Yama no Susume (Mama no Susume?) NS #09-B was led by the opening team of Irei Eri direction x Yusei Koumoto supervision. The former's processing is the show at its prettiest & the latter offers the most lavish art, so it's no wonder they got called *2 years later* to make the OP
Hinata's view of Aoi's back as they climb brings to mind all the POV shots in that sequence. Irei's camera's movement emulates the eye so in this case it's got rhythmic swaying, while in the OP there's a wider variety with appropriate tracking, more stationary takes, etc
The most impressive aspect has to be the animation direction. There are many valid approaches to YamaSusu's design work and the show embraces that, but this is the most fully-realized one, obscenely detailed and still not compromising the usual expressiveness. Sasuga Yusei.......
He seems to have had a hand (and a meaningful one) in every shot in the episode. Most apparent in the clothes, since he's exceptionally good at making them attractive but also feel actually worn - he nails the balance between conforming to the body and having shapes of its own
Apart from that, more personal quirks of his also make it obvious just how many corrections he offered. The extremely intricated ears with specific patterns (like that shadow on the upper corner) are a fun tell that's absolutely everywhere in the episode
This level of thoroughness is more impressive considering that, given the schedule and the skill of the key animators, he was likely working off already strong drawings. Even the more stylized Super Mom parts (first animated by h.s, second by Okubo?) have noticeable corrections
😌
And the first minisode was nice too! Solo key animation by Mitsutoshi Kubo, direction by Kosaka, and nice to see a more vibrant setting for a change since they weren't climbing high
It's the most jealous I've been of the staff for their location scouting, because the way to make the fish look tasty was eating those tasty fish they caught
Beautiful sequence regardless, a bit of an alternative retelling of the relationship the episode is all about. The looming Makima eye in their moment of intimacy got me good
Checked credits to see which of KyoAni's new hires are already officially part of their productions, and which department they're in for that matter
Yuri Taniguchi, Mizuho Masaki, Kou Tsunashima, and Haruka Sato are all doing animation at the studio, as in-betweeners for now
Ayaho (?) Harashima was credited as an in-betweener in the Tsurune movie as well. No surprise in her case since it's not even a new role and her extravagant training arc as an animator is well-documented. High expectations for her career
Sou (?) Nojiri was also credited as in-betweener. Missed the chance to watch the student film he had a huge hand in, but the animatics are around and his public art is very analog so I feel he might've worked on the fun sequences where you can see traditional layouts in the back
Recurring layouts in Bocchi #08 give that tangible contrast to make the difference between the two performances clear. Nijika's body language & looser smears are more joyful, Ryo enters her zone, Kitachan's more aware, Bocchi's more involved & energized, the stage shines brighter
Bocchi the Rock has earned a reputation as a bold show for all the unique visual tricks it uses, but this episode is brave in a different way - making you sit through a butchered performance with Kitachan's strained vocals is tough, in a good way when it eventually pays off
Despite the much faster pacing than usual, it's so committed to highlighting the difference between both performances (even at the cost of adding unpleasant friction to the experience) that when they do succeed, it feels so damn good
Pretty amazing how Takuya Yamamura directed exactly one movie (a recap at that, though hardly one given how much new material it seems to have) and then simply decided to apply those standards to a TV show. Tsurune season 2 looks so damn good it's nuts
Happy that Tengoku Daimakyou's team is finally public because it's very interesting - so is the fact that it got a TV show, it's a wild ride, lol. Even with a newbie series director, the stunning teaser shows why I'm confident about the immediate execution
As storyboarder and episode director, Hirotaka Mori's work has been evocative & charismatic, and now we get those sensibilities translated to a higher level while leading top talent. The real challenge will be more structural, since this is such an intricately knit, dense series
I've noticed Mori has a knack for using contrasting imagery to portray unpleasant events with this air of peaceful tranquility - which makes it elegant but also unnerving in its own way. Could be a great fit for Tengoku Daimakyou since it's funny, chill, but also deeply fucked up
I love Suletta because she can barely afford to breathe in the vicinity of another human being, but at the same time piloting a robot is such a source of confidence that she kept bodying Guel without even thinking about it. Just inconceivable to her that she'd lose to him
These are the mannerisms of a disaster dork child who grew up learning from nothing but space TV because her mom was busy planning Shakespearian revenge. And they're so attractive a whole school of space bougies are falling for them
Since 93% of Suletta's knowledge of the world comes from anime, this gave me a vision of her rushing into her robot toast in mouth because she's late. Okouchi I trust your genius writing