Little Busters - Anime Pre-Airing News and Anticipation

[Aspirety]

Welp. Let the shitstorm begin.

[MisaoFan]

Hey guys, don't be mad by this announcement even though you hate J.C Staff. And listen what relentlesflame says ! ;-)

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

People always blame the animation production studio even though it makes no sense to do so. The scriptwriter was approved by the production committee, and all the scripts (along with the allotted length for the anime, etc.) were approved by them. It's like people have the idea that the people funding the show (who are not by any means J.C. Staff alone, though sometimes they pitch in) somehow just hand the animators a bucket of money and say "have fun!" and it's just totally random how the shows turn out from that point out. No contractor does work without having it approved by the people paying them, and given that the production committee approved the scripts, the way it turned out is their fault. If they were asleep at the wheel and didn't intervene, then it's still their fault -- they're the ones who hired the writer, not J.C. Staff. But people still blame the studio anyway because... who knows. It's easier?

(This will basically apply no matter who the final studio for this show is, even if this rumour is false. )

I disagree. The fact is, Kyoto Animation is famous for going above and beyond the call of duty in following the wishes of the original author. They would even hire the original author as a script writer if they had to. This isn't something the sponsors asked; it is just the way KyoAni does things. They have the author on speed dial and stick to what he or she wants, even if it kills them.
There had been some studios since KyoAni who have learned to do the same, but they were pretty much the first to pioneer the "no changes unless they had to" approach.

JC Staff wasn't a bad studio. But they are old school, which means they follow how anime adaptations were normally done; slice and dice the script in any way they like for cheap laughs, don't bother to keep foreshadowing that was intended for sequels, and in general have no intention to follow the source material beyond the back page synopsis. Toradora was the exception, as the author in her case did took control of production and twisted JC Staff's arm into making the show she wanted. However, with examples like ZnT and Shanna, JC Staff is known as the butcher of stories for good reason.

Sufficient to say, if JC Staff is making Little Busters!, then it is off my watch list.

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by monir

To play the devil's advocate here, it's called blame by association and their name is at the top of that blame-list. J.C. Staff can always say no, but it's funny how they are one of those studios who tend to be involved with shows that turn out to be crap on a regular basis. In this case, however, the rumored director associated in those names you listed alarms me the most.

Well, I guess you could say they're sort of a "factory" -- if you feed them a bad design, they'll spit out a bad product. But that's sort of what happens when you produce so many shows and have so many teams, I suppose. I mean, last season they had something like 6 or 7 shows airing at once. Some of them were well-received, some of them weren't, but it likely depends on the effort that was put into their design and planning.

I guess it really comes down to whether they have a good design, and if the staff can step up to the plate and live up to the high expectations set before them. As has been said, it's not as if anyone involves is unaware of the bar that's been set. So now, we can only wait and see...


Edit:

Originally Posted by Vallen Chaos Valiant

I disagree. The fact is, Kyoto Animation is famous for going above and beyond the call of duty in following the wishes of the original author. They would even hire the original author as a script writer if they had to. This isn't something the sponsors asked; it is just the way KyoAni does things. They have the author on speed dial and stick to what he or she wants, even if it kills them.
There had been some studios since KyoAni who have learned to do the same, but they were pretty much the first to pioneer the "no changes unless they had to" approach.

JC Staff wasn't a bad studio. But they are old school, which means they follow how anime adaptations were normally done; slice and dice the script in any way they like for cheap laughs, don't bother to keep foreshadowing that was intended for sequels, and in general have no intention to follow the source material beyond the back page synopsis. Toradora was the exception, as the author in her case did took control of production and twisted JC Staff's arm into making the show she wanted. However, with examples like ZnT and Shanna, JC Staff is known as the butcher of stories for good reason.

I think that's a bit overly simplistic. Yes, of course, Kyoto Animation is known for their almost religious commitment to working with the original authors to make quality works. But how much do you think that sort of attention to detail and quality costs, and don't you think those costs get passed on to the people funding the show? On the other hand, how much do you think the production committee pays to hire someone like J.C. Staff for your average run-of-the-mill show? Probably not that much. So the resulting product depends on the direct involvement and intervention of the production committee. I mean, if you paid me $10,000 for a job, you'd bet you'd have a lot more of my attention and time than if you asked me to do the same job for $1,000.

So the issue here is to ensure that the production committee is involved, and that they've provided enough funding to ensure that this show gets the attention it deserves. And given the pressure involved, I have a feeling they're not taking this job lightly... but again, time will tell.

(And as an aside, the last season of Shana was pretty well-regarded for its faithfulness to the novels, and Index is similarly praised. I think the expectations have changed over the years, and more-faithful adaptations are becoming more common. And again, this is not driven by the studio, but by the writing staff hired by the production committee.)

[majestix1988]

i guess we pray for good storytelling & animation for jc staff

[Silvance]

Originally Posted by Shiina

Image confirmation.

Spoiler for .:

I was thinking of picking up the novel this week... Maybe it's a good idea to refrain from reading the original material. It may help me like the anime series more in case JC Staff does what they do best...

[monir]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

Well, I guess you could say they're sort of a "factory" -- if you feed them a bad design, they'll spit out a bad product. But that's sort of what happens when you produce so many shows and have so many teams, I suppose. I mean, last season they had something like 6 or 7 shows airing at once.

Same argument for overbooking could be made for few other studios such as Production I.G, Madhouse (a few years back) and even Gonzo (once upon a time), but those studios don't seem to have that notoriety like J.C. Staff have.

Whatever is the outcome, this thread is going to be fantastic to read in the next few days and perhaps, weeks. Subscribed.

[boggart]

I just hope they do a good job. Shame my bluray limited edition collection of all the Key/KyoAni releases is going to be messed up by this now...

[Fabrice]

Oh for f*ck sakes, Jc Staff??? how I wish all this was actually april fools joke to begin with

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by monir

Same argument for overbooking could be made for few other studios such as Production I.G, Madhouse (a few years back) and even Gonzo (once upon a time), but those studios don't seem to have that notoriety like J.C. Staff have.

Whatever is the outcome, this thread is going to be fantastic to read in the next few days and perhaps, weeks. Subscribed.

Err, well some of those studios have different sorts of notoriety (particularly Gonzo, who was also somewhat seen in the same light back in the day)... but well, in any case, this time it's not as if they haven't been abundantly clear that they're aware of the pressure and standard... so yeah. Regardless, it's theirs to screw up now and, as you say, the thread is sure to be entertaining...

[MisaoFan]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

Err, well some of those studios have different sorts of notoriety (particularly Gonzo, who was also somewhat seen in the same light back in the day)... but well, in any case, this time it's not as if they haven't been abundantly clear that they're aware of the pressure and standard... so yeah. Regardless, it's theirs to screw up now and, as you say, the thread is sure to be entertaining...

Considering Gonzo is strong in terms of original animes, they pretty much screw up adaptations. But how about Deen ? This one is so hated.

[TJR]

JC Staff wasn't a bad studio. But they are old school, which means they follow how anime adaptations were normally done; slice and dice the script in any way they like for cheap laughs, don't bother to keep foreshadowing that was intended for sequels, and in general have no intention to follow the source material beyond the back page synopsis.

I don't think that's a studio policy. With younger directors like Tatsuyuki Nagai and Ken'ichi Kasai, you often see much reverence to source material. Even Hiroshi Nishikiori (Azumanga Daioh, Index) has tried to adhere closely to original works.

On the other hand, they've got a slightly older era of directors working for them too, and these are the ones who handle Shana (Watanabe of Slayers) and ZnT (Iwasaki of Love Hina). Sakurabi has always been rather loose with adaptations, although Kamimemo didn't deviate all too much.

J.C.STAFF works on a ton of stuff, and by nature, they don't provide a whole lot of editorial input (which some may see as part of the problem. An artistically inclined studio will actively cooperate on scripts, whereas the workhorses don't have the time or interest).

Toradora was the exception, as the author in her case did took control of production and twisted JC Staff's arm into making the show she wanted. However, with examples like ZnT and Shanna, JC Staff is known as the butcher of stories for good reason.

That's false. The Toradora writer provided an outline, but it was up to Nagai and Okada to develop the show as they saw fit. She had no direct involvement with the production.

Author input isn't limited to Toradora either. Yashichiro Takahashi served as the story consultant on all three seasons of Shana (and publicly endorsed them), while Kazuma Kamachi worked out the original stories for Railgun and the Index movie. Noboru Yamaguchi handled ZnT F himself and even clarified in an interview that he wanted the anime and novels to be separate but related experiences.

With these latter examples, the difference is that the authors supported the respective directors in producing the show they wanted. Not all writers are anal about faithfulness.

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

Originally Posted by boggart

I just hope they do a good job. Shame my bluray limited edition collection of all the Key/KyoAni releases is going to be messed up by this now...

Then again... If they screw up really bad, maybe KyoAni can redo the adaptation 4 years down the line like they did with Kanon?

[Master Anime]

Ukhh i don't want this become another kamimemo case

[MisaoFan]

I wonder who anyone could reply my question.

[Fabrice]

JC staff are a joke, they have better staff and yet they put up average people for this... I am f*cking losing my brain cells at the moment, Guys if you seriously think they would actually do somewhat a good adaptation like Kyoani with clannad aand such then your wrong, dam wrong.

How can key let them handle Little Busters! out of all the dam other studios, Bloody hell I would have waited for Kyoani or even PA works or bloody even White fox..

Yes guys I have little hope at the moment, I just cant believe its JC staff with that kind of production team...

[Aspirety]

I can't read the Japanese. Does this confirm the previously rumoured staff?

[TJR]

Originally Posted by Aspirety

I can't read the Japanese. Does this confirm the previously rumoured staff?

Yes, it's confirmed.

[Archon_Wing]

Well, IMO, JC staff was pretty lame (they did make that nonexistent type moon anime right?), but they've been rescuing themselves from the trash bin in my eyes.

The only thing I know of the director is that he did Dantalian no Shoka which I just forgot about. I dunno...

[Arabesque]

I'm going to go against the flow and say that I think that this is possibly the best option that Key had taken given the circumstances. Yes, the best thing would've been for KyoAni to have been the studio behind the LB! anime, for reasons that had already been stated in this thread earlier. However, given that KyoAni virtually has no open slots for LB! in the foreseeable future, and the years keep on adding up, there is no other thing to do but for Key to seek a different studio, and in all honesty, I think JC Staff works as the second best option.

No joke.

Yes, I know that people will bring up their less than stellar adaption works (even though that might lie more with the staff and/or the production committee than the studio as a whole). Yes, I know they aren't necessarily unique or special, and they aren't known to be that outstanding except in rare occasions, and usually their works tend to fall into the average criteria. But the thing I think most forget is that aside from them being around for a long time and being a competent studio (important since it would help keep the show from slipping in art quality, the main reason why Key was holding out for KyoAni until now) is that the thing they offer is more control for Key to direct how faithful the show will be to the original VN.

I think it's fairly obvious given the level of interest the project is still generating even after more than 5 years following it's release, and how careful they had been with the announcements and the tone (''aware of the high expectation of the fans'') that Key is going to be more hands-on with the anime production than usual, so the logical choice for them to go to would be a studio that has a decent track record with success, has plentiful experience with adoptions, can maintain good quality throughout the anime's run, and allows them more creative freedom over the anime, which given how faithful to a fault JC Staff had been to many of it's adaption, makes them the best choice available.

As for waiting for KyoAni till they have a slot available ... look guys, let's be realistic. It's been 6 years already, and Key had turned down a lot of offers from many studios because they were hoping for KyoAni to till them that they are ready. It never happened, and going by what their line up is, probably not going to happen for a while. So how long should they wait for? Another year? 2 years? 3? 4? 6?

Eventually, the game would end up being too old, interest would dwindle down, even if part of the fanbase would still hold out for it, at a certain point in time making a Little Busters! anime wouldn't be a good idea since the probability of it being a commercial success would be very low and not many would be that inclined to finance the project (hence why I had assumed that Aniplex wouldn't involved earlier, TJR, since they already have better projects under them. sorry I didn't get back to you, didn't notice the reply till now >_<), and the level of care given to it wouldn't be as great as it would've been years ago. Heck, at that point Key would have newer games, properties that would have a better chance at getting a successful anime.

So really, I'm optimistic. This has the chance to be a really good adaption, though of course it remains to be seen if the actual show is good.