Rating: 3.5/5 happy clouds

I really enjoyed episode six in terms of bringing out a key issue that is clearly circulating the animation industry and even among its audience. Should we discard hand-drawn animation for three-dimensional animation and computer graphics? Or do both have a role in this current era of anime?

It’s true that computer graphics are a product of fast-developing animation technology and provide new avenues for animation styles, angles and tastes. However, I agree that hand-drawn animation always has a more organic feeling to the art style. Although programs can generate graphics much quicker than artist by hand, animators still need to learn from artists and vice versa. Both jobs demand different sets of skills and most of these skillsets are interchangeable in the arts industry.

I love how it’s anime that brings the key animator and the 3D animator together and in the end it’s their passion for anime that re-motivates these artist to continue in the industry. I guess every person in the industry has that ONE anime they watched that motivated them to strive for an animation career.

Though the pacing for the episode was a bit slow dragging out the drama between the co-workers but it was nice to see Miyamori’s role as a production assistant and mediator pan out in a subdued but still fairly significant role. The stuff with the director, storyboard and key frames took a back seat for the interpersonal character conflict but I guess you gotta tackle one problem at a time.

The last explosion cuts were FANTASTIC in the end.

– Cloudy

What are you pondering today?