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Old 2011-11-24, 12:10   Link #1
Aaerul
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[Interview] Why the next KEY works didn't get anime

Hi animesuki

So I spent a night translating Vava's interview/speech (the president of Visual Art's) answering why Little Busters! didn't get an anime.

Little Busters (2007) is Key's sixth game and their flagship title after Clannad's release in 2004.

http://visualnovelaer.wordpress.com/...into-an-anime/

Originally wrote it for the visual novel audience but maybe someone here might be interested

Cheers.



btw Angel Beats is not a Key work, it's just Jun Maeda himself doing the story and music.

Last edited by Aaerul; 2011-11-24 at 17:20.
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Old 2011-11-24, 14:34   Link #2
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Not sure if this is more relevent in the KyoAni thread, but either way, thanks for the translation.

I really don't think the daily life thing is much of a problem, so it's pretty much KyoAni's fault that LB hasn't been animated yet. Then again, in a business perspective, I doubt there would be any way LB would be as successful as K-On... I guess LB is just unlucky.

Does KyoAni have any projects coming up?
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Old 2011-11-24, 14:53   Link #3
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Well, apparently the storyline contains much repetitions and "grinding" elements which may not be suitable for anime. *cough* *cough*

At the very least, it'd be really long.

Also....
Quote:
(Vava cites Kanon’s first anime to which he said: “Please stop making these awful adaptations of our games!” He pleaded.)
Lawl, so even they despise Toei-Kanon. I suppose they wouldn't want DEEN. Well, if anything Kyoani did right, it was to improve those mediocre character designs.

But hey, maybe PA works can adapt Key from now on; it's not like Kyoto Ani has a monoply on good looking things a; PA works can easily match them. As long as the script is prepared already and Mari Okada doesn't have absolute control; we're all good.
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Old 2011-11-24, 14:58   Link #4
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Does KyoAni have any projects coming up?
That is the real question isn't it?
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Old 2011-11-24, 15:54   Link #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Archon_Wing View Post
Well, apparently the storyline contains much repetitions and "grinding" elements which may not be suitable for anime. *cough* *cough*
What Kyoani has shown they can handle repetition just fine...oh wait....

In any case Key makes me laugh so damn much as always. They definitely esteem themselves very highly and seem to get off on their own work (possible understatement here) so it's no surprise that they'd be so reluctant to hand these things out just like that I guess, but I also guess that it's progress that they learned like so many others have that indeed Kyoani does not have a monopoly on good animation and adaptations. I think they'd just need to find somebody else who is actually interested in doing it and working with Key in spite of it's seemingly legendary stubbornness and egotism.

However are they looking for someone else? Is this interview possibly more of that classic style viral marketing that Kyoani/Kadokawa are infamous for and now Key is on board with them for a Little Busters anime? I wouldn't normally suggest to take something like this as a possible announcement, but it does have that hype building feel to it where the creators are slowly stroking their own egos at the same time in anticipation.
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Old 2011-11-24, 17:22   Link #6
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Aw!! This sucks! I really want to see an animated version of Noumi! Totally fell in love-at-first-sight with her cute character design!

I do actually think it wise for Key to not hand the project to a different studio. KyoAni is good, you have to admit, even if they love to troll us. I still find the openings to Air and Angel Beats simply stunning.
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Old 2011-11-24, 17:22   Link #7
Aaerul
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kaioshin Sama View Post
However are they looking for someone else? Is this interview possibly more of that classic style viral marketing that Kyoani/Kadokawa are infamous for
Well actually it's not an interview. It's a speech he gave at Kyoto University
Why I wrote interview last night is beyond me... I guess it was 4am so I must've been in zombie mode...
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Old 2011-11-24, 18:16   Link #8
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I rather have an anime of rewrite than little busters now. So who knows? Maybe we get one in the future
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Old 2011-11-24, 18:31   Link #9
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I think both Haruhi fans and Key fans(as well as FMP fans) are frustrated by KyoAni's one project at a time approach, as each of us wants our favorite thing animated next. I am still hoping that Spring 2012 brings us more Haruhi since there are some awesomesauce stories that have yet to be animated.

Spoiler for Light unanimated Haruhi spoilers:


I do think this is Key trying to build interest in a 2013 run of Little Busters. I think it is very possible that KyoAni will go back to the Key well. Of course, they'd really show their animation chops by animating more Full Metal Panic(but after more Haruhi makes Kadokawa and KyoAni enough money that they can just animate FMP and Kadokawa can make money on the merchandise since FMP won't sell as much as Key or K-ON or Haruhi.)
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Old 2011-11-24, 19:32   Link #10
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Sounds like KyoAni was just too busy for the job and Key was reluctanct about anyone else handling it instead. It's not like Key didn't want an anime. They already worked out a way to turn it from game > anime, all that's left is just finding the right studio (if they havn't already found one that is), though it seems like they're pretty adament on KyoAni.
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Old 2011-11-24, 20:01   Link #11
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Well I've actually read the Little Busters more or less, and yes it is much too repetitive and has too much grinding to really be adapted properly into an anime format. This doesn't mean repetitive in the sense that KEY tells repetitive stories, like how Kanon and Clannad has so many story arcs that mimicked each other almost scene for scene, but repetitive in the sense that the idea within its story and the interactions within it happen over and over and over again until you're just sick of it.

But the problem is a lot of these things are key to understanding the ultimate ending of little busters, which wasn't very justified in the first place.

-----

Anyways it's very interesting to know about KyoAni actually declining KEY works. To be honest, I wouldn't be very sad if KEY never gets another anime adaption by them again because I actually am not too fond of their works.

Frankly I find it laughable that they laud their own work so much, and consider it so glorious that only the supposed "God" of the anime industry Kyoani could ever handle it. Lets not forget just how poor the endings of Kanon 2006 and Clannad AS were, where either plot details came out of absolutely nowhere to force some sort of overwrought drama down people's throats or where even the entire narrative was contradicted (Which was otherwise solid up to that point).

It's definitely not writing I'd consider so praise worthy and I would definitely not feel that sad to never see it again.

Personally I hope KyoAni expands their horizons and does something more out of their comfort zone. I think they're fully capable of doing it, though I doubt it would ever happen.
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Old 2011-11-24, 20:07   Link #12
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As much as I agree that the ending of Kanon and Clannad AS were bad, they are great anime as a whole.
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Old 2011-11-24, 21:23   Link #13
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What I find most interesting about this is that it seems to confirm three suspicions that some of us had:

1. That animation studios may be reluctant to take on the Little Busters project due to the inherent difficulties in turning its VN narrative into an anime one.

2. That Kyoto Animation is intentionally choosing to greatly limit itself when it comes to how many projects it does on an annual basis.

3. That Key is (or at least was) reluctant to allow anybody but Kyoto Animation to handle its works.


Combine these three factors together, and it's not hard to see why Little Busters has yet to be adapted into an anime.

While there is indeed some creator ego-stroking at play here, I can nonetheless understand why Key would very much want Kyoto Animation to be the animation studio to handle Little Busters.

Commercially, the Key/Kyoto Animation pairing has been very mutually beneficial, and win/win all the way. Air, Kanon, and Clannad helped to cement Kyoto Animation's brand image as a sort of "Master of Moe". At the same time, it's hard to imagine another animation studio doing a better job with Air, Kanon, and Clannad (few would put Toei's Kanon ahead of Kyoto Animation's).

This isn't to say that I think Kyoto Animation is the best animation studio in the business, but rather that their specific talents are ideal for adapting romance drama VNs like Air, Kanon, and Clannad.


However, times have changed a bit. Like Archon_Wing, I think that today's P.A. Works could solidly handle your standard Key property. Whether they could handle Little Busters specifically is much more questionable, but then that's questionable of every animation studio, even KyoAni, due to the inherent difficulties in adapting Little Busters into an anime.


In spite of all this, though, I'm getting the same sort of feeling from this interview that Kaioshin is getting. KyoAni and Kadokawa do have an... unique, shall we say ... marketing/promotional style, and what Key is doing here in this interview would be very much in the same vein as that.

It does indeed feel like this interview is a way for Key to say to its fans: "Greetings, anime and VN enthusiasts, and take heed of our words pertaining to the unforgettable Little Busters! Be of good cheer, our people, for we still endeavor to make an anime of this epic tale of love and friendship. Ah, but look at our sad tragic tale of losing the support of our beloved Kyoto Animation. Oh, we still love KyoAni, but how she spurns us so! Can we ever achieve the dreams of a mighty throng of a hundred thousand hoping to see Little Busters adapted?! If so, will it be through KyoAni, or will it be a new partnership where we break with our first love and fine greener pastures elsewhere? To find out the answers to these questions, lend us your support, and champion our glorious cause!"

It's so, so humorously meta.

So, yeah, we might be seeing the first chapter in the epic real life story about the anime adaptation of the epic VN story.
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Old 2011-11-25, 03:07   Link #14
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Originally Posted by Triple_R View Post
While there is indeed some creator ego-stroking at play here, I can nonetheless understand why Key would very much want Kyoto Animation to be the animation studio to handle Little Busters.

Commercially, the Key/Kyoto Animation pairing has been very mutually beneficial, and win/win all the way. Air, Kanon, and Clannad helped to cement Kyoto Animation's brand image as a sort of "Master of Moe". At the same time, it's hard to imagine another animation studio doing a better job with Air, Kanon, and Clannad (few would put Toei's Kanon ahead of Kyoto Animation's).

This isn't to say that I think Kyoto Animation is the best animation studio in the business, but rather that their specific talents are ideal for adapting romance drama VNs like Air, Kanon, and Clannad.
I don't see this "creator ego-stroking" you speak of, but maybe just a bit too much reliance on KyoAni. Vava has reason to respect KyoAni, for all the reasons you cited and the very obvious difference in quality between Toei's and KyoAni's adaptations of Kanon. So Key is cautious about asking other studios; any businessman in his right mind would want to continue a proven relationship. And from what I've seen in the VN scene, caution is something most VN companies have an abundance of.

Quote:
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However, times have changed a bit. Like Archon_Wing, I think that today's P.A. Works could solidly handle your standard Key property. Whether they could handle Little Busters specifically is much more questionable, but then that's questionable of every animation studio, even KyoAni, due to the inherent difficulties in adapting Little Busters into an anime.
How well P.A. Works can adapt existing works is still an unknown, at least until Another starts airing. I do think White Fox has the ability though.
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Old 2011-11-25, 03:18   Link #15
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White Fox can stay away from Key k thanks, get them onto adapting the 9 Zaregoto novels instead, Nisio's masterpiece needs to be animated, also fucking sucks only getting the first 2 novels translated

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Personally I hope KyoAni expands their horizons and does something more out of their comfort zone. I think they're fully capable of doing it, though I doubt it would ever happen.
It's like the second raid never happened...
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Old 2011-11-25, 03:19   Link #16
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Well White Fox did that OP for KEY's Rewrite that looked particularly good. But can they maintain those for a whole series with proper pacing?

The trouble with P.A. Works is that we don't yet know if they can take an established work and make it work. Angel Beats was original so the audiance had nothing to really base their work on aside from the anime. With Little Busters (Planetaeian and Rewrite for that matter as well) you have a fan base that knows what to expect and expect to get it. Said fanbase knows they can get more or less what they want out of KyoAni and mostly does not want Toei to touch the works again. Thus using anyone but KyoAni is a risk. The question is "is it a risk worth taking to use someone else? Or just wait until KyoAni isn't busy?"

As for comfort zone KyoAni...Nichijou was a comedy. It wasnt about "cute girls doing cute things", it was not a harem or visual novel project. It wasn't a light novel adaptation. The closest thing it was like was the two Haruhi based web episodes and Lucky Star. Nichijou didn't hit the otaku levels of Lucky Star and didn't have the popular based of Haruhi behind it. While it didn't do well, you can see they put a lot of work into that show. I don't know it if was them showing off, or just using their students to make it as final projects, but the art and animation were top level even for KyoAni.

Of course, presently, we still have no idea exactly what KyoAni will be doing next. All this tells us is that it probably won't be a KEY's work project.

What is KEY working on next?
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Old 2011-11-25, 04:02   Link #17
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I can understand why Key is not wanting to let any other studio than those who satisfied them get their works, I am pretty sure that Nasu would have a lot to say about JCStaff's and Deen's works on his creations, likewise for Ryuukishi and Deen.

But I really don't want KyoAni to make another Key adaptation. I am satisfied with Clannad and how KyoAni handled it without giving those who never played the games and may not do a huge "LOL BUY THE GAMES!" sign in the form of a sloppy adaptation.

But looking back at The Second Raid reminded me how they are more capable beyond what they have been churning out lately, so yeah, them doing something else outside of they usually do will be more than welcome.
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Old 2011-11-25, 05:18   Link #18
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White Fox can stay away from Key k thanks, get them onto adapting the 9 Zaregoto novels instead, Nisio's masterpiece needs to be animated, also fucking sucks only getting the first 2 novels translated
I'm with you there, White Fox is better off doing great stuff like Katanagatari and Steins;Gate .

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It's like the second raid never happened...
Isn't that precisely why they should do more stuff out of their comfort zone? When was the series made ?
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Old 2011-11-25, 09:08   Link #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Eater of All View Post
How well P.A. Works can adapt existing works is still an unknown, at least until Another starts airing. I do think White Fox has the ability though.
A big part of the reason why I raised P.A. Works is that its animators and artists have an overall visual style that I think is a good match for the character designs and artistic style of the more well-known Key works, including Little Busters. I would argue that P.A. Works captures "anatomically correct, bright, colorful, and fluid 'moe' animation" roughly as well as Kyoto Animation does, and that's the sort of visual style that Little Busters calls for, imo.

In my opinion, determining which animation studio would best handle Little Busters is not simply a matter of determining which animation studio most recently did a good-to-great job with a major commercially successful VN adaptation. Rather, I think a large consideration should be given to finding an animation studio who's particular strengths and talents make it a good match with the specific VN that's to be adapted.

To elaborate on what I mean here - As much as I love SHAFT and Shinbo's zany style, I think it would clash nastily with either of the Key works that I'm familiar with. That's a big part of the reason why I wouldn't want SHAFT to handle Little Busters.

White Fox did a very good job with Steins;Gate, but the overall visual style of Steins;Gate (which did work very well for Steins;Gate) is not really the best match for Little Busters, imo. Now White Fox is certainly capable of doing other visual styles (as displayed by Katanagatari and Tears to Tiara) but I haven't seen them capture a visual style (over the full run of an anime) that I think goes particularly well with Little Busters. Both Kyoto Animation and P.A. Works have not only developed such an artistic/visual style, but it's one that they've refined and even mastered to a significant degree.
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Old 2011-11-25, 10:46   Link #20
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I read in an interview somewhere (forgotten source so don't word me on this) that Kyoto Animation actually didn't like making CLANNAD and other Key Works. They really are big moe fans.
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