Anime/Manga *head tilt* What are your favorite animation studios?

Simple question. What are your favorite animation studios? How about your least favorite? Why? What makes a good or bad animation studio in your mind?

As you now know I don't really focus much on studios, but I do have a pretty high regard for the quality of shaft's work. Not only do they present things in a really unique way, the quality of their animation and art is always really top of the range.

I think all you really need to be considered good as an animation studio is good art, smooth animation and consistency. That last one is important because you need to be able to meet, or even surpass, par constantly not just for one series. Basically don't make KareKano ever and you're on the right track.

I don't really focus on what studio animates what either, but with the exception of FMA Brotherhood and Star Driver, I absolutely detest Bones. Shaft I have a love-hate relationship with...on the one hand, they've done amazing work like Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, and on the other they've done trash like Madoka. But I think that's more to do with the quality of the material than it is the quality of the show...despite its ugly little moeblob character designs, Madoka did have a couple of nice special effects with the witches in it.

These aren't things I really notice, except in hindsight and over time if I care to look. The art style has to be really strikingly bad (like Kenichi Yoshida's work) or pretty consistent (Studio Ghibli, lots of Sunrise's works) for me to spot the trends. Bad animation doesn't necessarily put me off a show...there are so many instances of cut corners in Suite Precure but it's still my favourite show.

But a bad animation studio, to me, will use lots and lots of noteable CGI in amongst traditional animation. I absolutely loathe CGI in anime; it puts me right off a show.

gimmepie said:

Basically don't make KareKano ever and you're on the right track.

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Eeeeeh? What did Kare Kano do wrong?

I thought for a RomCom done by Hideaki "PHILOSOPHICAL MECHS" Anno it was actually pretty solid. Even if the manga author didn't like it. Which makes sense. Because philosophical mechs.

Speaking of that actually, I'm a director > studio type of guy, to the point that I don't even really consider much when I see what studio is producing an anime before I watch it. Because if you like Kill la Kill or Space Patrol Luluco, or hell, even Gurren Lagann, you're not going to necessarily like Inou-Battle or The World God Only Knows, because the latter two shows aren't Imaishi and it shows.

Granted, this doesn't mean that every show by the directors will be good, but it definitely gives a better representation of what the anime in question will be like. Going back to what was supposed to be an unrelated point but my brain works in circles, Kare Kano, for instance, always seemed a little odd to me. It was my first Shoujo anime and my first serious Romance series even if it was a RomCom, and it was bigger than me at the time because I was a little kid and it was definitely for an older audience. But coming back to the series later and then later learning that it was directed by Mr.Gunbuster itself first, makes sense and gives a lot of context, and second it both confuses and enthralls me. But I can see that it's by him, I can see his thought patterns and his style strewn across this show. And that's what I like: getting into the heads of the creators and having a metaphorical mental conversation with them. It's not just like this with anime, I like doing this with any creative medium, especially video games.

It's absolutely fascinating to me to get to know a director through their work and more to hear them talk about their work and why they made the choices they did.

...Er, I've gotten off track though. Madhouse is a name I generally trust even if not all of their work is sparkling or golden, but when their work looks good, it looks great. Plus they made my favorite movie, so extra points. Shaft is generally a good time when Akiyuki Shinbou's the director. They have fantastic quality usually due to their mastery of digital animation, but it's the Shinbou stylings that I stay for. So...none, I guess.

Satoshi Ookami said:

There's one studio that is a synonym to 'worst anime studio' and even though I really want to say Pierrot...
Deen is Deen.

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That's not how you spell Toei

machomuu said:

Eeeeeh? What did Kare Kano do wrong?

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Ignoring that the story/characters weren't great because that's unrelated. The art was bland, the animation was okay at best and there were multiple occasions where actual animation was replaced with paper cutouts.

Milky Animation Label probably.

Not really followed a lot of studios but I've enjoyed the quality of Kill La Kill and Kiznaiver recently so I guess I would say Trigger Studios.

Personally, I haven't watched a Bones anime I have disliked, so I will have to go with them. I don't really focus on the studio either. I just look at anime solely for the story.