Guide to Studios – Kyoto Animation
Next up is the studio that seems to create the most hype in the fandom.
Name: Kyoto Animation
Founded in: 1981
Most well received works: Clannad (After Story), Full Metal Panic (Fumoffu, the Second Raid), Kanon, Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu,
Most popular works: Air, K-On!, Kanon, Full Metal Panic (Fumoffu, the Second Raid), Lucky Star, Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu,
Other recognizable works: Hyouka, Nichijou
Known for: Fluid animation, heavily influencing the moe boom, making relatively unknown seiyuus into superstars, adapting Key’s visual novels
Objective Analysis: KyoAni is an interesting one. For some reason, the anime community is rather obsessed with them and everyone loves keeping tabs on them. Their shows always become highly anticipated. They took the Full Metal Panic! reigns from Gonzo and produced the very popular and well received comedy spin-off, Fumoffu? as well as the direct sequel. They really managed to make a name for themselves once Suzumiya Haruhi was released in 2007, and anime fans have been fawning over KyoAni ever since. They gained even more popularity after all of the adaptations of Key’s visual novels (Air, Kanon and Clannad), as well as K-ON! Subsequently, the starring cast members, which were then relatively unknowns, were immediately launched into superstardom, which happened with Haruhi and K-ON! KyoAni also has a very heavy hand in boosting the moe trend.
Subjective Analysis: I dislike this studio immensely. They’re very hit and miss for me, and their misses greatly exceed their successes. I’m hardly a fan of moe moe kyun, so naturally I don’t really gravitate towards their stuff. I’m also very hostile towards their Key shows, save for Clannad which I actually liked. (Although, that’s probably because I watched it during my beginning anime days and my tastes were drastically different.) I really don’t enjoy watching their stuff (last time I liked them was Clannad: After Story and the Haruhi movie back in 2009-10). However I feel obligated to follow the fandom and keep up with all the cool kids. Their upcoming anime for the fall, Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! looks like Code Geass: Luluko of the Student Council Rebellion. Prove me wrong. I really can’t wait for fans to learn that they really aren’t that great. It will be a glorious day.
I think it bodes well for Chuunibyou when I can’t work out what the hell the synopsis is about. ANN’s literally jumps from ‘a bunch of teenagers who used to act like bratty teenagers are enjoying life, but then a bratty school friend who hasn’t grown out of her obnoxiousness appears and suddenly devil king or something’.
Uh, anyhoo. Personally I love KyoAni’s animation, but it’s kinda depressing that they’re content as a company with grabbing up things that are already successful in other formats among the nerd audience. I’d really like to see them working on something original.
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Misaki Mei, you are not Hirasawa Yui.
Well, I’m sure you know my feelings about KyoAni already. I can’t see them negatively when they put so much detail into every frame of their works – from every strand of hair on a character’s head that moves when they do, every subtle change in expression, always making something going on in the background of scenes that focus on something else – that kind of care they put into what they do makes me care about what I’m watching even more. They’re a quality over quantity studio, which is why they don’t produce multiple series a year, or even a season. I can’t imagine Haruhi and K-ON being as successful as they are if KyoAni didn’t produce them. It’s true that they stick closely to slice-of-life/moe shows, and I would also like to see them go beyond their comfort zone and make a series of an opposing genre. But I certainly don’t blame them for sticking with the style that’s made them so successful. Most people agree that they put a lot of effort and quality into their work, so it just boils down to whether you like the genre they focus on or not. If you do, they’re the top quality studio and I doubt your feelings about them will change. And if you don’t, then you won’t enjoy most of their shows unless they start making different genres, and you’ll probably feel frustrated that you can’t share in the love fans of their genre have. Since I’m in the former group, I don’t think a day will ever come when I “learn that they really aren’t that great.”
haha, yes, I know they’re your favorites.
Even though I love and greatly appreciate quality animation and style, they’re still style over substance for me.
I’d also like to see them animate something different. Like a fantasy or something. I have yet to see FMP! the Second Raid, so there’s still some room for redemption in my eyes.