WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:00.020 --> 00:00:04.480 The most interesting thing about Studio Sanzigen is that they've figured out how to make a fully 00:00:04.480 --> 00:00:09.720 3D animated TV series look good, without requiring an exceptional amount of graphical fidelity. 00:00:09.969 --> 00:00:15.809 The key it turns out is great character designs and expressive animation. Over the past few years 00:00:15.809 --> 00:00:18.839 we've seen a rapid increase of anime TV shows and movies 00:00:19.060 --> 00:00:23.699 presented in full CG, and the reception of these among anime fans has been pretty shaky. 00:00:23.940 --> 00:00:28.820 Personally, I found shows like "Knights of Sidonia" and "Ajin" from Polygon Pictures 00:00:28.820 --> 00:00:32.220 to be difficult to watch because of their stilted and awkward character movement, 00:00:32.220 --> 00:00:36.080 generic putting-faced designs, and the use of regular film frame rates, 00:00:36.080 --> 00:00:40.980 as opposed to the smoother frames seen in video games and high budget 3D animated films. 00:00:41.020 --> 00:00:45.930 3D animation has gotten a bad rap for being perceived as a cost-cutting measure from animation studios. 00:00:46.300 --> 00:00:49.020 Even though for the most part it's real purpose is to allow 00:00:49.180 --> 00:00:52.799 animators to do things that they might not be able to do with 2D animation. 00:00:52.820 --> 00:00:59.220 I recommend this recent anime news network article that I'll be linking in the description for more on the subject of why 3D anime is used in the way that it is. 00:00:59.220 --> 00:01:02.840 But this can be a double-edged sword, as shows like the CG "Berserk" 00:01:02.840 --> 00:01:06.980 adaptation abused the free camera movement of 3D space to jarring effect. 00:01:06.980 --> 00:01:12.180 But with shows like "ID-0" and "BBK/BRNK", Studio Sanzigen has largely averted these issues 00:01:12.180 --> 00:01:17.560 by putting effort into making their CG animation look and feel more like regular 2D animation. 00:01:17.560 --> 00:01:22.220 Rather than focusing on what separates 2D and 3D, they focus on the elements which make anime 00:01:22.229 --> 00:01:25.919 so visually striking in the first place: eye-catching shot compositions, 00:01:26.110 --> 00:01:29.849 expressive faces and animations, and uniquely memorable character designs. 00:01:29.979 --> 00:01:35.008 Within three seconds of seeing the main girl's face and "ID-0", I could immediately tell that the 00:01:35.079 --> 00:01:38.009 designs had been made by Range Murata, a cult favorite Illustrator 00:01:38.229 --> 00:01:44.789 who worked on shows like "Last Exile" and "Blue Submarine No. Six" in the past, themselves early 3D integrated animations. 00:01:44.790 --> 00:01:49.529 And I was surprised over and over again at how the characters expressions leapt off of the screen. 00:01:49.899 --> 00:01:55.979 Likewise some of the robot characters were so expressive in their movement that I could almost forget that they weren't human. 00:01:55.980 --> 00:02:00.540 "BBK/BRNK" meanwhile dazzles with badass action scenes showcasing a sense of visual flow 00:02:00.540 --> 00:02:03.620 reminiscent of what building-mates Studio Trigger are known for. 00:02:03.780 --> 00:02:08.080 Deftly switching between 2D and 3D movement styles, the series showcased some of the most unique and 00:02:08.080 --> 00:02:13.280 engaging action scenes on TV last year, even if the plot wasn't interesting enough to carry me through the entire show. 00:02:13.590 --> 00:02:18.119 What I hope Studio Sanzigen can help to make clear is that 3D animation is not 00:02:18.250 --> 00:02:23.279 inherently a problem even if it's in lower fidelity TV anime. Great visual design and 00:02:23.580 --> 00:02:28.160 directing is always going to stand out the most, and if more 3D shows can learn that lesson, 00:02:28.220 --> 00:02:32.060 then the slow encroachment of CG into TV anime might not go over so badly. 00:02:32.069 --> 00:02:38.669 I think as more veteran anime staff moving to working on CG shows such as director Taniguchi Goro who handled "ID-0", 00:02:38.920 --> 00:02:42.840 having previously directed shows like "Code Geass", "s.CRY.ed", and "Planetes" 00:02:42.840 --> 00:02:47.240 we'll see a greater blend of anime strengths into the medium of CG animation. 00:02:47.340 --> 00:02:49.660 If you found this video interesting, then be sure to stick around for more in the future. 00:02:49.900 --> 00:02:54.480 Support me on patreon if you want to see more videos like this and go to this giant playlist of every video that 00:02:54.480 --> 00:02:57.780 I'm in to keep up with all the stuff that I release on every channel on YouTube. 00:02:57.780 --> 00:03:00.000 Thanks again for watching and I'll see you in the next one.