Anime Anime Style Preferences

[eleanor]

[font="trebuchet ms"] I always take an anime's style into consideration first when I decided whether I should give it a try or not- it's that important to me. So I thought I'd make a thread asking what everyone else's preferences were.

Be warned that I'm the pickiest person when it comes to this subject. :)

I just detest old school CLAMP style, I'm sorry. I know a lot of people think CLAMP is great because everyone is beautiful and feathery and long-limbed, but I pull my hair out over their designs. And I'm not talking about recent CLAMP style, like [i]Tsubasa[/i] or [i]XXXHolic[/i], because I've taken a liking to those. It's the style used in older stuff like [i]Tokyo Babylon[/i] or [i]Magic Knight Rayearth[/i].

The Naruto anime was like a rare exception for me, because I pretty much hate the its style as well. Seriously, looking at this picture makes me want to seize something and shake it:

[center][img]http://xs218.xs.to/xs218/07334/NarutoTeam7.jpg[/img]
[size=1]AUGHHH![/size][/center]

I know I'm unreasonable when it comes to quality. Even though I'm aware that long-running anime like [i]Naruto[/i] and [i]Bleach[/i] are just prone to have less-than-stellar production, it just irritates me. =_=

I pretty much adore GAINAX's style, though. Their OVAs are just spectacular in my eyes- everything is clean lines and solid style and *0* I just love it. OVAs like [i]FLCL[/i] and [i]Diebuster[/i] are complete eye-candy to me. Even their character designs are sexier. I can't get enough of them. Manglobe also has my kind of style, even though they've only made two anime ([i]Samurai Champloo, Ergo Proxy[/i]).

But a lot of times character designs pull me through style. I love [i]One Piece[/i] for their characters, but I don't fancy its art. Same with [i]Fullmetal Alchemist[/i]. And sometimes overly generic character design kills my love for the style, an example for this case being [i]Romeo & Juliet[/i].[/font]

[Dagger]

Are you talking about the designs as they would appear on a character sheet, or the designs as they appear in the anime itself? (e.g. nasty faces in a Naruto filler episode.) Your post makes it sound like a bit of the former and a bit of the latter.

~Dagger~

[eleanor]

[font="trebuchet ms"] The anime itself. Character design sheets don't really mean anything to me. Naruto style would still be bad if it was on a nice sheet and well drawn out, just because it's so incredibly dull. Even in the real arcs of the Naruto anime, the style is just, urgh.

I did bring in quality, but it was a digression. I'm just talking about style, like how Bleach style is different from Naruto style. I always thought character design was very interdependent and interchangeable with style, so I brought that in as well. :)

I'd also like to proclaim my love for this mystery anime style I see randomly:

[center][img]http://xs218.xs.to/xs218/07334/onepicemsbo.png[/img][/center]

The [i]One Piece[/i] movie [i]Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island[/i] was randomly done in a completely new and streamlined style, and I just loved it. It happened in [i]Naruto[/i], too, during Naruto and Sasuke's fight at the Valley of the End:

[center][img]http://xs218.xs.to/xs218/07334/narutoms.png[/img][/center]
[/font]

[Panache]

I really like the stuff that comes from korea. Almost every manga/anime I have seen from there is really unique. An example I think of immediately was My Beautiful Girl Mari. It has a real dreamlike quality. Top notch stuff. For atmosphere anything like that is great.

[IMG]http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb213/Aboywearingvans/200px-MyMari.jpg[/IMG]

I also like miyazaki for backgrounds and locales. Not so much character design. I find his girls all look the same. He makes beautiful landscapes though.

For character designs I gotta give it To Osamu Tetsuka. He made very unique looking characters. They look western and eastern at the same time.

What do I hate? Shojuoey stuff. Really skinny girls with big heads and colorful clothes. NaNa and Supergals are some good examples of this(I still like NaNa though...very good story)

[Dagger]

So you're saying "style" is the sum total of whatever makes it look the way it looks--character designs, how it's animated, etc...?

One thing I've realized I like about anime in general is the variance in frame rates. People complain about anime not being as slick as Western animation, but to me, unvaried smoothness is a much bigger problem.

Animation doesn't have to duplicate human movement perfectly, but it should at least show an amplification of natural movement. And the thing is, people don't move smoothly. They stumble. They hesitate. They jerk around. When I see totally smooth animation, I can't get into it. That's also why I don't like full-CG anime, even when they're cel-shaded to look 2D. The movements don't feel right--they're too graceful and continuous and alien.

Overall I care about art much less than animation. Whether it's simplistic or as frilly as old-school CLAMP, I'll learn to like it if it's animated with panache.

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/DaggerIX1/merchanthp7.png[/IMG]

That said, in terms of style, one of my current favorites is [b]Mononoke[/b] (above). It doesn't have a lot in the way of character movement. But the settings are so, so stunning, and the designs are deliciously unusual. It feels like watching a painting or some other kind of flat art come to life.

~Dagger~

[2010DigitalBoy]

[COLOR="DarkOrange"]I'm a whore for [I]moe [/I]and [I]loli[/I]. You know, the stuff that's in, like, every show these days. I like girls who are short, young looking, small breasts, unrealistically large heads + eyes, the usual. Sure, there are other chracter desings I still like. Like [B]Jing [/B]in the later gns...

[CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v240/jiyuu/Icons/King%20of%20Bandit%20Jing/escuro_sama6.png[/IMG][/CENTER]

or some of the more realistic characters such as...

[CENTER][IMG]http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u146/stenkohl/20060818152731_101_genshiken2.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER]

The [B]Genshiken [/B]Gang.

But moe is my favorite (and I'm sure 90% of the anime community stands beside me). It comes in a thousand shapes and sizes, though. My personal favorite, though, is the type that features the most humble yet stylish character designs. The best example would be [B]Hidamari Sketch[/B].

[CENTER][IMG]http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q205/tomoyochibo/Hidamari_Sketch_v01_c00_pg001.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER]

Who's style both in characters and animation are absolute love. Honestly, if you haven't seen this show, and I know you haven't, you are a disgrace :p (j/k)

Yunocchi, the girl on the bottom right is beholder of my altime favorite look for an anime character. The look is common for her archetype... prolly my favorite archetype...

[CENTER][IMG]http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o297/NWHSanimeclub/20061211_82_03.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b269/MetalSonic700/image.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER]

As for style of animation and stuff, just look at anything [B]Shinbo[/B]. I love shinbo.[/COLOR]

[Panache]

Meh I hate moe. Mostly because cute isn't my thing. Although I do make exceptions for very special characters. Also a lot of moe characters look freaky...they have those dead eyes...

[2010DigitalBoy]

[quote name='Avenged666fold']Meh I hate moe. Mostly because cute isn't my thing. Although I do make exceptions for very special characters. Also a lot of moe characters look freaky...they have those dead eyes...[/QUOTE]

[COLOR="DarkOrange"]When was the last time you saw an anime with no moe characters in it that had any regular-looking anime characters in it? Even [B]Kino[/B] is moe, BTW. These days it's unavoidable.[/COLOR]

[Aberinkula]

[COLOR="DarkSlateGray"]Teen Titans and their overl used japenese anime expressions. >_>

I like most anime [B]Geneon [/B]has shown art-wise. The art on [B]Ergo Proxy [/B]is just amazing, as is [B]Samurai Shamploo.[/B] One of my favorite styles is that of DB's banner. I love seeing anime girls like that.

[B]Tenjho Tenge[/B] has girls with HUGE breasts. Like snakes about to jump out and bite you in the eyes. But of coarse, the every-day young teenager is good. I have a thing for the younger anime girls okay!

Ad DB you are wrong. Loli type stuff was in black and white anime as well. Ever see the original [B]Astro Boy[/B]? Whenever I hear "open your chest cavity" I swear they're pedophiles. Honestly, and when that scientist asked the kid to be calm he sound so secretive... dirty almost. :animesigh:[/COLOR]

[2010DigitalBoy]

[quote name='Premonition'][COLOR="DarkSlateGray"]Teen Titans and their overl used japenese anime expressions. >_>

I like most anime [B]Geneon [/B]has shown art-wise. The art on [B]Ergo Proxy [/B]is just amazing, as is [B]Samurai Shamploo.[/B] One of my favorite styles is that of DB's banner. I love seeing anime girls like that.

[B]Tenjho Tenge[/B] has girls with HUGE breasts. Like snakes about to jump out and bite you in the eyes. But of coarse, the every-day young teenager is good. I have a thing for the younger anime girls okay!

Ad DB you are wrong. Loli type stuff was in black and white anime as well. Ever see the original [B]Astro Boy[/B]? Whenever I hear "open your chest cavity" I swear they're pedophiles. Honestly, and when that scientist asked the kid to be calm he sound so secretive... dirty almost. :animesigh:[/COLOR][/QUOTE]

[COLOR="DarkOrange"]Prem. I don't know if you know this, but [B]Astro Boy [/B]is, well, a [i]boy[/i].

Anyway, I'm not saying moe didn't exist in the past, but it's surely evolved.[/COLOR]

[Aberinkula]

[COLOR="DarkSlateGray"]Damn... what's the word?! I meant shatocon... thanks Wikipedia.

And it has evolved. I can't watch one anime witout something cute popping it's flipping head up.

As for partial nduity in aime NGE was bad imo.[/COLOR]

[2010DigitalBoy]

[quote name='Premonition'][COLOR="DarkSlateGray"]Damn... what's the word?! I meant shatocon... thanks Wikipedia.

And it has evolved. I can't watch one anime witout something cute popping it's flipping head up.

As for nudity in anime one of the worst anime was Neon Genesis Evangelion imo... it was sexy though. [/COLOR][/QUOTE]

[COLOR="DarkOrange"]It's shotacon, and what the hell?! What does that have to do with moe? And who said anything about nudity? And what the hell, there is no nudity in NGE!!![/COLOR]

[Dagger]

[quote name='2007DigitalBoy'][COLOR="DarkOrange"]When was the last time you saw an anime with no moe characters in it that had any regular-looking anime characters in it? Even [B]Kino[/B] is moe, BTW. These days it's unavoidable.[/COLOR][/QUOTE]
Let's not get ahead of ourselves here. There are still plenty of anime without 'moe characters'... and anyway, the important thing is that moe is in the eye of the beholder. You may think Kino the character is moe, but that doesn't necessarily make Kino's Journey a moe anime.

(I guess it's okay to say that a show that's obviously gunning for a moe reaction is a 'moe anime,' but on the whole, moe is a feeling, and it's one that comes from the viewer. Cute characters have never been totally avoidable. But moe--as an emotion, an attraction, whatever--is 100% avoidable.)

Technically there are no moe character designs... just character designs that you personally think are moe, designs that other people are likely to think are moe, and designs that try so damn hard to be moe that you kind of have to acknowledge their efforts no matter how you actually feel about them. Calling these sorts of designs moe is an expression of personal opinion, just like calling them beautiful.

[quote name='2007DigitalBoy'][COLOR="DarkOrange"]And what the hell, there is no nudity in NGE!!![/COLOR][/QUOTE]
Guess you didn't watch EoE. :p

~Dagger~

[Panache]

[quote name='Dagger']Let's not get ahead of ourselves here. There are still plenty of anime without 'moe characters'... and anyway, the important thing is that moe is in the eye of the beholder. You may think Kino the character is moe, but that doesn't necessarily make Kino's Journey a moe anime.

(I guess it's okay to say that a show that's obviously gunning for a moe reaction is a 'moe anime,' but on the whole, moe is a feeling, and it's one that comes from the viewer. Cute characters have never been totally avoidable. But moe--as an emotion, an attraction, whatever--is 100% avoidable.)

Technically there are no moe character designs... just character designs that you personally think are moe, designs that other people are likely to think are moe, and designs that try so damn hard to be moe that you kind of have to acknowledge their efforts no matter how you actually feel about them. Calling these sorts of designs moe is an expression of personal opinion, just like calling them beautiful.
[/QUOTE]
I couldn't have said it better. I generally watch old school anime which didn't jump on the moe train. Also there can be moe in an anime and I will still watch it. It's not that big a deal if there are some moe characters in an anime. But if every 2 seconds they are trying to sell the moe then the anime will just piss me off.

[Darktigerpack17]

I really don't judge anime by the artstyle. It really doesn't matter too much to me. If it has a good storyline, plot, and interesting characters, I find that I tend to look past the artwork. The one thing that I will confess to detesting is CG anime. Zoids did fine, SD Gundam made me cry. I almost lost faith in the Gundam series when that was released.
Anyways, and example to my point is Princess Mononoke. I find the artstyle to be a bit unattractive and a little akward, as it reminded me of the old Snow White movie Disney made. I still get shivers from that horror. Anyways, as I watched it, I got so involved with the storyline that I stopped caring about the artwork, and was wondering what would happen next. That just how it is. I believe the phrase here is "Don't judge a book by it's cover." Am I wrong?

[eleanor]

[quote name='Dagger']
So you're saying "style" is the sum total of whatever makes it look the way it looks--character designs, how it's animated, etc...?

One thing I've realized I like about anime in general is the variance in frame rates. People complain about anime not being as slick as Western animation, but to me, unvaried smoothness is a much bigger problem.

Animation doesn't have to duplicate human movement perfectly, but it should at least show an amplification of natural movement. And the thing is, people don't move smoothly. They stumble. They hesitate. They jerk around. When I see totally smooth animation, I can't get into it. That's also why I don't like full-CG anime, even when they're cel-shaded to look 2D. The movements don't feel right--they're too graceful and continuous and alien.[/quote]

[font="trebuchet ms"]To me, style doesn't encompass animation quality. That's a technical thing. But it does encompass the animation's nature, an example being fights with still shots and line vs. fights that are pure motion and fluidity.

I think they mean 'slick' as in more frame rates per second. Slick animation is always a good thing, but slick character animation is always something dependent upon the talent of the animator. I don't fully understand what you mean by 'totally smooth' animation, though. Do you mean in terms of character animation or just frame rate?

In any case, US animation and Japanese animation both have its ups and downs. It's not like [i]Teen Titans[/i] is the pinnacle of western animation, it's pretty much the same quality as the anime coming out now. The high-end animation that comes out of both countries is all spectacular. Both for different reasons, but they're both amazing in their own way.*

The [i]Mononoke[/i] picture you put up is gorgeous, though. I'll probably check it out now.

*I'd like to address my opinions on the whole 'anime art sux western art is so much better' thing. Especially on DeviantART, there's just hate for the anime art that comes out and gets thousands of watchers just because it's anime and shiny.

Pretty much, I'd like to say shut up and get over it. Yeah, there are tons of bad and popular anime artists, but there are probably a lot of bad artists who can only imitate famous western animators. Since anime has such a huge internet fandom, it's just inevitable that generic anime artists become popular, even if their art is dull and cliche.
[/font]

[Dagger]

[quote name='Lunox'][font="trebuchet ms"]
I think they mean 'slick' as in more frame rates per second. Slick animation is always a good thing, but slick character animation is always something dependent upon the talent of the animator. I don't fully understand what you mean by 'totally smooth' animation, though. Do you mean in terms of character animation or just frame rate?
[/font][/QUOTE]
I was referring to frame rate, but can the two really be divorced from each other?

[b]Dennou Coil[/b] is a recent example of great character animation--the kids all move like kids, and they have individual gaits. The animator-added flair elevates the series above other TV shows with solid production values. That said, with fewer frames it would start to look like a flip-book, which would render the most creative drawings & angles moot.

Often I'll be watching a show with the usual animation short-cuts, and all of a sudden some minor detail gets a huge frame rate boost. Whether the extra smoothness is used for a fight scene or physical comedy, it says a lot stylistically.

And then some shows leave you feeling that the animators knew exactly how to maximize their budget by using just the right frame count for each scene and each movement. It's hard to explain in words, but I guess what I mean is that knowing what deserves a more intensified frame count--deciding what should be super-smooth and what shouldn't, beyond just talky scenes and action scenes--might be an important skill, too.

But that's all a bit OT, I suppose. :animeswea

~Dagger~

[eleanor]

[font="trebuchet ms"] Who says good frame rate isn't a part of good style? :) At least in some cases.

To take away good fram rate from any kind of animation would make it go down in quality, but good character animation is still good character animation, I suppose. The depth and range of emotions and expressions can be a good indicator.[/font]

[Laborpilot86]

visually speaking, I'm not very fond of overally SD and moe character designs. All of my favorites, like Ghost in the Shell, Cowboy Bebop, Paradise Kiss and Princess Mononoke use more realistic designs, which I find much more interesting and are much harder to pull off, especially on a limited budget that most tv anime has to work with.

It is good, though to mess with things a little bit. Azumanga Diaoh being a great example of that.

[Panache]

[quote name='Laborpilot86']All of my favorites, like Ghost in the Shell, Cowboy Bebop, Paradise Kiss and Princess Mononoke use more realistic designs, which I find much more interesting and are much harder to pull off, especially on a limited budget that most tv anime has to work with.
[/QUOTE] I didn't find any of those to be very realistic. When I think realistic I think of something like My beautiful girl Mari or Perfect Blue. The characters have wrinkles in their face the and all the peoples bodies are different they arent all just perfect. That seems more realistic to me.

[Laborpilot86]

in comparison to something like Azumanga Diaoh and Secret of Blue Water they certainly are more realistic looking...

Also, I dislike series with excessive fan-service. I find it very distracting...

You don't need more frames to have good visuals, but it does help a lot. It all depends on the crew's skills and budget.

[The Spectacular Professor]

[quote name='Lunox'][font="trebuchet ms"][center][img]http://xs218.xs.to/xs218/07334/onepicemsbo.png[/img][/center][/font][/QUOTE]

This is Hit-and-Miss for me. Mostly a nice art style, but Robin's nose was never meant for it.:smirk:

I like typical art styles or slightly exaggerated ones, such as One Piece's normal style. I'm usually more for the story and not the art, but I despise Shin Chan. The humor of it kinda puts me off, too.