Ask John: Which Anime Studios Are On An Upswing?

Question:
Recently you mentioned how the works of Madhouse for the past decade have been far above and beyond their previous works in creativity and quality. Are there any other animation studios you think are experiencing a creative surge? Similarly, which studios do you think are in a creative slump at the moment?

Answer:
I did singularly cite Madhouse as an example of a veteran anime production studio that seems to be experiencing a contemporary creative renaissance because Madhouse is the most evident current example. That’s not to say that Madhouse is the only studio to show signs of creative revitalization, nor that there’s anything necessarily wrong with studios that remain consistent. Certain veteran studios, like Toei, Pierrot, and Ghibli, seem to maintain a consistent typical quality in their productions. Relatively young studios like Satelight, Kyoto Animation, and Brains Base produce usually reliable work, but haven’t been in operation long enough to have experienced significant creative cycles. While Madhouse immediately comes to mind as a rejuvenated studio because of its abundance of recent exceptional work, I believe I can identify two other production houses that have shown a similar, although not quite as pronounced or obvious, creative spurt in recent years.

During the 1980s and early 90s AIC was associated with numerous popular and groundbreaking anime franchises, including Bubblegum Crisis, Gall Force, Tenchi Muyo, and Megazone 23. However, during the late 1990s and early 2000s the studio’s output included De Vadasy, Detonator Orgun, Tenchi Muyo GXP & OVA series 3, Battle Programmer Shirase, Burn Up Scramble, To Heart: Remember My Memories, GUNxSWORD, and Magical Kanan. AIC seemed to be coasting along on uninspired, recycled creations. I can’t say that the studio has entirely rid itself of this tendency; for example, producing Bamboo Blade and Asu no Yoichi – two kendo themed harem shows back to back. However, within the past few years AIC has produced anime including Candy Boy, Garei Zero, Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari, Tentai Senshi Sunred, and Kigurumikku V3. These shows may not be especially cutting edge, but they have been productions exhibiting admirable production quality and distinctive creativity. While titles including Burn Up Scramble, GUNxSWORD, and Magical Kanan have been forgettable, and recent Tenchi Muyo installments simply outright bad, AIC’s contemporary work has been engaging and memorable. The upcoming Sora no Otoshimono doesn’t appear to portend anything groundbreaking, but AIC’s upcoming Sasamekikoto, if Candy Boy is any indication, may be be something special.

Sunrise dominated the 1980s with its numerous robot anime, as well as beloved character-centric shows including City Hunter and Dirty Pair. However, with the exception of Cowboy Bebop, Sunrise Studio’s output during the late 1990s was particularly weak. Productions including Mugen no Ryvius, Angel Links, Seraphim Call, Brain Powerd, DT Eightron, and Gundam X range from mediocre to poor. However, within the past few years Sunrise seems to have revitalized itself with energetic titles including Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto, Gundam Seed and Gundam OO, the My Hime/My Otome franchise, Code Geass, Freedom, and Sora wo Kakeru Shoujo. Sunrise’s contemporary work may not be especially innovative or original – most recent Gundam anime has simply recycled concepts from 80’s Gundam anime; My Hime and “SoraKake” have simply merged older, established anime genres – but there’s a palpable sense of vibrancy and creativity pulsing through contemporary Sunrise works that wasn’t present in many of its late 90’s productions.

Conversely, there are Japanese studios that seem to be in a low ebb these days. Picking on Gonzo at this point in time feels a bit faddish. Gonzo’s forte has always lay in producing stylish, eye-catching but not necessarily substantial anime. However, in light of earlier works including Last Exile, Saishuheiki Kanojo, Kaleidostar, Vandread, Gankutsuou, and Basilisk, Gonzo’s output since 2006 is typically represented by Shangri-la, Kurogane no Linebarrel, Blassreiter, Saki, Kaze no Stigma, Dragonaut, Pumpkin Scissors, Romeo x Juliet, Arad Senki, and Rosario to Vampire. Afro Samurai has been internationally successful, but can’t be cited as an example of truly brilliant anime. Similar to AIC of the late 90s, Gonzo feels like it’s presently churning out a lot of anime without a lot of heart. Recent Gonzo productions have felt hollow and soul-less, or in the case of current titles Shangri-la and Arad Senki – works that feel directionless and produced as commissioned product rather than inspired art.

Gainax was founded as a studio of inspired, ambitious animators that wanted to produce magnificent anime. During the late 1980s and through the 90s, Gainax delivered groundbreaking and breathtaking works including Royal Space Force, Gunbuster, Nadia, Evangelion, and FLCL (granted, FLCL premiered in 2000). This decade, however, Gainax’s output is typified by Mahoromatic, Puchi Puri Yushi, This Ugly Yet Beautiful World, He is My Master, and Shikabane Hime Aka. Gurren Lagann is certainly a new monumental franchise, but it’s the only strikingly original contribution to anime that Gainax has delivered in the past 8 years.

With this analysis, I’m not trying to rank the relative contributions or artistic worth of particular studios. I suspect that periods of alternating explosive creativity and rote mediocrity are typical for many studios. Economic health, changing tastes of anime consumers, and the influence of generations of new animators joining the profession and working their way up to attaining positions with influential authority are just some factors that can contribute to creative peaks and valleys in a studio’s evolution. The studios that are producing great work now may not as impressive a few years from now. And studios that seem weak right now have had strong eras before and likely will again in the future.