Brain's Base: Studio discussion, speculation, and whatnot.

[webkid94]

My all time favorite studio doesn't get a thread? Well, hope people see this one. They don't have much of a long track record (like Madhouse, I.G. or Bones) but their works are usually pretty consistent.

Anyways discuss what you like about BB, staff-wise art-wise animation-wise, etc. I personally love almost all of their series*, especially Natsume Yuujinchou, Durarara, Baccano and Kure-nai. Kamisama Dolls was alright. Takahiro Omori directed most of these, an amazing track record, while Kure-nai was from Kou Matsuo (who's directing Natsuyuki Rendevous) and I really his style as well.



*Akikan....why?

[Archon_Wing]

Well, those works certainly stand out. Durarara and Penguindrum are definitely very different from the typical stuff I watch. I would even claim Kamisama Dolls to a lesser degree.

[ahelo]

They're doing a shojo adaptation next season with Tonari no Kaibutsu Kun which is my most anticipated series so far for fall.

[Pocari_Sweat]

Originally Posted by ahelo

They're doing a shojo adaptation next season with Tonari no Kaibutsu Kun which is my most anticipated series so far for fall.

Screw that romcom. It's Sukitte Il na yo all the way!

Back on topic, when I think of Brain Base's best works, I think of Spice and Wolf and the Natsume Yuujinchou franchise.

[Kirarakim]

My top 3 are

Natsume Yuujinchou
Baccano
Mawaru Penguindrum

I also really liked the Hotarubi no Mori e film

Like Madhouse I am a fan of Brains Base because of their diversity in storytelling.

[Chaos2Frozen]

Brain Base, with the exception of Natsume Yuujinchou, doesn't seem to do sequels.

[SeijiSensei]

I've been a fan of this studio since Baccano! and Kurenai. I was surprised when I learned they also made Natsume which has such a different style of illustration from those shows and Durarara!!.

I think one aspect of their work that sometimes gets overlooked is the music. The ED for Kurenai was a bit blah, but I loved the OP, and the background score, and the music in Baccano! as well. The OP for that show, "Guns 'n Roses," is my cellphone ringtone.

(I really liked the use of the "wall-of-sound" production technique in "Love Jump." Maybe it's just because I grew up hearing a lot of songs with that style of production like "Be My Baby." Too bad I couldn't find a clip from episode fifteen of Monster where that song appears. Don't go looking for it on VIZ, though. It was removed the US release because of rights issues even though the episode is titled..."Be My Baby". .)

As for Akikan, I always saw it as an attempt by B-B to make a little quick cash by releasing an otaku-oriented show. I have to say I was glad Akikan was such a flop, so B-B will keep making shows that I want to watch.

I don't see Brains-Base anywhere in the production credits for Spice and Wolf. The studio is listed as IMAGIN.

A few sales statistics for B-B through the end of 2010 compliments of cyth:

Brains Base
10316 *5 Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou
10240 *5 Natsume Yuujinchou
*5703 *8 Kamichu!
*4713 *4 Spice & Wolf II
*3389 *8 BACCANO!
*1922 *6 Kurenai
***** *9 Kishin Taisen Gigantic Formula
***** *6 Innocent Venus

Not being a giant robo fan, I had never heard of their earlier work like

Shin Getter Robo Tai Neo Getter Robo (OVA) 19,077 (4) (Brains Base)
2000/12/21 26,500 Vol. 1
2001/02/25 21,525 Vol. 2
2001/04/25 15,026 Vol. 3
2001/06/25 13,256 Vol. 4

Those are some pretty hefty sales figures.

[Pocari_Sweat]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

I don't see Brains-Base anywhere in the production credits for Spice and Wolf. The studio is listed as IMAGIN.

Hmm... guess I got that wrong. But it does list the 2nd season as Brains Base. So can it be worth half a brain then?

[Kanon]

Brains base is definitely one of my favorite studio. I'm always looking forward to their new anime and they have never disappointed me so far (haven't watched Akikan).

Originally Posted by Chaos2Frozen

Brain Base, with the exception of Natsume Yuujinchou, doesn't seem to do sequels.

They will definitely make a sequel to Durarara at some point. It was one of their best selling work so it'd be odd on their part to abandon that license.

A Baccano sequel is sadly probably out of the question though...

[Flower]

Originally Posted by Kanon

....they have never disappointed me so far (haven't watched Akikan)....

-_-

Umm ... how should I respond to this? Should I even do so to begin with?

Hmm ... well ... I guess I would say that of all the works of Brain's Base (not all they have ever done mind you) I have watched this one was the least favorite. The premise was silly and ... well ... I guess I did not like any of the charas much either. But hey - don't take my word for it. If you are curious just try for an ep or two. They are pretty consistent quality wise in that sense.... Yeah. That's a good way to put it, I think.

[RainbowMagnet]

Originally Posted by webkid94

*Akikan....why?

Add sengoku collection to that. BrainsBase is close to being my favourite studio, but I hate it when they animate shows like that. They could do so much better.

Also :

https://twitter.com/jlskun/status/221324685965664257

Durarara season 2? I'd rather see Baccano, although that seems almost impossible

Speculate

[Dawnstorm]

Originally Posted by RainbowMagnet

Add sengoku collection to that. BrainsBase is close to being my favourite studio, but I hate it when they animate shows like that. They could do so much better.

Actually, Sengoku Collection isn't as bad as I thought it would be. It's certainly near the bottom of BrainsBase shows, but it doesn't deserve to be compared to Akikan. The classic-foreign-film angle is unexpected and sometimes even works. Some episodes are actually good, most are fun, and some are... eh. Could have been a lot worse.

[Echoes]

Originally Posted by Dawnstorm

Actually, Sengoku Collection isn't as bad as I thought it would be. It's certainly near the bottom of BrainsBase shows, but it doesn't deserve to be compared to Akikan.

I agree. I'm quite enjoying it, and I realize I'm in the minority on this one, but it has a great deal of charm and quirkiness to it. The episodic approach is bold, but it also leads to the shows greatest flaw; its inconsistency. Not every episode is great, but I think most of them are at least decent, and the great ones really hit home with me.

I can certainly see how it sort of pales when it's compared to the greats (of which there are many) the studio has produced in the past, though.

[TJR]

http://brainsbase.co.jp/index.html

The Brains Base website has been recreated after a year of inactivity. They're still hanging in there with a recruitment call for next winter, as well as a planned collaboration with Keiji Gotoh.

The third production unit has been formally removed from the company profile. Their last project with Brains Base was Isshuukan Friends, and they're continuing forward as Shuka. What's most impressive is the coordination between the two companies, which kept the change secret for months and ensured a smooth transition (and contrary to what Takahiro Omori's tweets imply, the third production unit that existed over the past year isn't exactly the same as the one from before. As part of the transition, Shuka trained new production staff, while several veterans transferred to other Brains Base teams. Nevertheless, he's correct that the work system should remain the same).

The fourth production unit (perhaps best known for Penguindrum) still exists, although as far as I can tell, most of the key staff dispersed a while ago. Consequently, I'm not sure which shows they worked on this year.

[Dawnstorm]

Originally Posted by Pocari_Sweat

Screw that romcom. It's Sukitte Il na yo all the way!

Blast from the past. Tonari no Kaibutsu kun vs. Sukitte Ii na yo?

I can't tell you how different your line sounds two years later, now that I've seen both. Brain's Base wins.

[Pocari_Sweat]

Originally Posted by Dawnstorm

Blast from the past. Tonari no Kaibutsu kun vs. Sukitte Ii na yo?

I can't tell you how different your line sounds two years later, now that I've seen both. Brain's Base wins.

Shoosh. I made a mistake ok.

[Dawnstorm]

Originally Posted by Pocari_Sweat

Shoosh. I made a mistake ok.

Sounded quite reasonable, back then.

[TJR]

Brains Base anime classified by production coordinator. Where applicable, I’ve enclosed the Production Manager in parentheses.

Exclusions are as follows:

Some OVAs, movies, and older TV shows
Spice and Wolf II (handled by Marvy Jack)
Gigantic Formula (Production Managers: Shizutaka Sugawara, Tsuyoshi Hirano)

Yumi Sato

Kamichu
Baccano
Natsume Yuujinchou
Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou
Durarara (Yayoi Saito)
Kuragehime (Yayoi Saito)
Natsume Yuujinchou San
Hotarubi no Mori e (Teruko Utsumi)
Natsume Yuujinchou Shi
Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun (Yayoi Saito)
Natsume Yuujinchou: Itsuka Yuki no Hi ni
Ishuukan Friends (Daisuke Arakawa)

Midori Tokoha

Kurenai
Mawaru Penguindrum
Sengoku Collection
Brothers Conflict (Rina Kagaya)
Assassination Classroom OVA

Tatsuyo Kobayashi

Several early OVAs, such as Shin Getter Robo and Maizinkaiser
Akikan (Tsuyoshi Hirano)
Ixion Saga DT (Tsuyoshi Hirano)
Kenichi the Mighty Disciple OAV

Tsuyoshi Hirano

Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru (Teruko Utsumi)
Kamigami no Asobi

Seiichi Kikawada

Pluster World
Demon Prince Emma OVA (Masakazu Watanabe)
Innocent Venus (Yumi Sato)
Denpa Teki na Kanojo (Midori Tokoha)
Kamisama Dolls (Kazumitsu Ozawa)

Kazumitsu Ozawa (Brains Base president)

Gunparade Orchestra
Amnesia (Rumi Kawahara)
Kyoukai no Rinne

Emi Yonezawa

Blood Lad
Bokura wa Minna Kawaisou
Aoharu x Kikanju

Yayoi Saito

D-Frag
Ane Log: Moyako Nee-san no Tomaranai Monologue OVA
Brothers Conflict OVA
Dance with Devils

[Dextro]

Originally Posted by TJR

Brains Base is structured so that a unit without a major project at a given time produces individual episodes for other teams (as well as episodes that other studios have outsourced to Brains Base). The result is that more work can remain in-house even on a tight schedule.

This in particular is very interesting to my eyes. It looks like a very logical course of action but I reckon that most studios can't find the courage to take the risk of having a team that theoretically isn't working on anything at any given time.

[TJR]

This isn't exactly studio news, but a new light novel supported by Brains Base was apparently released last month. The copyright is shared by Midori Sato (Author), Brains Base (Editing Cooperation), and Pony Canyon (Publisher).

Potential source material for a future animation project?