Talking With Ron – Today’s Guest: @Josh_Dunham: Winter Cooked Anime

This is the third entry of Talking with RON, this time with Wave Motion Cannon’s very own Josh Dunham [https://twitter.com/Josh_Dunham]

This time we are going to talk about the anime that we expect from Winter 2016

Ron: What are you more hyped about, Josh?

Josh: Right off that bat? Little Witch Academia, hands down.

Ron: Little Witch Academia seems like a awesome series, i was trying to figure out how they can do it without half of the core staff of the OVAs, but wow
that first three episodes staff list is pretty awesome

Josh: Yeah, you posted that and I was like ‘wow, this is going to be amazing!’ the moment I saw some of those names
It seems like Litte Witch is really loved by TRIGGER

Ron: Indeed! A lot of talent there

Josh: like, they really care about it

Ron: I’m really excited for episode 2
That’s going to be directed by GAINAX legend Masayuki
LWA is like, the perfect match for his style
When he was young he was like, one of the craziest animators that the industry has ever seen
and now he’s present on LWA as a Episode Director

Josh: Now, I heard Imaishi is returning to KA only work on this one, or is he directing an episode as well?

Ron: He’s doing KA work!
There’s also a possibility of him working as Episode Director later on the series tho

Josh: I’m really hoping he doesn’t. I have mixed feelings with Imaishi’s directorial work. Though Luluco was great.

Ron: Imaishi directorial work isn’t that good…
Is clear that he hasn’t directorial training at all

Josh: It’s a mixed bag. Imaishi cares a lot about the sakuga, and his shows are focused on movement, they don’t like to sit still.

Ron: His storyboards are pretty vague to begin with, there’s a lot of anecdotes about him don’t wanting to do storyboards and they being really rough
and the KAs having to fill the big spaces on his storyboards

Josh: Yeah, I’ve seen those images, Shushio cleaned up a lot of his mess on Kill la Kill

Ron: Imaishi cares about that every bit of the series move on a way
or another
He doesn’t quite cares about the direction or if the things that he do makes actual sense or not

Josh: He’s very self indulgent in that manner. Sex and Violence at Machspeed was a perfect example of that… but this isn’t about Imaishi (as much as he would like it to be!)

Ron: Yeah
Its about the star: Yoh Yoshinari

Josh:: What I loved most about the first Little Witch Academia is how easily accessible it was.

Ron: Yeah, everybody can watch it perfectly
Imaishi’s works are a lot less accessible

Josh: Yoshinari cares about the craft of animation in a more wholistic approach

Ron: I don’t see, i don’t know, a 9 year old
watching a Imaishi series
without freaking the fuck out

Josh: Right
That’s exaclty my point.
Imaishi makes series for people like him
Yoshinari makes anime that is successful overall

Ron: Exactly
I have big hopes for Yoh Yoshinari’s full directorial debut
on this series
for now he has just done OVAs

Josh: Yeah

Ron: Now is a whole double-cour series

Josh: this will be his first time getting more exposure from people other than otaku
is it double or split?

Ron: Apparently is double
by the rumors

Josh: ok, becasue i heard split cour
and if it’s split, I think it’ll work

Ron: I expect much more of Yoshinari, than other debutant animators converted to directors
like Kenichi Shimizu’s debut
on Parasyte [2014], with fellow-GAINAX animator Tadashi Hiramatsu as Character Designer

Josh: See, I’m not too hot on what I have seen
but then again, I have only a passing familiarity with Shimizu
What I want to know is: Will we see a solo episode from Yoshinari?

Ron: Yoshinari isn’t exactly fast
so with tight TV anime schedules
is questionable a solo episode from Yoshinari

Josh: I think with enough 2nd’s he could do it

Ron: I have a large familiarity with Shimizu
I know him since he was working on Studio Curtain on the 90s, along with Tadashi Hiramatsu
before Hiramatsu worked with GAINAX
Also, i’m expecting a Hiramatsu episode on LWA, don’t you?
He did Fune wo Amu #10
while working on that horrible mess of Yuri on Ice
so he can do at least one or two episodes for Little Witch Academia

Josh: He’s been working with GAINAX staff for a long time
I think we’ll see a few cuts from him

Ron: He’s been appearing randomly recently
First on Kuromukuro with Tensai Okamura
then on Yuri on Ice with Sayo Yamamoto
and Fune wo Amu with Toshimasa Kuroyanagi
he passes from project to project, appearing randomly when one of his bros need him

Josh: he doesn’t tend to stick around for long, he moces from project to project
He kinda treats his anime like a one night stand lol

Ron: lol xD

Josh: I know that’s bad to say, but look at his staff credits!
One episode here, another there
maybe two here, but hardly any consecutive work in the same spot for long

Ron: He just goes around

Josh: Masanobu Nomura is working as art director, so that will be interesting to see

Ron: Yeah
The Art Director of the original OVAs is on ACCA
and on a anime with a weird director that isn’t credited anywhere
for Liden Films

Josh: Yes, Yuuji Kaneko is a traitor! lol Not sure what to expect from that to be 100% honest. I don’t think it will be bad, but it’ll be different. I might have to watch ACCA as well…

Ron: ACCA is going for a more low-key approach
that the one of One Punch Man or Space Dandy
i mean
more similar to Shingo Natsume’s works on Gonzo
that the ones after he left Gonzo
more low-key, enfocated on human drama and good layouts
instead of flashy animation

Josh: Well, I don’t know
Gosei Oda is on that one
As one of the chief AD’s

Ron: Yeah, but with low-key PV and the content of the manga
is more going to a less flashy feel, a lot of awesome layouts, yes
but not a lot of flashy animation, unlike One Punch Man and Space Dandy

Josh: That is true, the PV kinda reminded me of how Blood Blockade Battlefront was – it doesn;t really show off much
I can’t speak for the manga

Ron: By the way, what are you other more expected series?
Beside Little Witch Academia
Not a lot to choose on this season at all

Josh: Well, ACCA for the reasons we just mentioned
Gosei Oda and Shingo Natsume

Ron: I personally i’m going with two very not-mainstream option this season
One of them is Onihei
the other is Kuzu no Honkai

Josh: ehhh, not so sure on Onihei

Ron: Onihei is a adaptation of a real novel
that makes it a lot more appealing than almost everything, even if is one of these non-linear episodic series

Josh: I can see that

Ron: and personally the designs appeal a lot to me
This kind of more realistic, down-to-earth approach to anime

Josh: One of the great parts of not having a visual to work off of is being free to create one

Ron: more concentrated on good layouts, solid drawings and good character animation than creating flashy action scenes

Josh: Good cinematography can be a powerful thing on it’s own

Ron: that seems that they are going to do with this series
if you see the designs
These are perfect designs for that kind of more realistic approach to anime

Josh: we don’t have a PV yet do we?

Ron: Yeah, no PV
at one week of it coming out, so we don’t know how it actually would look like
the series will surely premiere
and it has apparently good schedule, since by Maruyama
they already did all the episodes
and even an Prologue OVA before they did everything

Josh: That’s kinda a scarry thing – but I guess the first episode will tell us if the preview image will live up to the hype or not. I’m not betting it will.

Ron: and we have on this case, the names of all the episodes
seems like they are going for a very episodic non-linear approach
with a lot of temporal jumps here and there
Like on the first three episodes they are going to adapt the first chapter of the novel
then on the fourth, well, the fourth chapter of the novel
and so on, even adapting the chapter 21 of the novel on the seventh episode
but finishing the anime series on the sixth chapter of the novel
very random, non-linear narrative all around

Josh: that sounds kinda cool
That means each episode will have to be good

Ron: They don’t want to do a linear copypaste of the novel
but instead doing something unique that can stand on his own
also, is going to be a «auteur» series

Josh: oh?

Ron: Shigeyuki Miya is credited with Director, Script, Character Designer and Sound Director

Josh: Oh wow, so this is really his baby

Ron: Shigeyuki Miya, by the way
has a pretty good historial with Madhouse

Josh: You thinking this will be high quality because of those connections?

Ron: He pretty much did everything on his two episodes of Aoi Bungaku, the #7 and #8
just before Ryousuke Nakamura’s episodes, #9 and #10
at least good quality i’m expecting

Josh: wait, he’s on here?

Ron: On Onihei?
Nah

Josh: oh

Ron: On Aoi Bungaku? Yes

Josh: you meant Aoi
gotcha

Ron: Aoi Bungaku is a very recommendable series
Is a series of 6 stories
based on 6 different japanese novels
adapted each one by a different director
No Longer Human, of Osamu Dazai, adapted by Morio Asaka
In the Forest, Under Cherries in Full Bloom, of Ango Sakaguchi, adapted by Tetsuro Araki
Kokoro, of Natsume Soseki, adapted by Shigeyuki Miya
Run, Melos!, of Osamu Dazai, adapted by Ryousuke Nakamura
and then The Spider’s Thread and Hell Screen, both by Ryunosuke Akutagawa and adapted by Atsuko Ishizuka
is a wonderful series
even if the quality is somewhat incosistent
Tetsuro Araki’s part is awful, for example
while the others varies from decent to really good
being the Morio Asaka part EXCELLENT

Josh: I remeber watching that back when it was airing, but I was just a pleb weeb back then
That’s a show I need to go back and watch
Like, the music for that was amazing

Ron: You surely know him for his Shoujo work
but on No Longer Human he demonstrate a mastery on working on serious, sad works as well

Josh: Cardcaptor stuff
well, at least the films if I recall correctly
Chobits and a ton of other CLAMP stuff really

Ron: Asaka is really a incredibly verstatile director
as i don’t if it was Kvin or who that said i
he’s pretty much a director than can do everything
A Jack of All Trades, Master of None
Basically

Josh: I guess I will have to check Onihei out, I wasn’t planning on it, but I guess one episode can’t hurt.
It’s anime after all!

Ron: Yeah xD.
Then we have Kuzu no Honkai
the new NoitaminA anime
that give me a serious Aku no Hana’s feel
but obviously, without the weird approach to animation
or Hiroshi Nagahama’s slow direction
Aku no Hana but a lot trendier and mainstream

Josh: I dont know, I think I might like Flower’s of Evil’s visuals better

Ron: Aku no Hana’s visual style was very jarring

Josh: It was, but it worked towards what the show was trying to do
This kinda looks like, I hate to say it, ‘generic anime’ to me. More mainstream like you said, but maybe too mainstream?

Ron: Yeah
too mainstream and trendy
But that CAN still work out if the story doesn’t suck

Josh: That is true, but not knowing anything about the show, I feel like this aesthetic will be more of a turn off than turn on.

Ron: Yeah, a really turn off
Also, Lerche’s last NoitaminA anime sucked HARD
Ranpo Kitan
that was one of the more awful anime of 2015

Josh: I avoided that one, so I wouldn’t know

Ron: Another anime that i’m quite hyped up is Youjo Senki

Josh: Hmmmmm
that one could go either way for me

Ron: The saving grace is going to be the animation for me
a really stellar staff

Josh: I hope so
I am not really invested in it
One I do want to see is Boruto, but that’s of Spring
I love studio Pierrot, and to see them working on more of the same thing is always good to me

Ron: Now on Winter
we have the adaptation of all the Naruto novels by guys like Chiaki Kon and Osamu Kobayashi
eDLIVE, the second anime ever with a chinese character designer

Josh: eDLIVE was not a strong manga, and I believe it’s already ended
but again, studio Pierrot is one of my favorites
and they allways have something interesting to look at

Ron: Indeed
Usually it’s the openings
even Sousei no Onmyouji ones are incredibly fantastic

Josh: That’s Twin Star right?
Yeah, that show was fun to watch, but the source material was bland
Pierrot did what they could to spice it up
and I watched for a while, but it just didn’t stick

Ron: Yeah
The most interesting Pierrot series on a while has been Naruto

Josh: Truly

Ron: the last episodes of the Hayato Date era were INCREDIBLE

Josh: Yes.
And the work of Huang Chengxi is amazing

Ron: And then Osamu Kobayashi and Chiaki Kon take over the series on a good way, with better direction than ever
Chengxi Huang is a really awesome animator

Josh: Some of my favorite episodes on there are Norio Matsumoto’s (of course) but especially Atsushi Wakabayashi’s
he is

Ron: I’m going to do a Animator Spotlight on him when i have the enough information

Josh: Well, slight surprise, but I have him slated for an interview
so look forward to that

Ron: I don’t like to be vague talking about animators
My Naoki Kobayashi and Hiroyuki Yamashita ones
are the most detailled that i did
The ones that you did about Atsushi Wakabayashi is really good

Josh: Thank you! I was looking for resources on him, but couldn’t find any, so I decided I would make some lol
It’s kinda funny how we dont have a lot of that type of thing
I thank you for your hard work in that regard

Ron: I’m going to drop two this week
one about Madhouse’s very own Ryousuke Nakamura
and then one about Shingo Natsume
since i’ve officially watched almost all of their works

Josh: Nice! I will be looking forward to both of those!

Ron: Now, for example
I can talk properly about the relation between Erkin Kawabata and Shingo Natsume
a really overlooked one when one is talking about Shingo Natsume

Josh: Looking up some of Erkin Kawabata’s credits, I see Bakemonogatari, so I’m interested

Ron: Kawabata doesn’t appear as usual on anime credits nowadays
as he used to appear
he’s basically SHingo Natsume’s master
He also apparently had a rant on 2015
on Twitter, about, well, industry issues
He has a special feel of layouts and action coreography
that makes him really interesting, that’s what Shingo Natsume primarily learned from him
His works are usually full of Webgen animators, like Hiroshi Ikehata
that’s releasing Akiba’s Trip this season, you see it?

Josh: I have not
But what about the new KyoAni show?
Dragon Maid – i heard there was some issue with Sakuga blog covering it

Ron: They aren’t covering it xD

Josh: Right
becasue of what some disgruntled ‘fans’ said

Ron: It was just anti-KyoAni’s fear xD

Josh: Death threats and shit

Ron: Also, Erkin Kawabata has good taste:
https://twitter.com/erkin_kawabata

Looks his profile photo
and head cover

Josh: lol

Ron: He also tried to shut up all these mouth breathers
talking about the reality
or basically, that thing that Kvin has been repeating since, like, 2012
about that Budget doesn’t equal quality
apparently
Maid Dragon
seems to be a pretty average series
not really interesed on it

Josh: ahhhhhhh
Well, the PV looked nice
I liked what I saw. it might be a more effects animation heavy KyoAni series

Ron: Yeah
also Akitake’s incredibly detailed settei is quite incredible

Josh: Not sure I follow

Ron: I’m gonna definetely watching it
But i don’t know if i’m gonna to end it
Also, this season we have 1434981481 sequels

Josh: lol
Well, one of those is good: Rakugo

Ron: Yeah, i’m really excited for the second season of Rakugo
Loved the first season with all my heart

Josh: it was good
I loved the music in that one as well
and the voice cast was amazing

Ron: Yeah, really good

Josh: I mean, for that show, it depends on the voice cast
becasue rakugo is all vocal, the animation kinda has to carry some too, but the charisma though an animated character is in the voice

Ron: Akira Ishida’s interpretation was masterful

Josh: Yes! one of my favorite voice actors (mainly for his role as Kaworu in Evangelion)

Ron: He’s a awesome voice actor all around

Josh: Gintama fans love him as well
Kaworu janai, Katsura da!
(we good?)

Ron: I think so

Josh: did you want to keep going or…

Ron: Nah, i think that were ok
with this

Josh: alright
sorry if I was boring!

Ron: Well, good talk
Goodbye
Nah, it was a entertaining one

Josh: Thank you for having me, Ron!
I enjoyed it