Ask John: Are Manglobe & I.G in Decline?

Question:
After watching some of the new anime series this season I couldn’t help mustering less than ambivalence for Production I.G’s two series Robotic;Notes and Psycho Pass. This came as a surprise since I had generally always looked forward to their shows which generally boasted stunning animation and interesting narratives. Lately though, their productions seem to be missing that wow factor of their earlier days. This too is so for Mangaglobe studios who seems to have jumped the shark from unique (if not entirely successful) thematically complex series such as Michiko E Hatchin , Samurai Champloo to Mashiro Symphony and The World Only God Knows. Definitely a far cry from their earlier productions. What is your opinion on the seemingly lack of “wow” factor that these studios had originally produced in their glory days? Is it due to new talents taking over, thus a downgrade in quality? Has any other anime studio such as Bones, Shaft, or Sunrise also seem to be creating series which are not nearly as interesting as their older shows?

Answer:
Anime productions require a year to several years, or in the case of Production I.G’s multi-award winning motion picture Momo e no Tegami, seven years of development time, so observers and critics should adopt a more long-term perspective of anime studio output than focus on trends within relatively short spans. Since its formation in 1987, Production I.G has been synonymous with high-end and exceptional anime, practically starting out of the gate with the impressive 1989 Patlabor motion picture, which was followed by fan favorite anime including Video Girl Ai, Dragon Half, and Please Save My Earth. It was only in 1995 that Production I.G established itself as an international animation powerhouse when it relesed the Ghost in the Shell movie. However, examination of I.G’s output reveals a number of years with underwhelming output. The studio’s highlights from 1996 were the Shinesman and Blue Seed 2 OVAs. The studio’s most impressive anime production of 1999 was the relatively unimpressive Akihabara Cyber Team movie. The studio produced the exceptional 2008 TV series Real Drive, but that same year also released World Destruction, Sisters of Wellber Zwei, and Toshokan Senso. Similarly, two years ago Production I.G released the amazing TV special Shoka but also co-produced the atrocious Loups=Garous movie and the underwhelming Bungaku Shoujo movie. So 2012’s mixed output of the technically impressive but narratively underwhelming Robotics;Notes and Psycho-Pass TV series are somewhat balanced out by the release of the affecting Momo e no Tegami movie. And a relatively down year like 2012 for the studio isn’t out of character for the studio from a historical perspective.

Anime studio Kabushiki-gaisha Manglobe was established in 2002 and initially produced a number of praiseworthy, esoteric productions including Samurai Champloo (2004), Ergo Proxy (2006), and Michiko to Hatchin (2008). However, beginning with 2009’s Seiken no Blacksmith, the studio has increasingly turned to animating more commercially friendly, conventional anime such as Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai (2010), Deadman Wonderland & Mashiroiro Symphony (2011), and Hayate no Gotoku. The studio’s only avant-garde production among its past eight titles has been 2010’s Sarai-ya Goyo. From a long-term perspective, three years, from 2009 to 2012, may be insufficient to really gauge whether and how Manglobe’s characteristic style is changing. The trend appears to suggest that unlike the traditional ebb and flow of Production I.G, Manglobe started out focusing on unusual, unconventional anime and has shifted its focus to more commercially viable and sustainable mainstream productions, either by choice or necessity. But considering that the studio’s initial batch of avant-garde anime were produced at an average of two years apart and Manglobe’s most recent such production was two years ago, observers may want to see what Manglobe produces in 2013 before leaping to the conclusion that Manglobe has “sold out” and abandoned its production of nonconformist anime.

Upswings and lean periods are normal within the anime industry. Consider, for example, prolific studio Madhouse. During the exceptional span of 2006-2008, Madhouse produced amazing TV anime productions including Death Note, Kemonozume, Shigurui, Denno Coil, Oh Edo Rocket, Kurozuka, and Kaiba. However, in 2009 the studio released Needless, Rideback, Souten Koro, and Kobato. And in 2010 through 2012 Madhouse’s TV anime productions have included the four Marvel Anime series, Oda Nobuna no Yabou, and BTOOOM! Acclaimed studio Gainax has produced masterworks including Secret of Blue Water (1990), Evangelion (1995), Gurren Lagann (2007), and Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt (2010) but also, in recent years, humdrum shows including Dantalian no Shoka, Hanamaru Yochien, and Shikabane Hime.

Perhaps the only studio I can immediately recollect that could arguably be accused of genuinely declining consistently in creativity and integrity is AIC. The studio launched in the early 1980s with groundbreaking, evocative productions like Megazone 23 (1985), Gall Force (1986), Bubblegum Crisis (1987), and Tenchi Muyo (1992), but in recent years has been characterized by anime including Sora no Otoshimono (2009), Shukufuku no Campanella (2010), R-15 (2011), and Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate (2012). However, even in its still prolific yet more conventional state, AIC has still periodically made some effort to surprise viewers with unconventional (and marginally successful) productions like Ga-rei Zero (2008), Geijutsuka Art Design Class (2009), Horo Musuko (2011), and this year’s Jinrui wa Suitaishimashita & Ebiten: Koritsu Ebisugawa Koko Tenmonbu.

Even the most prolific anime production studios typically only create three or four television series per year, so making the assertion that a studio is losing its creativity or becoming more conventional and mainstream within a span of a year or two, or based on overview of only a half-dozen or so titles is really too small of a exemplary sample to support such a conclusion. A year or two and a half-dozen shows may seem like a lot of material and time for observers to base judgement on, but it’s actually not a lot of time and output for a major studio to be typified by. Unusual, artistic, esoteric anime literally don’t appear every year, especially not from a singular studio every year, so before believing that a studio has lost its touch, fans should give the studio at least a three or four year span of time before rendering characteristic observations.