| Do you think 'artistic choice' can be a valid excuse for poor animation quality in anime? Why or why not? The argument of 'artistic choice' can be used as an excuse for poor quality work. one example is Berserk 2016. The anime received a lot of criticism for its poor animation quality, and the fans were disappointed to see one of their favourite manga series get such treatment.  Can Berserk 2016 be considered as an example of a show where artistic choice excuses poor animation? In what cases can 'artistic choice' be considered as a valid excuse for poor animation quality? How can we differentiate between intentional 'artistic choice' and a lack of effort or budget from the animation team? Also a relevant video from Snob ThatAnimeSnobRE said: Relevant video that sums up the issue (and you cannot disagree because it's intentional) |
DeagoMay 2, 2023 8:27 AM
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| I mean, if it's a slide show i'll just read the manga/ln/vn. |
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| I'm not sure how to answer, I'm not sure if what happened to Berserk was an artistic choice or just a group of people who had no idea what they were doing. There's Masaaki Yuasa, who many people complain about the animation in his works, but in his case, I think the animation fits very well with his style and what he wants to convey with his works. It's a complicated situation. |
| If you're a fanboy, please don't waste my time. Watch more movies, please. Perhaps, this is hell. |
| Ex Arms isn't bad, it was an artistic choice. /s No, they looked bad because it looked bad. Houseki no Kuni came out a year after Berserk 2016 and was cg while keeping the 2D anime aesthetics. It did well with a lot of positive reception. Last season we had Trigun Stampede, which also looked good and received decently well. Ignoring the story, an excuse for being bad because of artistic choice would be Hand Shaker. Try not to get motion sick. The show is constantly like this. |
PaulMay 1, 2023 8:52 PM
| In some cases, artistic choice can be considered a valid excuse for poor animation quality.. For instance, if an anime's style is intentionally rough and sketchy, with quick, exaggerated movements and distorted character designs, the animation quality might not be as smooth or polished as other shows. The use of a unique art style can sometimes be a deliberate choice by the creators, and the animation might not necessarily be intended to look realistic or seamless. However, this does not excuse a lack of effort or a low budget. Even if a show's art style is intentionally rough or exaggerated, the animation should still be executed with proper attention to detail and quality. To differentiate between intentional artistic choice and a lack of effort or budget, one should consider the consistency of the animation quality throughout the show.. If the quality of animation fluctuates wildly from scene to scene, it is more likely that the team is struggling with a lack of resources or talent. However, if the animation is consistently stylized or exaggerated throughout the show, then it is more likely a deliberate artistic choice. Ultimately, it is up to the audience to decide whether or not the show's animation quality is acceptable, regardless of the reasoning behind it.. |
| Is an artistic choice being made because of poor animation quality? I would argue in this Berserk's case, it seemed like the animators were probably working with poor tools and/or a low budget. Those restrictions may have led to artistic choices to do their best with what they had; in Berserk's case, I don't think it really worked. There are times it kind of works, though. Space Runaway Ideon used what must have been its worst animation for a character who was, at the time, drunk after losing one loved one and running to see another loved one she knows is probably dead. It's such a bad animation that it kind of reflects how disoriented she'd be feeling in the moment; though if you aren't invested in her, you'd probably just find this terrible loop quite funny. |
| KamiKatsu that's airing right now has horrific cgi and other abnormal animations mixed in that are hilarious and part of the comedy that should definitely be excused in my opinion. |
| sometimes yes sometimes no but ultimately this is a question with no answer as its completely subjective. someone might find something completely nonsensical and ugly while someone else might look at it and see some sort of meaning that enhances the piece. whether or not it was intended by the artist doesnt really matter, same for if the choice was made due to budgetary reasons. |
| i mean it's subjective but poor animation is poor animation and berserk 2016 has that people who judge the art of shows such as yuasa's and sorts however just don't appreciate the wacky artistic direction even though in my personal opinion it's brilliant animation/art |
| Sometimes, very rarely, it can. Not in Berserk's case, though. How to differentiate? Our own taste will tell. Baraou no Souretsu is one of my favorite anime of 2022, despite being largely considered a bad adaptation. The animation is indeed lackluster and basically non-existent at times, but the overall aesthetics (background art in particular) more than make up for that; it really is an example of doing the best you can with very limited resources. I'll always prefer this over average animation and average art, without excelling at anything. |
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| "Can 'Artistic Choice' Excuse Poor Animation?" Putting it in parentheses means that this isn't the choice of the actual artist isn't it? |
| Saying "artistic choice" means they're doing sth with it. So in regards to Berserk 2016 for example, before we can excuse it or not, it all depends on what does the bad animation bring to the table other than making the show look awful. Yes it sounds silly but still valid "artistically". How to know whether it's artistic choice or lack of budget/effort? Ultimately speaking you'd have to ask the creators themselves but from within the show itself, again, look for what it brings. If nothing then maybe you can conclude that it's the latter. |
| I can excuse something like South Park or Team America World Police looking like shit because they are comedies and looking like shit somehow makes them funnier. I can also excuse smaller productions. What I can't excuse are big and supposedly serious productions looking like shit and claiming "artistic choice". |
| MEA·MENTVLA·INGENS·EST |
| I much prefer a charming slideshow like Hanako-Kun over soulless big budget 60fps franchises like Fate/Stay Night. But a few extra frames of animation certainly couldn't hurt. |
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No, artistic choice is not a valid excuse for poor animation quality in anime. Animation quality is a reflection of the level of craftsmanship that goes into the production of an anime. Poorly done animation can detract from the viewer’s experience, making it hard to follow the story or the overall direction of the show. Artistic choice should support and enhance the animation, not take away from it. |
 Decide once every certain number of years which members of the ruling class will oppress and crush the people in parliament: this is the true essence of bourgeois parliamentarism, not only in the constitutional parliamentary monarchies but in the most democratic republics - The State and Revolution (September 1917), Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov "Lenin". |
| I unno. When I read this I immediately thought of Ping Pong. A lot of people criticize the “animation,” when they really mean the art style. It just goes to show that a lot of people hate on stuff without actually knowing what they’re talking about. Animes usually try to stick closely to the source art (well, most of them). Shitty animation is definitely a thing, but tbh the average anime fan probably doesn’t understand the difference. This being said, people are allowed to not like an anime for any reason they want. Even if they don’t really understand the source of that reason. |
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Chromodynamics said: That's like saying pizza should have stayed as just dough and sauce because it's better that way and feels unfitting and jarring with all those pesky toppings. Sure, some people might prefer their pizza plain, but others like a little variety and flair. Similarly, while the Monogatari series may have started as light novels, its animated format adds a whole new level of visual and auditory stimulation that just can't be replicated on the page.Personally, the Monogatari series should've stayed only as Light Novels since it's better in written format and feels unfitting and jarring in Animation format. Scavendgarr said: How does that even relate to the topic at hand?I mean, if it's a slide show i'll just read the manga/ln/vn. Phosphophyllita said: that's like saying you're not sure if the chef burned your food on purpose or if they just didn't know how to use the stove, or simply was talking shortcuts such as microwaving your food. So maybe it's not a complicated situation after all - just a matter of taste and personal preference. Artistic choice doesn't excuse poor animation. Whether the poor animation was contextually effective or not should be discussed in a separate evaluation, but intentional poor animation is still poor animation.I'm not sure how to answer, I'm not sure if what happened to Berserk was an artistic choice or just a group of people who had no idea what they were doing. There's Masaaki Yuasa, who many people complain about the animation in his works, but in his case, I think the animation fits very well with his style and what he wants to convey with his works. It's a complicated situation. Paul said: And yet, some plebeians want their anime at constant 60fps lol.Ignoring the story, an excuse for being bad because of artistic choice would be Hand Shaker. Try not to get motion sick. The show is constantly like this. Paxilian said: Well, I get what you're saying, but let's be real - a minute of a still frame with Beethoven playing in the background was just plain boring. Sure, it might have some artistic merit, but that doesn't change the fact that it's mind-numbingly dull. And as for the 'elevator scene' and other still-frame shots, let's not forget that those were used sparingly and had some actual purpose in the storytelling. Plus, they weren't a frame lasting for a full minute! It's one thing to make artistic choices, but it's another thing entirely to waste the viewer's time with something that's just plain tedious. So sorry, but even if it was intentional, that minute of still frame in Evangelion was just bad, artistically or not.[quote=Cocinas message=69135085]KamiKatsu that's airing right now has horrific cgi and other abnormal animations mixed in that are hilarious and part of the comedy that should definitely be excused in my opinion.To an extent, maybe. Some shows like Evangelion attempt to work around their budget/time contraints by making more 'artistic' choices in art and direction, like the 'elevator scene' and the other still-frame shots. On the other hand, it can end disastrously, like with what happened to Hikari no Ou, which came out Winter 2023 and looks like a kickstarter financed indie project by the last episodes. The actual art style of show is interesting and reminiscent of 90s OVAs (IMO), but it very obviously suffered during production with getting its episode count cut down and borderline becoming a slideshow by the finale. It also doesn't help that the show is an adaptation of a series of novels that have a very detailed world with complex characters, but very little of that is able to be translated into the show, because of the lack of production quality. You can see glimpses of something good, but its mired in the disappointing animation; essentially what fans of Berserk 2016 try to use as a defense for that abomination. Nirinbo said: Sometimes, very rarely, it can. Not in Berserk's case, though. How to differentiate? Our own taste will tell. Baraou no Souretsu is one of my favorite anime of 2022, despite being largely considered a bad adaptation. The animation is indeed lackluster and basically non-existent at times, but the overall aesthetics (background art in particular) more than make up for that; it really is an example of doing the best you can with very limited resources. I'll always prefer this over average animation and average art, without excelling at anything. but the overall aesthetics (background art in particular) more than make up for that Then the visuals indeed aren't as bad as Berserk 2016, which had nothing to make up for it's poor animations.alshu said: You could interpret the question like this; even if the creator wasn't being self-aware and intentional, fans of the show could still use 'artistic choice' as a valid defence."Can 'Artistic Choice' Excuse Poor Animation?" Putting it in parentheses means that this isn't the choice of the actual artist isn't it? Theo1899 said: You believe all serious anime must have at least consistently acceptable animation?I can excuse something like South Park or Team America World Police looking like shit because they are comedies and looking like shit somehow makes them funnier. I can also excuse smaller productions. What I can't excuse are big and supposedly serious productions looking like shit and claiming "artistic choice". |
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Chromodynamics said: Personally, the Monogatari series should've stayed only as Light Novels since it's better in written format and feels unfitting and jarring in Animation format. Maybe you feel that way but that anime was extremely successful commercially so I would disagree with your statement. Monogatari works great as an anime with the unique Shaft style and it's high sales numbers speaks for itself that a lot of people liked the anime. |
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| no, not for poor animation. but it can be an excuse for "weird' or "different" animation. something like mob or ping pong, is clearly not poorly animated or anything close to that. |
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| I say yes it can. Just because it's rare doesn't mean it cannot happen. Take Gokushufudou, for instance. It's not even animated, and yet the author of the manga was pleased with the adaptation because the gags are never about the dynamics of what happens, they're just goofy snapshots. |
| if it doesn't fit or is not good then no |
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