Yutaka Nakamura [Sakuga MAD]
Arguably the greatest action animator of all time, as such this MAD has been done a lot but wanted to give it a shot for fun.
Also thanks for 1k and to all who welcomed me when I joined back in Feb 🙏🏼
Ligton's Miwa section is one of THE best examples of elevating the source material.
Not only is this the best character acting in the show, the composite consistency is flawless. For instance, utilising Bokeh and a subtle filter to emulate the window & the lights outside.
With Frieren 26s action spectacle receiving a lot of the praise, Ubel's flashback felt a little overlooked
Daiki Harashina's storyboard is a stand out in the ep & Mayuko Kandori handled most of the KA, coincidentally she had an identical cut on Dress-up Darling, posted below⌄
Rotoscope get’s a bad rep but intelligent usage can produce amazing results, case in point, Kouki Fujimoto’s Komi ED
Line-less drawings combined with the muted color palette makes for a unique aesthetic, very easy on the eye. Every watch something new can be found
Stunning, some of the best CGI blending out there. This sequence was worked on across 2 years and went through “dozens” of retakes. Beautiful compositing work.
Missing Apothecary Diaries already, really was a welcome surprise
The 1st opening made it into my top 5 of last year. With an inherent focus on flowers & their symbolism, it was a nice idea to have Mao Mao's hands enter the frame from the bottom & open akin to a flower blooming
Key Animation: Yoshimichi Kameda 亀田 祥倫 🌆
Some of the most captivating morphing animation i've seen. I remember watching this MV from Eve's "We're still underground" at the time and reading all the theories about the story behind the beautiful visuals
Chainsaw Man's 12 individual endings were the epitome of true creative freedom.
12 unique takes on "what CSM looks like". Yuma Hirai's dingy monochrome blend of 2D & live action footage is maybe the best example of a vision we would never have seen without this concept
Every time I rewatch part of Monogatari I feel like bumping my score
In the Dramaturgy fight a separate layer of rain is applied to depict its interaction with the 2, this was maintained by the AD instead of the KAs. The approach used here later inspired parts of Yuji Vs Choso
Frieren Effects Animation
As the show is nearing its close, I put a quick comp together highlighting the abundance of outstanding effects work we’ve seen. With magic being a key part of the setting I’m glad it was done justice & that there was a good amount of variety
Saw some people still mistaking this for rotoscoping yesterday. Whilst theres nothing wrong with utilising such assistance, its all the more impressive Myoun produced this exclusively by hand using a video of a Waltz specifically written for this scene as reference.
Seeing a lot of discourse about “dynamic” storyboards after the solo Leveling ep. In reality everyone’s fighting over 2nd place, GoHands cinema remains unchallenged 😤
When many think of Weilin Zhang's work on Heavenly Delusion its his op that comes to mind
On top of this however, in the same ep his OP premiered he also did KA. Significant, as it's the first public example of his take on visual comedy, utilising exaggerated expressions
Akebi's Sailor Uniform, not something I see talked about much anymore
Thinking of names that excel in depicting volume & delicacy in hair & fabric, Futoshi Suzuki is certainly up there. A master of subtlety, his KA on Bunny Girl ED2 is another good example of his tendencies
The Fate franchise is truly blessed, it consistently draws talent like no other, hence the excitement for Strange Fake
FGO Memorial 4, Directed by Enokido, Compositing by Waki & extensive KA from Yamashita, quite the gathering, tho the series boasts lineups beyond even this.
Iwazawa/Fujimoto partnership at its best
The Exam arc’s action was managed perfectly utilising shorter bursts of highlight cuts in 23-25, leading up to the crescendo on 26. Iwazawa’s experience allowed him to perfectly tread the line of ambitious yet grounded action in Frieren
Frieren
#26
Effects animation taking centre stage yet again, an astonishing amount of which was animated on 1's. Compositing team did a wonderful job keeping up with some of the more extravagent magic utilised this week particularly in Saucelot, Vercreek & Endou's cuts. | 1/5
KA: Hiromitsu Seki, Miso, K1RO, Bahi JD, Shingo Yamashita, Nakaya Onsen & Mise 🤯
Random mobile games getting some of the best animator lineups you can imagine, whats new. The game didn't even last 1/2 a year before it was shut down💀
With Stark having his moments early, I sort of missed these tighter "swordplay" sequences in the latter half.
Kanako Yoshida has served in many roles across her career, most recently having KA contributions to Sonny Boy followed by Bochii & finally her best work yet on Frieren
Ranking Of Kings
#21
is still imo the best display of Gosso action to date
In general I think the nature & scale of Bojji Vs Bosse allowed for the best showcase of his strengths. That said, in the future the Higuruma fight would seem a perfect fit for Gosso to top this.
Often I find sequences such as this one from Dress-Up Darling can be more engaging than the average action scene
Where high octane action sequences live by the "rule of cool", slower scenes that depict the intricacies of daily life aim to captivate in an entirely different way
KA:Qkawa
Choreography like this really is worth flicking through frame by frame.
Eris gets a myriad of strong eye-catching poses here with the weight of each movement being carried forward through them. One of the most enjoyable rewatches I’ve done.
Vincent Chansard [SAKUGA MAD]
Little needs to be said about Vincent, a generational talent
Was very happy with this MAD when I made it back in March, currently with less time to spend on this account thought I'd update it & post it now
Many forget Harumi Yamazaki made her directorial debut on 2x17 producing an ambitious segment in the worst conditions possible.
Prior to this she's best known for her extensive KA work on Wonder Egg, yet another production disaster. I hope her next project is much more stable.
Kouki Fujimoto, masterful rotation. Although hand drawn I would assume there was some level of CG assistance used for reference, the tower looks very "clean".
The genga gives a little look at how he layers his effects to achieve such density in the final product.
Frieren OP2 directed & boarded by Saito. Will miss this one, imo it was the better of the two both in song choice & visuals. Looking back it gave a preview of the unhinged Fujimoto effects that would follow.
Compiling some of the most interesting notes from Weilin Zhang's Mahoraga Vs Sukuna Storyboard [A THREAD 🧵]
Sukuna slashes, the criss cross shapes look like metal frames of skyscrapers but are actually a visualization of the slashes. The camera follows sukuna as he flies back
With the announcement that JJK 2x17 is receiving New Cuts & Fixes we might finally see this Vincent Chansard cut and the rest of “the train station” fight connected to it, Weilin Zhangs full cut is a possibility now too. Keep expectations in check but this is a big win 😤
With Oshi No Ko S2 not being that far away, a name i'm eager to see return is Amoji
A new name to the industry with 2 cuts on ONK & 1 cut on the recent One Piece OP. Processed by Satomi Watanabe, the LO itself is incredibly competent, I'd imagine it was very easy to work with
KA: Rui
A name I wasn’t very familiar with at the time. One of many stars who did some serious heavy lifting on the Bluray. Many guesses went around at the time for this cut, excellent work.
Frieren Season 1 | Sakuga MAD
Thank you to everyone involved for an unforgettable 28 eps. Really happy with how this MAD flows, particularly 0:35 onwards. I was editing this weekly so after hearing it a bunch now I associate this song with Frieren more than I do Mushoku lol
Really love that Eekee did some work on JJK 21
Most would know him from Eve's music videos but didn't seen many talk about his cuts from the show. The Heian Sukuna frame is a cool touch for readers.
Apocrypha take notes, this is how swords clashing should sound
There's much to be said about the quirks of Miso's direction but his understanding of music & SFX is often overlooked. So precise that when listening to OSTs from something he directed u can easily picture the scene
Malcolm Wope’s anime debut on Attack On Titan
His animation paired with Iwao Teraoka board is some of the best action in AOT as a whole, utilising ODM gear in tighter person to person combat scenes. His next appearance will likely be on Lazarus, which he’s already confirmed for
“Road sign” was a name I’d been familiar with since their work on Takt Op & Wonder Egg, extremely talented
Nice to see them receiving heavy praise from a veteran in Hiromatsu Shuu for what seems to be heavy participations on the Ark Knights CM
Vincent Chansard impact frames from Sukuna Vs Mahoraga
Likely his one and only appearance on JJK sadly but I'm so glad we got to see it at all. Top left my personal fav🔥
It takes a lot to one up Zhangs first Quetz sequence but Onsen, Sato & Tanaka is a lineup that will do it. Fairly obvious who's cut is who's here. Outrageous explosion and fire effects
Fei Hung & the team at his studio have a habit of showing up with well polished sequences in difficult productions.
Founded in 2021 the studio has already contributed to a handful of high profile IP's. With Mushoku returning I'd love to see them back, even for just a few cuts
KA: Ajin
Really interested in this name, his contributions on anime are currently few and far between, yet he was invited by Hiromatsu Shuu for Chainsaw Man ED5 & by Hakuyu Go for Mob
#8
where he dropped a masterclass on bacgkround animation. Strong connections, one to watch
Found time to watch something finally
On the third attempt got past EP 6 and finished Dororo. Well worth the perseverance especially when focused on the overarching narrative
KA: Hero
JJK Bluray clips are out, no changes in 13 from what I can see unfortunately.
Reminded me of how great this cut was though, shame the animator didn't want to be credited.
Ryo Araki | 荒木 涼
One of the best first ep's in recent memory. Return of the Araki/Takeuchi duo was a nice surprise though unfortunate only Araki's genga is public
KA: Julian Bentley
Recently he went back to back with bahijd on 17 marking his 2nd contribution to a Go project, this cut from Mob 3x8 was the 1st. What seems to hold true throughout his work is the almost uncanny fluidity in even the most subtle of movements.
Got to one of the blessed eps, words cant describe, it just keeps going. Insanity, nice SFX too, Ushi done justice🫡
Moaang, Yusuke Kawakami, Gosso, Kerorira, Kosuke Kato, Forest, in that order | Babylonia
#8
All 4 of these I've seen on the end of CGI accusations. CGI must be extremely versatile these days considering these are all completely different styles.
When these people see art styles they have no prior knowledge of, the first explanation they always settle on is CGI💀
KA: Jin Oyama
Yuta Yamazaki I was not familiar with your game, an ep worthy of the first Gil Enkidu clash
Some short but sweet cuts that stood out even among names like Gosso & Yamamoto
Top 7 Frieren Sequences [A Thread🧵]
It's the first Friday without Frieren in months. Wanted to recap my animation highlights of the season & give a little insight about each as a final look back at one of the most polished productions in recent years.
Masanobu Hiraoka, from early on he built his style around morphing/body horror, becoming unrivalled in this area
With the bulk of his work being on CMs it’s a rarity to see him on TV anime, CSM being a notable exception. Can only imagine what he could of done with Mahito
The first 4 Frieren episode’s still stand right at the top of my list. Usually dislike extended premieres but it was such an advantage for a story of this nature
Stepping back from today’s Frieren ep a bit, Ayaka Tsuji posted some of her Genga from her sequence in EP1
Some of the best Character acting in the show, amazing layouts. The majority of the crowd is moving with such fluidity, really makes the town feel alive
Kouki Fujimoto | 藤本 航己
After being given the environment to excel on Frieren, I do wonder if he will return to CSM and later JJK or if he has his sights set elsewhere for the future
Crazy that this sequence came from My Dress-up Darling of all places.
Ohira inspired? Very loose designs, such a cool idea to animate the glare over the horizon like that
Solo Leveling
#9
Nice boarding starting with an eye zoom out and ending with a zoom in, well executed transitions. Who’s the hero responsible for getting a Kagenashi cut in?
Finished Babylonia Rewatch, this adaptation truly was a gift to the fans. A mesmerising pool of talent.
Crazy to think direct choice was given to the community on which chapters to adapt, I really hope we get to see the lostbelts one day as the writing really steps up in Act 2.