Animation with great art?

hyelakingsfan · Post by **hyelakingsfan** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 9:08 pm

Whats some animation that has REAL GOOD artwork. But not something that has the best artwork but the worst story.

PREFERABLY NON-CG

wELCOME cONSUMER · Post by **wELCOME cONSUMER** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 9:26 pm

Good question.

Well, for now I can name one. Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust. Fantastic story and art to match. Not to mention incredibly high frame rate. Makes use of simple CGI effects to animate complicated background layers and other minor touches that doesn't dilute the beauty of the work. Certainly one of my favorites, in terms of narrative and gorgeous designs.

Keropi · Post by **Keropi** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 9:28 pm

Hmm...I'm not sure. Artwork is very subjective. What looks well-drawn to one person might not look so good to another.

But some of animation I've been impressed with was:

Macross Zero
Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi
Kanon (2006)

Makoto Shinkai's works (such as the upcoming "5 centimeters per second" shorts coming out in 2007). A somewhat fuzzy promo for it was posted recently:

http://www.animesuki.com/series.php/851.html

It's too bad the PTP fansub somewhat fuzzed up the picture (probably unavoidable) because the direct download that was available from the company's website for seven days was crystal sharp and looked even better.

It's amazing how good Macross: Do You Remember Love movie looks considering it came out twenty three years ago. But the regular Macross timeline anime have always had good animation during their time of release.

Prince Vegeta · Post by **Prince Vegeta** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 9:54 pm

ummm....depends on what your taste in artwork i s Harry....if you name an anime that you thought had good artwork then I can give you examples of other anime with similar styles.

Personally I though that Trinity Blood was really well done and it has a pretty good storyline.

A completely different art style is Samurai Champloo....I loved the character design of the series and I thought that the story was really good.

If you go with that art style then you should also check out Ergo Proxy. Again, excellent character design and a fantastic story. I need to warn you though.....you may have to watch Ergo Proxy a couple of times to understand exactly what's going on.....not the easiest plot to digest but once you figure it out, you'll find yourself completely amazed by how beautifully the story is told.

The only series that I thought was seriously lacking in character design was One Piece. Absolutely amazing story lines though....just flawless. The series sort of reminded me of Naruto in the good old days before the filler episodes started kicking in.

A completely different style is Tactics....I thought the characters were well drawn....maybe not the best story that I know of....but good character design.

Hellsing has both character design and story line.

I don't know if you're into old school styff or not but personally I loved the character designs in Hokuto No Ken. It's really really old school. You might laugh at it at first but once you get into it then you'd appreciate it.

Anyways....if you want you can name a series that you like and I can name some more series....

I've only seen about 40 series though so there's not all that much that I can suggest....others at beta can do much better.....I know one person at beta who's watched just over 150 series

Aweeeesome.

Just thought I put in my two cents.

Sugarflower · Post by **Sugarflower** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 10:17 pm

SAIUNKOKU MONOGATARI!!!!
SAIUNKOKU MONOGATARI!!!!

That is.... IF you can handle love stories Harry. Can you? Hmmm?

hyelakingsfan · Post by **hyelakingsfan** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 10:34 pm

How about non-cg animation?

Sugarflower wrote:SAIUNKOKU MONOGATARI!!!!
SAIUNKOKU MONOGATARI!!!!

That is.... IF you can handle love stories Harry. Can you? Hmmm?

I pass lol

wELCOME cONSUMER · Post by **wELCOME cONSUMER** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 10:41 pm

hyelakingsfan wrote:How about non-cg animation?

VHD is non-cg animation. It just happens to employ some minor computer effects but it's a cel based show.

I'd recommend Dead Leaves and Re: Cutey Honey because they both feature kick ass crazy storylines and funky art, but both are CG series.

Are you looking for shows that you can collect from? But I should already that answer, since I'm living in your head...

duotrouble · Post by **duotrouble** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 10:43 pm

Keropi wrote:Hmm...I'm not sure. Artwork is very subjective. What looks well-drawn to one person might not look so good to another.

I have to agree. Personally, I can't stand what the artwork looks like in Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust but a lot of people here like it. And I love Clamp's art but I know beta members who can't stand the look of Clamp. It all depends on what you like.

Check out animenewsnetwork.com for some synopsis and a picture of the artwork. Maybe that can help your search.

hyelakingsfan · Post by **hyelakingsfan** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 10:55 pm

Prince Vegeta wrote:ummm....depends on what your taste in artwork i s Harry....if you name an anime that you thought had good artwork then I can give you examples of other anime with similar styles.

What im trying to say is i dont want anime that has soo many corners. More rounded figures.

For example (dbz):
This image isnt rounded: http://www.meristation.com/EPORTAL_IMGS ... 0/Goku.JPG

This one is: http://forever.dreamers.com/rev/inv/vegeta.jpg

wELCOME cONSUMER wrote:
hyelakingsfan wrote:How about non-cg animation?
VHD is non-cg animation. It just happens to employ some minor computer effects but it's a cel based show.

I'd recommend Dead Leaves and Re: Cutey Honey because they both feature kick ass crazy storylines and funky art, but both are CG series.

Are you looking for shows that you can collect from? But I should already that answer, since I'm living in your head...

Saw VHD.

..and yup, i want something to collect from.

you lil devil you lol.

wELCOME cONSUMER · Post by **wELCOME cONSUMER** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 11:06 pm

Do you like Giant Robots? If so, I know of a little series you might enjoy... and it's cel-based! It's called (big surprise) Giant Robo! But if you collect from it, I'll hafta kill ya!

And I don't wanna be homeless (you know, without your head to live in and all, what with you being murdered by me and what not...) so if you know what's good for you..!

Geez, where was I?

Ohhhh right! I was offering to send you some Giant Robo DVDs. If you're a fan of big bots and character development, you'll like it. Now, the art work is retro but the frame rate is high. In other words, you'll like it if you give it a chance.

Ultimately you may end up not interested in collecting it (woo-hoo!

jk... maybe?), but at least you'll get some free DVDs out of the deal. It's the least I can do for the guy who's head I'm living in.

hyelakingsfan · Post by **hyelakingsfan** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 11:18 pm

wELCOME cONSUMER wrote:Do you like Giant Robots? If so, I know of a little series you might enjoy... and it's cel-based! It's called (big surprise) Giant Robo! But if you collect from it, I'll hafta kill ya! And I don't wanna be homeless (you know, without your head to live in and all, what with you being murdered by me and what not...) so if you know what's good for you..!

Geez, where was I?

Ohhhh right! I was offering to send you some Giant Robo DVDs. If you're a fan of big bots and character development, you'll like it. Now, the art work is retro but the frame rate is high. In other words, you'll like it if you give it a chance. Ultimately you may end up not interested in collecting it (woo-hoo! jk... maybe?), but at least you'll get some free DVDs out of the deal. It's the least I can do for the guy who's head I'm living in.

Thanks for the offer, but not very interested in that. Hey, thats a good thing for you and me. You wont have competition and i wont be murdered

wELCOME cONSUMER · Post by **wELCOME cONSUMER** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 11:49 pm

hyelakingsfan wrote:Thanks for the offer, but not very interested in that. Hey, thats a good thing for you and me. You wont have competition and i wont be murdered

Ah, then all is as it should be.

Let's see, I know you like action and battles. No romance. *thinking*

Hm, Fist of the North Star is one of my favorite series. There's several different incarnations, some digital, some non. The older stuff is, obviously, not digital. The character designs are pretty cool and the violence is over the top. I prefer the older series over the newer stuff so far, just because the newer stuff is more PG in terms of gore. I think you'd enjoy any of it tho. The storylines are pretty cool too, has the Mad Max thing going on.

Do you not like big robots? I couldn't tell if you didn't like the genre. Either way, you might want to check out some of Go Nagai's works, like Shin Getter Robo, Devil Man and Cutey Honey. There's older and newer versions of almost all of his works, so the older stuff is where the cels are at. The character designs tend to be dynamic and unique.

Ninja Scroll? Not sure if you've seen it (the movie) but great art, fast paced story, nudity, violence: basically everything you'd need on a Saturday night.

Almost anything from Madhouse, pre-the digital era. Their art and frame rates were always superb. Most of the properties feature good stories too, like Cyber City OEDO 808 and Demon City Shinjuku.

There's a remake of the Guyver series coming out, but the original is cel based. Great designs, insane looking monsters, crazy violence and likable characters.

Prince Vegeta · Post by **Prince Vegeta** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 1:20 am

Oooppsss....double post....got too excited

Prince Vegeta · Post by **Prince Vegeta** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 1:21 am

wELCOME cONSUMER wrote:Hm, Fist of the North Star is one of my favorite series. There's several different incarnations, some digital, some non. The older stuff is, obviously, not digital. The character designs are pretty cool and the violence is over the top. I prefer the older series over the newer stuff so far, just because the newer stuff is more PG in terms of gore. I think you'd enjoy any of it tho. The storylines are pretty cool too, has the Mad Max thing going on.

YEAAAA.....Hokuto No Ken all the way.....

Little bit off topic, but they're coming out with a new Hokuto No Ken TV series WC. Looking forward to it. It's supposed to be the story of Ken's ancestors. The chances are that it'll not be as good as Hokuto No Ken I or Hokuto No Ken II, but it's still something to look forward to.

So back to you Harry....try watching Mutsu Enmei Ryu (the way of the shura).....It's a great anime with great story lines....I personally love the character designs as well, but you need to check it out for your self.

There are three parts to it, but the three parts are separate stories. I would definitly recommend the first one. It involves Miyamoto Musashi if you know who that is.....I won't spoil it for ya....definitely recommend it.

Also as WC mentioned, Ninja Scroll is a pretty kick ass anime series.

You can also check out Project Arms...also an amazing story line and great character design. I think only the first part of the anime was non-CG though....I could be wrong.

But if you can live with CG, then I would also recommend Bleach...it's a nice transition from DBZ....but I would not recommend the filler episodes.....I don't find them too interesting.

Hope that helped.

Post by **sensei** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 8:01 am

I'd recommend Takashi Nakamura's movie "A Tree of Palme" for really amazing art, especially the backgrounds. Each one I've gotten has been a stunner in terms of detail and artistic technique. The cels (just about the last ones used by a studio, in 2001) are not as detailed as, say X or VHD, but they make quite a visual impact, especially as they were done on a grand scale even as movie cels/bgs go.

Take a look at my newest acquisition for proof: that item is 65 mm. x 45 mm. (ca. 25.5 x 18 inches) or just about an inch bigger than the hugest cel book that I own. I can't imagine the light table that it took to photograph this for the movie.

And of course, "Tenshi ni Narumon" is cracking good both in character design and in using a variety of very clever animation techniques, especially color-shifted highlights, to create moods.

For CG stuff, it's "Saiyuki" coast-to-coast! Here Pierrot used a "Ken Burns" camera technique, repeatedly panning slowly over unmoving images of a character of group of characters with other people talking to them or about them in a voice-over. That reduced the number of frames needed to make the series, but also required the ones designed to be absolutely first-rate, nearly hanken-like in quality, since they stayed on the screen so long.

I love art and anime equally. And I expect that some museums are going to begin to appreciate animation art more seriously as time goes on.