Kyoto Animation’s rebuilding process is allowing the most self-sufficient anime studio to foster in-house production in new ways, all while raising new generations of storytellers in animation—and Tsurune: The Linking Shot is a perfect example of it. It’s been well over a year since we last covered the happenings at Kyoto Animation, and four times as long since we focused on Tsurune in particular. Over this period, the two of them have changed more than it appears at first glance—and they’ve done so in unison, partly due to thoughtful planning, but also through fortunate coincidences and conve ..read more

The experimental ufotable of the past and the current finely-tuned blockbuster makers feel like entirely different studios. 15 years ago, Kara no Kyoukai began that transition: laying their modern foundation, but also embracing their originally chaotic and subversive ways. The cutthroat environment of the anime industry urges studios to develop a strong identity, something to set them apart from all other production companies in constant need of new contracts. And yet, it’s the way that same business functions that makes it hard for them to develop one. When the vast majority of creative talen ..read more

It’s time for a final look at the greatest animated works of 2022. We’ve gathered commercial and independent animators, directors, designers, writers, musicians, and everything in between to share their favorite works of the year in the Sakugabooru Animation Awards 2022. Welcome to the Sakugabowl! Entries: — Takuya Niinuma — Fede — Geth — ちな — Ajay — Ken Yamamoto — Futon — dandyist — Kerorira — Yuuki Rafflesia — Natasha — Franziska van Wulfen — Kevin Takuya Niinuma Animator, Shading Genius [Twitter] [Sakugabooru Tag] Best Episode: Bocchi the Rock! #04 Bocchi the Rock #04 stands out as one ..read more

Bocchi the Rock has been a wonderful mix of ridiculous comedy and compelling character growth. Now that it’s over, though with hopes to return, let’s take a final look at its production and one of the most creative teams that have graced TV anime. We’ve already published lengthy articles covering Bocchi the Rock!, and unless the fact that everyone on this team is immediately going to be busy gets in the way of a sequel, we’ll continue to write about it. Although it wasn’t labeled as such, you may as well consider this lengthy introductory piece to be a set of production notes for the first 5 e ..read more

Many anime try to offer their viewers a relaxing experience, yet few can seamlessly blend that goal with their themes and visual storytelling like these two little gems: this is the story of Do It Yourself!!, Yama no Susume, and their animation leader Yusuke Matsuo. The Fall 2022 season of anime has brought us an exceptional crop of new titles, and perhaps most importantly, it has done so across entirely different genres—regardless of what type of show you fancy the most, this season has likely offered you something that isn’t just up your alley but also strongly put together. One of those ble ..read more

Today we’re bringing you a series of interview translations featuring Bocchi the Rock’s core staff members, talking at length about the appeal they saw in the series, and the drive behind an adaptation that is as inventive as it is technically impressive. Series Directоr: Keiichiro Saito Interview originally published on volume 12 of Purizm, available for purchase here and through digital retailers, after the broadcast of a couple of episodes of Bocchi the Rock!. Translated by bitmap. —Were you familiar with the original Bocchi the Rock! manga before you became involved with the anime? Saito ..read more

Bocchi the Rock is an outrageous comedy bursting with the bombastic creativity of its young team, and at the same time, it’s also a genuinely compelling coming-of-age story of a deeply dysfunctional girl. This is how its creators have sought to synergize the two sides of the story they found inseparable. Bocchi the Rock’s sharp humor, its willingness to distort its titular character in creepy ways within a genre where marketable pretty girls are often seen as a must, and its potential as an underdog coming-of-age story are all qualities that the core staff behind the anime quickly identified ..read more

Tatsuki Fujimoto’s storytelling is spontaneous, anarchic genius, so how should one adapt Chainsaw Man into anime? Its team committed to a vision that has made two takes on the exact same story feel quite distinct, so let’s dive into the anime’s production to explain how and why that happened. Tatsuki Fujimoto is weird. That’s something I was aware of after following Fire Punch during its serialization years ago, and having since then read not just Chainsaw Man but quite literally all his published works, I’ve only come to appreciate his eccentricity more. While the spontaneity of his creative ..read more

Fall 2022 is a historically loaded season of anime, the result of concentrating essentially a year’s worth of top talent in one single burst through bold and sometimes aggressive management. It more than deserves a deep dive into many of these titles and the teams behind them—the accomplished veterans, very promising youngsters, and experimental artists leading their own projects, as well as the production circumstances behind this madness. –Chainsaw Man –Mob Psycho 100 III –Do It Yourself!! –Bocchi The Rock! –Yama no Susume: Next Summit –Pui Pui Molcar: Driving School –POP TEAM EPIC Season 2 ..read more

Masaaki Yuasa’s Tatami Galaxy stood as a one-of-a-kind masterpiece, so how is Time Machine Blues perfectly recreating its charm 12 years later and under a different director? This is how context does (and doesn’t) affect the creation of such unique anime. By 2010, Masaaki Yuasa had already made his share of notable anime. In fact, let me correct that: by then, Yuasa had already left his imprint on timeless franchises like Shin-chan and Maruko-chan, contributed to some historic feats in animation, and began a directorial career with some of the most unique and arguably greatest anime of all tim ..read more