Discussion Post: Is CGI Ruining Anime?

Howdy, howdy folks!  Hope everyone experiencing all this cold weather is staying warm.  And to help get cozy, I’m going to kick off 2017’s second post with a discussion that I’ve been dying to do for quite some time now, like since November.  But obviously, that didn’t happen.  The idea for this post actually came to me after watching one or two videos on the topic.  And what topic would that be exactly?  Well, if you haven’t checked out the title yet, it’s concerning a certain avenue in animation and anime itself.  And so, without further delay, sit back, relax, and enjoy my discussion on CGI and anime. 

So to start off this post, I have to ask, “Is CGI ruining anime?”  Well, I’ve seen a few opinions on the use of CGI-or computer generated imagery- in animation in general, as well as in anime.  But in answering this question, I think it’s best to look at the history of animation, when CGI came into play, as well as the history of anime itself.  Sure, it sounds like a lot (and it is), but I’ll only be giving the very basics plus my own conclusions of what research I’ve done looking into this.  So first, let’s take a look at the history of animation, particularly in the West.

The History of Animation

The idea of animation has been around for quite some time.  In fact, there were attempts to create animated features well into the start of the twentieth century.  However, the infancy of animation came to light thanks to-you guessed it-Walt Disney.  Disney was the pioneer of animation and is often credited as the founding father of it.  From the 1920’s onward, he created the first animated short and animated feature film within a twenty year period.  That being said, it comes as no surprise that Walt Disney Pictures has been a spearhead for many animation feats over the past ninety years or so.  One of these feats includes animated features created with nothing but CGI.

I’m no expert on CGI, but it’s my understanding that CG was originally intended to be used as a tool to help artists create scenes, actions, or effects that would be difficult or impossible to accomplish with hand-drawn animation alone.  But by the early 80’s, one group thought of turning this tool into an art form.  Enter Pixar.  Originally created  by Lucasfilm, Pixar went on to create the first of many CGI animated shorts, starting with The Adventures of André and Wally B. in 1984.  By the 90’s, Disney and Pixar signed an agreement to collaborate on a full length movie.  And in 1995, the first CGI animated feature film was born: Toy Story.  From there, Disney and Pixar went on to create several more films over the next ten years including A Bug’s Life, Monster’s Inc., and a second Toy Story.  Other CGI animated films also came along during that time as well.  Many of these films saw abundant praise and success and many, many sequels.  Today, it seems that CGI is the primary choice for animated feature films.

The History of Anime

So with a brief history of animation spelled out, let’s look at anime’s history.  Right away, there’s already a twenty year-late start.  Much like Western animation, Japanese animation has been around for quite some time.  However, real anime probably didn’t come into existence until 60’s at least.  But much like Western animation, CGI was used in anime as a tool to help assist animators.  Still, from the 90’s anime boom and well into the 2000’s, CGI was still used as a tool.  It’s not that Japan was too far behind in its animation techniques to catch on, but it’s just a subgenre of animation that has- thank God- not caught on to the CGI trend as quickly as its Western cousin.  This is a matter of opinion rather than fact.  Still, the time gap between Western animation and anime is undeniable, especially since it’s taken until now for anime using nothing but CGI as the animation medium of choice to come around.  However, within the last five years or so, we have seen some anime series animated with CGI only.  Some of the more well known include Knights of Sidonia, Ajin, and the latest Berserk installment.

So…Is CGI Ruining Anime?

To be honest, it’s a tough call to make.  Like I said earlier, anime has been slow to creating series using nothing but CGI, and I like that about anime in general.  But my concerns lie more with how the series or film is written more than animated.  While CGI has its conveyances, one major downfall that I’ve seen with CGI films is the poor quality in plot.  Granted, not all CGI films have terrible plots, but it would make sense that finishing the animation process more quickly would prompt sloppy work in the story just to meet a deadline.  That is my fear with CGI-animated anime.  Even so, anime still has a long way to go.  Anime is in what I would like to call the “Pixar Phase”; the world of anime has just gotten a taste of the CGI apple and is experimenting with it and coming out with more products of that experimentation.   Despite the look of these productds, that doesn’t mean they are not worth watching.  I remember having a conversation with someone in Books A Million recently about the Ajin series, and he found that after a few episodes, he got used to the animation.  What’s more, he compared the same thing to watching subbed anime; it’s a matter of getting used to the style.  And to prove even further that these shows are worth trying, when I saw the English dub trailer for Ajin, I almost subscribed to Netflix just to watch it.  So with all of that beating around the bush said and done, I don’t think CGI hasn’t ruined anime yet.  However, I worry about how its use would change how the plot of anime shows and films are written in the future.

So what do you think?  Is CGI ruining anime?  Do you think anime is still behind in the CGI craze?  Do you think this will impact how anime stories are written? And can someone tell me how Ajin is? I’d really like to see it!  Anyways, I wanna hear what you have to say, people!  Please feel free to share your comments, but I do ask you keep them friendly and polite.  And with that, I’m off!  Tune in next week for my first ever review of 2017!

-Hanime on Anime