons).

And thanks for the comments on the "At last you do something to help, my servant" sketch. That's one I'd been watching for. (The gengas for both images, alas, both went for prices way out of my current budget.)

Sorry to say, you'll need to do some serious research to get to view Office Academy's Maeterlinck's Blue Bird, as it's totally unavailable except for some of the OP/ED sequences. You used to be able to watch the Italian dub, which is, I believe, still running on cable TV in that country. But the FBI came in gangbusters and shut down the streaming video site for piracy. I finally got the raw Japanese DVDs and an all-region player (the on-screen menu is in Spanish, but it's intuitive). A pity, as it is the only watchable adaptation on screen, the other versions being turkeys of various shapes and sizes. (None more so than the 1976 ElizabethTaylor/Jane Fonda/Deborah Kerr/Bolshoi Ballet extravaganza.)

[sensei]

... is now live at Rubberslug. This special gallery has been a December tradition since 2006, as has been the naming of the "Gallery of the Year" for the part of the collection that was most substantially strengthened during the year. Past winners:

2006: CCS
2007: MKR
2008: CCS
2009: TnN
2010: Rozen Maiden
2011: Rozen Maiden
2012: Maeterlinck's Blue Bird
2013: Rozen Maiden

It's been a slim year, compared to some of the banquets of previous round-ups. But slim pickings and tight budgets have forced me to think and rethink each new addition. So even in the relative sparseness, there are many things to enjoy a second time. And the relative lack of CCS/MKR/TnN material leaves the door open for a newbie to claim the "Gallery of the Year." Or -- just maybe -- Shinku will put her foot down and say RM is the greatest series ever collected, now and forever?

Feeling nostalgic? Come and check out the review.

[Jadeduo]

Sensei, you definitely had quite the year! Your Asatte no Hokko additions and Rozen Maiden additions were of VERY high quality, and your sketch collections are one of the many reasons I have decided to branch out more fully into sketches. You are correct the pickings for CCS have been quite light as of lately, several of my favorite sellers on YJ have disappeared. I am hoping they will pick back up after the holidays!

Congratulations on getting this done, I know that you were worried you weren't going to get it done before the end of the year, so kudos!

I am afraid of what my year in review would look like for 2014 probably on the insane side... It is definitely an interesting Gallery Wing and I would love to see more collectors do this!

JD

[sensei]

Thanks, JD. Not having a huge number of additions in 2014 made it possible. And I am getting some tasks done quickly, trying to clean my desktop to concentrate on the dreaded Christmas house-cleaning/decorating. It is a daunting task, but at least one gets a clean house for January.

A hint: the first 2015 upgrade will have more cel-based art than the last ones.

[Jadeduo]

I am SOOO Excited! ^_^ I wait with baited breath!

JD ^_^

[Quacker]

Nice review Sensei, it was a pleasant experience taking a stroll down the memory lane of the previous 12months, seeing what you were able to find & discover over that period, revisiting old favourites with your "Onesies", "Yamibo" and of course "R-Z".

It has indeed been a very "slim year" on the cel-collecting front (amongst others) but this review demonstrates a true collectors determination and resourcefulness.
When the main sources of the items we like to collect start to run dry, enduring extended periods of time with barely anything new & noteworthy being available (even the unkoer site has taken to listing twitter & other tumblr images rather than being the usual reliable source of auction information it once was), one starts to question and become less interested in the hobby of collecting. You were able to 'move outside the box' and concentrate on the 'side' shows and along the way introduce some of us to these lessor-known shows.

Heres to wishing 2015 being another fruitful year!

[sensei]

Thanks, James. This has been a "lean year," not just for opportunities but also for my budget, where the cost of living pinches our retirement funds hard. Still, as you say, I've looked for chances that keep me intellectually alive as a collector, rather than saying, "all the good cels for [name of series] are past and gone." It's hard to predict what will happen in 2015, but with a "trap line" as long as mine has gotten, it's likely that enough will turn up to keep me alert. After all, I went from Sept. 2011 to Nov. 2014 between Angelic Layer updates. And the next upgrade (first of 2015) will include a cel from a series last updated in Jan. 2012.

Patience seems a necessary virtue for all kinds of collectors.