80s anime was so stylish.
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Just wanted to drop in and say that the series "Cats Eye" is a really fun, serial anime that more people should check out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcqQIt-dF-E
The show itself is actually much more silly than the opening would lead you to believe.
I've got a backlog of 80s stuff I've been meaning to get to, and I will one day!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcqQIt-dF-E
The show itself is actually much more silly than the opening would lead you to believe.
I've got a backlog of 80s stuff I've been meaning to get to, and I will one day!
You listed a bunch of OVA's and a couple series that came out in the 90's my guy. They certainly weren't the norm and had a much higher budget than series of the day and series today. And that shading picture is always misleading. Cherry picking specific images from specific series that ignores the excessive overuse of key frames and repetitive animation of the average 80's and early 90's series. Like so
That was the primary difference between cel and digital animation. I highly recommend checking out this Mother's Basement video on the subject:
If you want some 80s animation porn, I recommend checking out Royal Space Force, which features animation done by Hideaki Anno
Its *extremely* cherry pickedI'm not sure how cherry picked these examples are but this is by Otaking:
Here is the 2nd one:
I'm not sure how cherry picked these examples are but this is by Otaking:
These are as cherry picked as they could possibly be, the left-side is exclusively still shots of close-ups on character faces or key moments from OVAs that had months and months of production time, versus the right-side is almost exclusively weekly TV anime which has a completely different production schedule, in addition to the one other issue: Animation is also a moving medium, comparing stills does nothing. It's like whenever people post that gif of the cell phone on the carpet from Garden of Words and say it's good animation. It accomplishes exactly what they wanted it to, and it's a very impressive drawing, but the only thing moving in the gif is the flashing light.
Like, look at the Battle Angel Alita/Sakura one. Battle Angel Alita is a 2 episode OVA Naruto was a weekly TV anime with a large episode count. The difference between production isn't even remotely comparable even if they were produced at the same time.
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I think a lot of young people don't realize that in the 80s when you finally kissed the face that haunted your dreams and drove your ambition it would IMMEDIATELY start raining a tropical downpour and of course, that would short out the neon lighting in the alley. In a way I think that's the main reason I trained until I surpassed my sensei and developed The Glow.
More than just Anno's effects work, the character animation in Royal Space Force's superb. The whole movie's a treat though, especially the art design which feels like the missing link between early Miyazaki fantasy and Gainax's later work. Akira came out a year later and did many more impressive things, but that had the benefit of adapting a manga with very strong visual style. RSF feels more ambitious as a ground-up standalone movie.
You're the master.
One time Amazon customer service contacted me to make sure I had deliberately ordered 15 DVDs and 15 soundtracks of this movie. I had.
Me too. It got too mainstream. I am normally the last to say something like that but this is also the first time mainstreaming has had an effect on me.
Lol I feel you. I have that feeling when it comes to a number of things
Urusei Yatsura: Beautiful Dreamer, Robot Carnival, Fist of the North Star (the 80's movie), Lily C.A.T., Arcadia of My Youth, and Goku Midnight Eye are all on Amazon Prime streaming.
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is from 2000, but has distinctly old school vibe (directed by the same guy who did Wicked City, Ninja Scroll, etc):
Dirty Pair: Project Eden is legally on youtube:
which has one of the best intros to anything. Talk about a e s t h e t i c
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is from 2000, but has distinctly old school vibe (directed by the same guy who did Wicked City, Ninja Scroll, etc):
Dirty Pair: Project Eden is legally on youtube:
which has one of the best intros to anything. Talk about a e s t h e t i c
I'm not sure how cherry picked these examples are but this is by Otaking:
He make some good points (especially with fansubs) . I certainly see the appeal of 80s anime, but man Otaking is unbearably smug and obnoxious. Like he sees himself as the "better" fan.
A lot of 80's stuff is great on aesthetic, at least in a few cuts of animation, but i don't want to go back and watch most of it.
A few frames of animation on loop work great for your synthwave youtube station, though.
A few frames of animation on loop work great for your synthwave youtube station, though.
Huh, I never knew that shows that are nearing 2 decades in age are considered "modern".I'm not sure how cherry picked these examples are but this is by Otaking:
Once you're old, everything after your prime is the same forever.
Like whenever there's a slang thread on here and people are complaining about something that people have been saying for 20 years like it just happened.
can't have an 80s/90s nostalgia thread without people unironically posting otaking's corny ass shading meme image
Anyway, I like 80s anime—for better or worse, the era was pretty diverse, so it's easy to see why a lot of Western fans are so nostalgic for it. It was a good time for shounen adaptations (City Hunter, Hokuto no Ken, Saint Seiya, Dragon Ball), the mecha genre was (arguably) in its prime, and quite a few OVAs had certain Western sensibilities—blood, sex, and cyberpunk being among them—that gave them a high amount of "crossover" appeal. The unbridled creativity (read: "throw shit at the wall and see what sticks") of animators spawned some of the most memorable (for better or worse) TV series, movies, and OVAs of all time, as well as some great "auteur" work (e.g. Dragon's Heaven, Angel's Egg, Genmu Senki Leda). I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that some of the most talented animators and directors in the history of the medium demonstrated their craft (or began to) in the 80s.
However, that same "throw shit at the wall and see what sticks" approach also spawned a lot of ugly, lifeless, and derivative anime that wouldn't pass muster today. People tend to forget (or just don't know) how much trash the OVA market spawned—to me, it's a "broken clock is right twice a day" situation. There are quite a few OVAs (e.g. M.D. Geist, Nora, Cybernetics Guardian, Hell Target, Roots Search, Crystal Triangle, The Humanoid, Psychic Wars, Vampire Wars, Wolf Guy, Angel Cop, and Garaga) that contradict the notion that OVAs are inherently higher quality. Like any decade of anime (such as the nineties, or any other time period that people tend to idealize), I think that a lot of trash got swept under the rug in favor of more "popular" and critically-acclaimed anime, and those popular anime are now the true face of 80s anime, regardless of what else existed at the time.
The 80s had its highs and lows just like any other decade.
Anyway, I like 80s anime—for better or worse, the era was pretty diverse, so it's easy to see why a lot of Western fans are so nostalgic for it. It was a good time for shounen adaptations (City Hunter, Hokuto no Ken, Saint Seiya, Dragon Ball), the mecha genre was (arguably) in its prime, and quite a few OVAs had certain Western sensibilities—blood, sex, and cyberpunk being among them—that gave them a high amount of "crossover" appeal. The unbridled creativity (read: "throw shit at the wall and see what sticks") of animators spawned some of the most memorable (for better or worse) TV series, movies, and OVAs of all time, as well as some great "auteur" work (e.g. Dragon's Heaven, Angel's Egg, Genmu Senki Leda). I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that some of the most talented animators and directors in the history of the medium demonstrated their craft (or began to) in the 80s.
However, that same "throw shit at the wall and see what sticks" approach also spawned a lot of ugly, lifeless, and derivative anime that wouldn't pass muster today. People tend to forget (or just don't know) how much trash the OVA market spawned—to me, it's a "broken clock is right twice a day" situation. There are quite a few OVAs (e.g. M.D. Geist, Nora, Cybernetics Guardian, Hell Target, Roots Search, Crystal Triangle, The Humanoid, Psychic Wars, Vampire Wars, Wolf Guy, Angel Cop, and Garaga) that contradict the notion that OVAs are inherently higher quality. Like any decade of anime (such as the nineties, or any other time period that people tend to idealize), I think that a lot of trash got swept under the rug in favor of more "popular" and critically-acclaimed anime, and those popular anime are now the true face of 80s anime, regardless of what else existed at the time.
The 80s had its highs and lows just like any other decade.
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Nausicaa
God that film looked beautiful. Strange as hell, but mesmerizing.
Yup it's not fair to compare any tv anime series to OVA stuff. The rules they both play by are completely different especially as time moves on. And I'll admit it I love the 80's and 90's anime aesthetic but it couldn't have lasted. Key scenes and pivotal moments looked ace. But stuff that wasn't that would usually fall by the wayside quality wise.You listed a bunch of OVA's and a couple series that came out in the 90's my guy. They certainly weren't the norm and had a much higher budget than series of the day and series today. And that shading picture is always misleading. Cherry picking specific images from specific series that ignores the excessive overuse of key frames and repetitive animation of the average 80's and early 90's series. Like so
I'll never enjoy modern anime like I do stuff from the 80's/90's, largely due to the art/music direction and far less detailed animation/art.
It's for the better though. The old way of producing anime was obscenely labor intensive. I'd rather have humans enjoying better quality of life that have anime I personally enjoy.
It's for the better though. The old way of producing anime was obscenely labor intensive. I'd rather have humans enjoying better quality of life that have anime I personally enjoy.
90's was great too
I haven't finished it, but man the art was so good.
HxH 1999 had much much better art and style than the 2011 one
yeah I know this is from opening, but it is representative of the overall art even tho the quality of the episodes weren't consistent(greed island was really bad in the 1999 anime)
I haven't finished it, but man the art was so good.
HxH 1999 had much much better art and style than the 2011 one
yeah I know this is from opening, but it is representative of the overall art even tho the quality of the episodes weren't consistent(greed island was really bad in the 1999 anime)
HxH 1999 had much much better art and style than the 2011 one
yeah I know this is from opening, but it is representative of the overall art even tho the quality of the episodes weren't consistent(greed island was really bad in the 1999 anime)
Imagine another remake of the Chimera Ant arc with this style.
A lot of animators would balk at this statement. Japan's work culture can be pretty crushing, and anime is no exception. Not only do staff tend to be paid peanuts for their work, but there is at least one known instance of an animator dying of overwork.
It's not exactly sunshine and roses in the anime industry.
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Otaking? Ugh, that's pretty disappointing. Modern JoJo is absolutely superior when compared with the OVA. Lots of cherry picks in this.I'm not sure how cherry picked these examples are but this is by Otaking:
One thing I really like about 80s anime is the soft outlines. Modern anime uses thicker lines and much more contrast. I enjoy the softer tones of older anime. A lot of it has to do with technology enabling such high contrast, but the atmosphere and even tone feel much different when the colors are that bright and the contrast so crisp and the character lines so thick.
It is at points. A little long in the tooth, but it has its moments.
Do You Remember Love is phenomenal, but you really need to watch the show first to appreciate it, since it's a mega abridged version.
Confluence of factors really. So aside of the economic bubble as already mentioned - enabling studios to expand, hire on more staff, and thus have more people working on the actual process of animating individual works - you also have the maturing of the industry. By the 80s was when Japanese animators could readily have a decade or more of experience; perhaps two if they'd worked on stuff like Astro Boy or Tetsujin 28. So you've got access to a wider pool of talent under experienced staff, and production quality subsequently rises. Further, new methods of release have emerged: VHS become has become standard after its introduction in the late 70s, allowing shows to be sold to people other than tv networks or film publishers themselves. Studios can even ignore television altogether - and all that hassle of keeping pace with a weekly release - and sell a show directly to customers in the form of OVAs, taking however long they want. There's also nevertheless a lot fewer shows than today - we get more each season than many years used to - with freelancers not having to flit from studio to studio churning out as many basic frames as they can because they're paid by the frame and the pay is abysmal, or studios being forced to rely on outsourcing to Korea because holy shit the episode needs to come out next week and there's literally not enough staff.
And this all isn't even to say that it's necessarily 'better' in terms of animation vs today, but that there's a sizable number of reasons that the decade could both enable and favour what is otherwise such a time intensive aesthetic.
And this all isn't even to say that it's necessarily 'better' in terms of animation vs today, but that there's a sizable number of reasons that the decade could both enable and favour what is otherwise such a time intensive aesthetic.
90's was great too
I haven't finished it, but man the art was so good.
HxH 1999 had much much better art and style than the 2011 one
yeah I know this is from opening, but it is representative of the overall art even tho the quality of the episodes weren't consistent(greed island was really bad in the 1999 anime)
But the 2nd OP of Hunter X Hunter is from 2000.
The Sci-Fi Channel in the UK introduced me to so many great looking OVAs and films back in the late nineties. Cyber City Oedo 808, Goku Midnight Eye, Demon City Shinjuku, Orguss 02, Wings of Honneamise, Devilman etc.
Always loved the look of this stuff. 80s and early 90s was the golden era for me.
Always loved the look of this stuff. 80s and early 90s was the golden era for me.