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Old 2009-02-04, 01:35   Link #77
wao
OK.
 
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: The Fields of High Attus
Age: 34
It's definitely a mistake to attribute so much of a series' quality to the studio as opposed to the director, especially when it comes to large heterogeneous studios like Madhouse.

But what's led so many otaku to worship Kyoto Animation is their consistently high level of dedication - even Bones is solid, sure, but I'd argue that their shows in general don't have that obvious "painstakingly-made" feel to them, which is what wins fans over...

However I'd also argue that it's unfair to compare Kyoani with other similar or more major studios because it appears that they are run somewhat differently. I haven't watched much of their recent works but when I did I noticed they didn't outsource as much as other studios and had very stable, set teams down to in-betweeners (important) and colourists in the staff rotations for episodes. You see the same names again and again.
Not like other comparable studios that bring in all sorts of other people and frequently get people onto episodes on a temporary basis; plus by nature of their size it is hard to enforce quality between teams (unless we're talking about Ghibli or something, which is clearly a different beast)

I'm only making huge assumptions here but at least for a good while Kyoani seems to have had a close-knit structure where consistency in quality is highly emphasized. They've had greater control on their output and schedules... Perhaps part of it has to do with being geographically isolated from the center of animation production in Tokyo, where animators can hop over to another place in short notice.

So of course, Kyoto Animation has been able to afford this set-up by concentrating on few series and having the good sense/luck to partner with well-marketed shows. But I would bet that this won't last much longer if it hasn't already broken down... It sounds cliche, but fame and wealth and all that can change the dynamics within the studio unless someone knows how to direct that in a positive way.

That's what I think, anyway.
Personally I'd much rather worship individual animators and directors rather than studios, tyvm
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