PPP presentation: CGI use in anime

 Starting on this, we first touch on CGI's domination in western animation with reasons as followed :

Toy story by Pixar sets the foundation for other CGI movie in how it should look and feel , which other studios would learn from and implement in their own production .

Success of Toy stories also led to higher public interest in new CGI technology => influence the choice of studio switching over to 3D. Eventually, 3D has dominate so much that is consider a norm form of animation, especially with the new generation being brought up in a world that is incline more toward technological aesthetic ( i.e the gaming scenes and realistic graphics and explosive visual ) hence, the subtle manner in Western 2D animation just doesn’t do it anymore.

 In Japan, there was no Toy stories hence there was no public interest in new forms of tech nor template for studio to pursuit , adding on top of that a massive 2D culture where things like manga and anime have a higher social appeal – being  geared toward a wider audience not just children.

Japanese appreciation for craftsmanship and storytelling : Miyazaki and Ghibli => put anime in higher regard. + more dynamic actions and visual help it makes much more of an impact.

 However CGI did have roles in anime. Many CGI technology are used in backgrounds and specific sequences for artistic and practical uses. On top of that most anime since the 2000 have been drawn digitally. However , it played more of a support role for traditional method rather than replacing them.

More ambitious attempts at fully CGI animated met with mixed review and generally lies in the Gaming industries more than anime. However, it did prove of Japan’s ability in digital technology , showing that the reason why CGI has not caught on is because lack of tech

Reason is that the studio themselves understand the anime’s audience appeal toward 2D that has already been established ( which could also be a part of a return of interest in more practical and hands-on method of production in film) which led to a confusion of purpose for CGI production where they aim to look as 2D as possible.

 There is  interest in this idea as well from the West, culminating in the short Paperman which shows it could work very well . However, the method of production is vastly different as “Paperman” were very experimental in nature and only used as a proof of concept . Japanese studio lacks the budget and proper development time for such technologies. Therefore they’d sticks to more conventional methods like cell shading and other   deliberately slowing down the framerate to match the typical anime frame rate => to feel more anime. This works when the animation is 2D with CGI background , but full CGI animations suffers from problems.

 What I feel is important for Japanese animator to understand is that CGI can work well as a supportive role in animation ie Visual effects or background that helps to enhance the 2D visuals rather than replacing it , all the while attaining an artistic level of its own , as proven by shows like Ghost in the Shell , Attack on Titan and Fate.  So, why not just stick to it first ? Besides whats the point of using CGI , if youre not going to use all is functionalities