Unlocking the Enigma of Anime Studios: A Deep Dive into Sanzigen
Welcome, dear readers, to the fourth chapter of our ever-inquisitive series, “I Want to Know What’s So Special About Anime Studios!” It’s like a detective series but without the trench coats and questionable moustaches. Today, we’re infiltrating the world of Sanzigen, an anime studio that’s swinging between traditional hand-drawn charm and the digital flair of 3DCG. Get ready for some intriguing insights straight from the mouth of Hiroaki Matsuura, the studio representative who shows us the colorful canvas of their animation universe!
3DCG: The New Frontier for Japanese Animation
Now, you may expect the land of the rising sun to be all about ink and paper, right? Think again! Sanzigen is out there, challenging the traditional with their pioneering work in CG. They’ve firmly planted their flag in the realm of Japanese animation with titles like “BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!!”. Yes, that’s right folks—two parts, one title. It’s like a two-part season finale, but for a movie! As Matsuura gives us the lowdown, it not only features a charming girl band (because what’s anime without a bit of girl power?) but also dives deep into the evolution of the characters—taking us on a roller-coaster ride through depth, expression, and maybe the occasional existential crisis.
The Evolution of “BanG Dream!”: A CG Fairy Tale
So, how exactly has the expression evolved in “BanG Dream!” since the series’ inception? Matsuura is candid here—it’s all about balancing act! Picture this: you’re juggling balls of quality and production schedules while trying not to drop the sword of creativity. Amid this chaos, they’ve been perfecting the art of combining hand-drawn animation with CG, a bit like adding a strawberry to your shortcake. Matsuura candidly shares the challenges faced during the initial seasons, where finding the sweet spot between efficiency and artistry became their holy grail. Spoiler alert: They figured it out!
Bonus: Can CG Compete with Hand-Drawn Animation?
Now, here’s a cheeky little question for you—can CG animation ever seriously compete with the warm embrace of hand-drawn art? Matsuura thinks that while CG can do everything (yes, even quadruple backflips while drawing!), there’s always a cost to consider. That’s right! Sometimes it’s cheaper to get out the ol’ pencil and let the artists doodle away. But make no mistake, Sanzigen isn’t shackled to one method. Flexibility in technique seems to be their mantra, and honestly, isn’t that the secret sauce for creative success? Delicious!
Close-Ups, POV Shots, and the Art of Tension
Interesting choices are made in the directing style of “MyGO!!!!!”. When discussing the approach to close-ups, Matsuura draws a chuckle (pun intended) with mentions of modifying hair, eyes, and shadows to turn the impression from “meh” to “WOW!” He describes a riveting scene from episode seven where viewers witness the performance from a fixed-point observation shot—an unusual choice but, as he points out, it adds tension. It’s not often you see something that unique in anime; usually, it’s all about moving that camera like you’d move your dessert away from a very hungry family member. Smart move on their part!
Live Performances: The Show Must Go On!
Like the true showman he is, Matsuura mentions how live performances interwoven with storytelling elevate the anime experience. And let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a bit of live music to pull at the emotional strings while they’re still trying to figure out which fictional character they’d date? So yes, the theatrical release is not just a plot device; it’s an experience designed to keep audiences on the edge of their seats!
In conclusion, Sanzigen strikes a chord between innovation and tradition, tugging our emotional heartstrings while simultaneously impressing us with their technical wizardry. Whether exploring the nitty-gritty of character expressions or thrusting us into the exhilarating world of CG, they remain one of the groundbreaking forces in anime today—but don’t quiz me on if I know how to say “BanG Dream!” in Japanese. Absurdly long words freak me out!
In summary: I hope you enjoyed this comedic yet informative romp through the magical world of Sanzigen, where traditional artistry meets cutting-edge technology. Whether you’re a hardcore anime fan or just here for the puns, there’s a little something for everyone! Now, let’s go consume more animated joy, shall we?
The series “I want to know what’s so special about anime studios!” infiltrates anime studios and approaches the studio’s “uniqueness” through interviews with its staff. In this fourth installment, we will delve into the appeal of “Sanzigen” from the perspective of studio representative Hiroaki Matsuura. (Editorial Department)
In Japan, a country known for its hand-drawn animation, how to deal with 3DCG has remained an important issue in production. Sanzigen, a pioneer in Japanese CG animation, is a company that has continued to pursue how to express the uniqueness of Japanese animation through CG. Sanzigen’s movie version “BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!!” has been released in two parts, and the first part “Spring Sunshine, Lost Cat” is currently being released.
The TV anime of the same work, which was broadcast in 2023, became a hot topic for its deepening depiction of characters and the evolution of expression. 2024 is the year in which we can confirm that a variety of expressions are emerging in Japanese CG animation. Sanzigen representative Hiroaki Matsuura spoke frankly about the current state of Japanese CG animation, what he thinks about the trend of girl band anime, and the future of the company.
“MyGO!!!!” is a hybrid of animation and CG.
–Sanjigen’s “BanG Dream!” It’s been five years since you started producing the TV anime, but how has the expression evolved?
Hiroaki Matsuura (hereinafter referred to as Matsuura): When I was working on my first anime, “BanG Dream! 2nd Season,” I was just trying to see how much I could express with CG. Since the 2nd Season and the TV anime “BanG Dream! 3nd Season” (hereinafter referred to as “3rd Season”) were made one after the other, they had to be mass-produced, and it was very difficult to balance schedule and quality. It was difficult. Also, it was difficult to figure out how to combine the hand-drawn animation and CG, as there were still only a few people in the company working on digital animation. After that, there were two movies, “Bang Dream! Film Live” (hereinafter referred to as “FILM LIVE”) and “BanG Dream! Episode of Roselia”, and then “BanG Dream! Poppin’ Dream!”. ” (hereinafter referred to as “Poppin’ Dream!”), we decided to change our policy. After all, I think it would be better to draw and add on top of the cut completed with CG. “Poppin’ Dream! I think there were about 10 to 20 cuts, but I felt it was a good response. “MyGO!!!!!” incorporates this method about 10 times further.
–The amount of information in the close-up of the characters in “MyGO!!!!!” is certainly different from the previous ones. So you’re retouching the shot that was completed with CG.
Matsuura: Most of the parts are CG, but just by modifying the hair, eyes, and shadows, or adding a little shadow around the eyes, you can completely change the impression. I draw quite a lot of pictures each time, but I don’t think you can understand that much. There are some that are not full-length, but only a small part, but I place particular emphasis on close-ups.
――Sanzigen is a pioneer of so-called cel-look CG, but does the fact that you have increased the number of hand-drawn elements mean that no matter how far you push the expressiveness of CG, there is still a difference from hand-drawn?
Matsuura: I don’t think so. CG can do anything. It can be done, but there is a cost issue. There are definitely some parts that are missing when it comes to close-ups. You could create it with CG, but it’s not worth the cost, so it’s better to just draw it. We have in-house drawing staff, so we don’t have to stick to one method, and the current method is the result of flexible thinking.
Sanjigen has always been a hybrid of CG and hand-drawn drawings, and I don’t think it’s changed much. Since it’s digital, I’m constantly accumulating references, so I think this style will continue to become more productive and even better.
–The close-ups in “MyGO!!!!!” are interesting, but the cut in episode 7, “Even after today’s live is over,” was unique, as it was a fixed-point observation shot using a pulled video.
Matsuura: That’s really difficult. It was happening in a place I didn’t know about, so if I knew about it, I would definitely stop it (lol). However, the finished video was amazing and full of tension. Everyone is moving in the drawing. It’s a cut that isn’t often done in anime, but when you include it once in a while, it makes it feel real all at once.
――There was one episode where the entire episode was shot from POV (Episode 3). In the first film of “Film Live,” there was also a long POV scene.
Matsuura: I said I wanted to include that long take. I got the idea from a video of a certain artist’s live performance, and I used a camera to follow him as he returned to his waiting room after the performance, and then returned for an encore. While the encore calls didn’t stop, I said, “Okay, I got it,” and headed to the stage again, which was really cool.
–That cut was about 7 or 8 minutes long, right?
Matsuura: It was a long time. Once a character was created, I had to delete it from the data, otherwise the data would be too heavy and it would be difficult to create.
–The second part of this movie version has the title “FILM LIVE.”
Matsuura: It was decided last fall that we would make a theatrical version of the first and second parts. For the first part, it was decided that I would portray Rakuna, who had a lot of mysteries in the TV series. In the first part, we can differentiate it from TV anime and TV, but we were thinking about what to do in the second part, and we are doing various things such as extending the poetry reading scene, but I think everyone wants to see the live performance. The structure is such that there will be a live performance in continuity with the story.