Production Studio Review: Studio Shaft Anime is a media that entertains, humors, and even sometimes inspires fans young and old. Behind every good anime you will find a bunch of talented, hardworking individuals who work tirelessly to make it all happen. Key Animators, Directors, In-Between Artist, CG Animators, Producers, Voice Actors... many of these individuals we'll never hear about or notice for that matter having any part of the anime we love except for their names strolling through the end credits. However with that being said there is one group of individuals fans alike know when it comes to their favorite anime... the production studio. The production studio plays an intricate part in the adaption of series and while the number of studios grows and shrinks every year, we as fans can't help but follow our favorites building trust and admiration with each series they produce and showing anguish and dissatisfaction when they screw up an adaption. 😒looking at you JC Staff😒 Every studio big or small has their own style, something that makes them stand out over others and one could say that a studio can make or break an adaption. Big names like Production I.G, Madhouse, and Kyoto Animation, which happens to be my personal favorite, tower over the industry like gods producing a number of our timeless favorites. Here at UAS we too have our favorites. One of our favorite studios happens to have a large following but occasionally is over looked. Kabushiki gaisha Shafuto, simply known to many as Shaft, has become a favorite here not off of the titles many people know but the ones individuals don't know. My first run in with Shaft was a number of years ago when I watched Kono Minikuku mo Utsukushii Sekai (This Ugly Yet Beautiful World). While that series is not well received, I actually enjoyed it. It is one of three joint productions with the ever popular Studio Gainax. Mahoromatic: Automatic Maiden [2001], and He is my Master [2005] are the other two. Shaft was founded in September of 1975 and their start began just like many studios trying to break into the industry... at the bottom. Most of their jobs in the beginning mainly consisted on finishing and clean up for larger studios projects at the time. They would not have their first independent work credited to them until 1987 when they released an OVA titled Yume kara, Samenai 夢から、さめない. Their first TV Series would not come until almost 20 years after their founding when they released Juuni Senshi Bakuretsu Eto Ranger in the Spring 1995 Season. Both are really unknown to most anime fans, even those of Shaft and the sit towards the bottom of Shaft's anime list both in ranking and member count. From idle beginning Shaft has become arguable one of the best production studios in anime today and one could say that it can make that claim from the direction of two individuals, Mitsutoshi Kubota and Akiyuki Shinbō. Mitsutoshi Kubota took over the top spot at Shaft in 2004 and one of the first things he did was hire Director Akiyuki Shinbō. Their first work together, Moon Phase, would display Shinbō-san's talents and creativity which would come to mold Studio Shaft into the vibrant, multiple angular shot, unanimated background, head tilting Shaft we all know. Watch any modern Shaft production and one could undeniably sit back and guess that it is a Shaft title in just minutes. The "Shaftyness" is hard to ignore. Being a modern fan of anime whether you are a person that loves Shaft or not there is a good possibility that you have seen a Shaft title. One could argue that the Shaft title that would go on to defined Shaft and the studio they would become would be Bakemonogatari. Airing back in the Summer 2009, it quickly became the show of the season leading to majority of the Monogatari Series being adapted. A little side note Hanamonogatari happens to be my favorite... I absolutely love Suruga Kanbaru. Even with all of that I myself would jump to defend that it was not Bakemonogatari or any of the Monogatari Series but a little known cute girls doing cute things series called Hidamari Sketch that set Shaft in motion. Hidamari Sketch also happens to be the first title to represent our club. Airing in the Winter of 2007, Hidamari Sketch was received fairly well. So well that it is one of those rare titles that not only got the all elusive second season, it got four! So what is the catch? In the western world Hidamari Sketch didn't catch on as well as it did in the east. I myself did not watch it until it was featured in a four part series in our Monthly Anime Feature back in February 2018 and mozgow recommended that I watch it based off of his overall enjoyment of the series. Knowing nothing about the series I was excited to see the title that got our club it's start. I would also get to see the orginal OP from one of the greatest mashups I have ever heard. It didn't take long for the closeup and angular shots, abstract background designs, rapid cuts, changes in art style, the incorporation of real photographs, and a signature tilted head pose to show and almost immediately I had to guess it was a Shaft title. It was too shafty to not be. Finding out it was only peaked my interest more and going through the first season I was hooked. Not only was it good I found myself enthralled in it and the series kept getting better and better as it went along. Not only did it have Shaft's visual characteristics but it contained its dialog style as well. Any fan of the Monogatari Series or many other Shaft titles for that matter know what I mean. Shaft has a way with luring you in with the dialog between characters. And let us not forget that its art style is very familiar... just ask the fans of Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica. While I have yet to finish all four seasons (currently halfway through Hoshi Mittsu), I thoroughly enjoyed Hidamari Sketch and invite you to take part in seeing what I see. Studios, even major ones, have series that are over looked by the masses. For Shaft it is not just Hidamari Sketch, there are many others I would say is worth looking into. I just recently completed the first season of Natsu no Arashi!, who by the way aired the season before Bakemonogatari, and I absolutely enjoyed it. REC, another club favorite, is another good unhyped Shaft title. Paniponi Dash! and Tsukuyomi: Moon Phase don't meet our club guidelines but I would recommend them to you. Spreading the awareness of unpopular anime is what we do so look out for another Production Studio Review in the future. How many titles have you watched from your favorite studio? You never know, there might be some pretty good unpopular titles hiding on their list just waiting for you to check them out! |
goshujin_sama241May 3, 2020 1:51 PM
 Anime is a media that entertains, humors, and even sometimes inspires fans young and old.  Behind every good anime you will find a bunch of talented, hardworking individuals who work tirelessly to make it all happen. Key Animators, Directors, In-Between Artist, CG Animators, Producers, Voice Actors... many of these individuals we'll never hear about or notice for that matter having any part of the anime we love except for their names strolling through the end credits. However with that being said there is one group of individuals fans alike know when it comes to their favorite anime... the production studio. The production studio plays an intricate part in the adaption of series and while the number of studios grows and shrinks every year, we as fans can't help but follow our favorites building trust and admiration with each series they produce and showing anguish and dissatisfaction when they screw up an adaption. 😒looking at you JC Staff😒 Every studio big or small has their own style, something that makes them stand out over others and one could say that a studio can make or break an adaption. Big names like Production I.G, Madhouse, and Kyoto Animation, which happens to be my personal favorite, tower over the industry like gods producing a number of our timeless favorites.  Here at UAS we too have our favorites. One of our favorite studios happens to have a large following but occasionally is over looked. Kabushiki gaisha Shafuto, simply known to many as Shaft, has become a favorite here not off of the titles many people know but the ones individuals don't know. My first run in with Shaft was a number of years ago when I watched Kono Minikuku mo Utsukushii Sekai (This Ugly Yet Beautiful World). While that series is not well received, I actually enjoyed it. It is one of three joint productions with the ever popular Studio Gainax. Mahoromatic: Automatic Maiden [2001], and  He is my Master [2005] are the other two. Shaft was founded in September of 1975 and their start began just like many studios trying to break into the industry... at the bottom. Most of their jobs in the beginning mainly consisted on finishing and clean up for larger studios projects at the time. They would not have their first independent work credited to them until 1987 when they released an OVA titled Yume kara, Samenai 夢から、さめない. Their first TV Series would not come until almost 20 years after their founding when they released Juuni Senshi Bakuretsu Eto Ranger in the Spring 1995 Season. Both are really unknown to most anime fans, even those of Shaft and the sit towards the bottom of Shaft's anime list both in ranking and member count.From idle beginning Shaft has become arguable one of the best production studios in anime today and one could say that it can make that claim from the direction of two individuals, Mitsutoshi Kubota and Akiyuki Shinbō.  Mitsutoshi Kubota took over the top spot at Shaft in 2004 and one of the first things he did was hire Director Akiyuki Shinbō. Their first work together, Moon Phase, would display Shinbō-san's talents and creativity which would come to mold Studio Shaft into the vibrant, multiple angular shot, unanimated background, head tilting Shaft we all know. Watch any modern Shaft production and one could undeniably sit back and guess that it is a Shaft title in just minutes. The "Shaftyness" is hard to ignore. Being a modern fan of anime whether you are a person that loves Shaft or not there is a good possibility that you have seen a Shaft title. One could argue that the Shaft title that would go on to defined Shaft and the studio they would become would be Bakemonogatari. Airing back in the Summer 2009, it quickly became the show of the season leading to majority of the Monogatari Series being adapted. A little side note Hanamonogatari happens to be my favorite... I absolutely love Suruga Kanbaru. Even with all of that I myself would jump to defend that it was not Bakemonogatari or any of the Monogatari Series but a little known cute girls doing cute things series called Hidamari Sketch that set Shaft in motion.  Hidamari Sketch also happens to be the first title to represent our club.Airing in the Winter of 2007, Hidamari Sketch was received fairly well. So well that it is one of those rare titles that not only got the all elusive second season, it got four! So what is the catch? In the western world Hidamari Sketch didn't catch on as well as it did in the east. I myself did not watch it until it was featured in a four part series in our Monthly Anime Feature back in February 2018 and mozgow recommended that I watch it based off of his overall enjoyment of the series. Knowing nothing about the series I was excited to see the title that got our club it's start. I would also get to see the orginal OP from one of the greatest mashups I have ever heard. It didn't take long for the closeup and angular shots, abstract background designs, rapid cuts, changes in art style, the incorporation of real photographs, and a signature tilted head pose to show and almost immediately I had to guess it was a Shaft title. It was too shafty to not be. Finding out it was only peaked my interest more and going through the first season I was hooked. Not only was it good I found myself enthralled in it and the series kept getting better and better as it went along. Not only did it have Shaft's visual characteristics but it contained its dialog style as well. Any fan of the Monogatari Series or many other Shaft titles for that matter know what I mean. Shaft has a way with luring you in with the dialog between characters.  And let us not forget that its art style is very familiar... just ask the fans of Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica. While I have yet to finish all four seasons (currently halfway through Hoshi Mittsu), I thoroughly enjoyed Hidamari Sketch and invite you to take part in seeing what I see.Studios, even major ones, have series that are over looked by the masses. For Shaft it is not just Hidamari Sketch, there are many others I would say is worth looking into. I just recently completed the first season of Natsu no Arashi!, who by the way aired the season before Bakemonogatari, and I absolutely enjoyed it. REC, another club favorite, is another good unhyped Shaft title. Paniponi Dash! and Tsukuyomi: Moon Phase don't meet our club guidelines but I would recommend them to you. Spreading the awareness of unpopular anime is what we do so look out for another Production Studio Review in the future. How many titles have you watched from your favorite studio? You never know, there might be some pretty good unpopular titles hiding on their list just waiting for you to check them out! |
goshujin_sama241May 15, 2020 4:01 PM
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