WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.680 People often tell me they don't understand my tastes in anime 00:00:03.680 --> 00:00:05.160 Asking questions like: 00:00:05.160 --> 00:00:07.560 How can you be such a huge fan of "Log Horizon" 00:00:07.560 --> 00:00:10.180 but have no interest whatsoever in "Overlord"? 00:00:10.240 --> 00:00:12.960 They're both shows about a hard core MMORPG player 00:00:12.960 --> 00:00:14.480 getting sucked into a game world 00:00:14.480 --> 00:00:17.340 and using masterful strategies to manage the world around them... 00:00:17.440 --> 00:00:21.260 Can they really be so different that you'd have totally opposite opinions of them? 00:00:21.420 --> 00:00:22.640 The answer is yes 00:00:22.720 --> 00:00:24.740 And its because there are so many more elements 00:00:24.740 --> 00:00:26.980 to a show than the concept and genre 00:00:27.020 --> 00:00:29.180 In fact, I'd go so far as to say that there are a 00:00:29.180 --> 00:00:32.300 million different ways that an anime can succeed or fail 00:00:32.500 --> 00:00:34.740 And that almost every single show does things 00:00:34.740 --> 00:00:36.900 just differently enough that they can totally change 00:00:36.900 --> 00:00:39.800 my enjoyment of them just by tweaking a couple of elements 00:00:40.000 --> 00:00:41.840 Let examine one of the simplest and 00:00:41.840 --> 00:00:44.460 most straightforward elements of anime production: 00:00:44.520 --> 00:00:45.960 The background art 00:00:46.040 --> 00:00:48.200 You'd think you could make a pretty simple distinction between 00:00:48.200 --> 00:00:50.880 good backgrounds like what you'd see in say, 00:00:50.880 --> 00:00:52.300 "My Neighbor Totoro" and 00:00:52.400 --> 00:00:55.860 bad backgrounds, like what you'd see in say, "Berserk" (2016) 00:00:55.880 --> 00:00:57.860 But there's a lot more to it than that 00:00:57.860 --> 00:00:59.700 When the topic of anime backgrounds come up 00:00:59.700 --> 00:01:02.080 viewers often defer to the hyper realistic 00:01:02.080 --> 00:01:04.720 very digital look of Mokoto Shinkai films 00:01:04.720 --> 00:01:06.060 Such as "Your Name" 00:01:06.060 --> 00:01:08.420 Personally, though, when i think of anime backgrounds 00:01:08.420 --> 00:01:10.740 I always think of Shinichiro Kobayashi 00:01:10.740 --> 00:01:12.720 and his artwork films like "Angel's Egg" 00:01:12.940 --> 00:01:15.680 Each of these is unquestionably of a high quality 00:01:15.680 --> 00:01:17.720 but they are very different stylistically 00:01:17.840 --> 00:01:21.780 and most viewers are likely to have a preference of one over the other 00:01:22.040 --> 00:01:24.460 Even comparing two shows which are both known 00:01:24.460 --> 00:01:27.020 for the way that they linger on their painterly backgrounds 00:01:27.020 --> 00:01:29.860 in order to set a placid, contemplative tone 00:01:29.980 --> 00:01:31.960 (Mushishi and Yokohama Shopping Log) 00:01:32.020 --> 00:01:34.340 We can see a difference in the results 00:01:34.340 --> 00:01:37.220 Mushishi is more densely and detailed realistic 00:01:37.220 --> 00:01:40.100 lending it a sense of mystery, wonder, and adventure 00:01:40.360 --> 00:01:43.480 Yokohama Shopping Log, meanwhile, is open and breezy 00:01:43.480 --> 00:01:45.480 Meant to calm and relax the viewer 00:01:45.480 --> 00:01:47.880 and lull them into a warm state of peace 00:01:48.020 --> 00:01:50.720 I think most people would argue that these shows both 00:01:50.720 --> 00:01:53.140 have excellent background art, and that said artwork 00:01:53.140 --> 00:01:56.480 is a major focal-point in how the show communicates its message 00:01:56.620 --> 00:01:59.800 But the subtle differences in those messages may cause a viewer 00:01:59.800 --> 00:02:03.420 to adore one show while remaining indifferent towards the other 00:02:03.640 --> 00:02:06.200 Even when backgrounds are not the focus of a series 00:02:06.200 --> 00:02:09.060 they can do a lot to elevate it when handled with care 00:02:09.120 --> 00:02:12.840 K-On is a slice of life series which uses incredibly detailed artwork 00:02:12.840 --> 00:02:16.140 based on real locations to make the world feel lived in 00:02:16.140 --> 00:02:18.600 and to add more personality to the characters 00:02:18.820 --> 00:02:20.860 Meanwhile you can look at a genre cousin, 00:02:20.860 --> 00:02:22.380 such as "Kiniro Mosaic" 00:02:22.380 --> 00:02:25.000 wherein the backgrounds seem to be more of an afterthought 00:02:25.000 --> 00:02:27.800 and that extra layer of personality simply isn't there 00:02:28.060 --> 00:02:31.040 Instead, the relative lack of intrigue in the backgrounds 00:02:31.040 --> 00:02:34.520 really emphasizes the feeling of watching a gag comedy anime 00:02:34.600 --> 00:02:37.080 In which the world doesn't really exist beyond these 00:02:37.080 --> 00:02:39.640 characters delivering punchlines into the camera 00:02:39.980 --> 00:02:42.420 Even simply featuring nice looking backgrounds 00:02:42.420 --> 00:02:46.260 Isn't necessarily an automatic boost to a shows aesthetic credibility 00:02:46.420 --> 00:02:49.040 "Owari no Seraph" suffers from an awkward difference 00:02:49.040 --> 00:02:51.100 between its painterly backgrounds and 00:02:51.100 --> 00:02:53.420 the more sleek and modern look of its character designs 00:02:53.580 --> 00:02:55.740 At times, the characters don't even really seem to 00:02:55.740 --> 00:02:57.780 Inhabit the world that the show seems to take place in 00:02:57.780 --> 00:02:59.700 Which can take a viewer out of the experience 00:02:59.700 --> 00:03:00.860 if they notice it 00:03:01.000 --> 00:03:03.980 In the case of "Guilty Crown", the backgrounds very detailed 00:03:03.980 --> 00:03:06.920 but are largely indistinct and generic in their art design, 00:03:06.940 --> 00:03:09.060 just looking like any other blown out city 00:03:09.060 --> 00:03:11.400 -- as opposed to much more carefully considered work 00:03:11.400 --> 00:03:14.020 that's gone into crafting a uniquely rundown city 00:03:14.040 --> 00:03:16.180 like the underground world of "Texhnolyze" 00:03:16.400 --> 00:03:19.880 We haven't even gotten into backgrounds which convey specific aesthetics 00:03:19.880 --> 00:03:22.700 which might resonate with some viewers a lot more than others 00:03:22.820 --> 00:03:24.920 Personally I would love it if the entire world 00:03:24.920 --> 00:03:26.300 was purple and yellow 00:03:26.360 --> 00:03:28.920 So I'm a big fan of the backgrounds in films like "Ai City" 00:03:29.020 --> 00:03:30.820 But I also wouldn't mind if the world looked like 00:03:30.820 --> 00:03:32.360 the inside of a Sanrio Store 00:03:32.360 --> 00:03:35.040 So I'm pretty into the backgrounds of "Urahara", as well 00:03:35.140 --> 00:03:37.480 Strangely, though, I find my self less interested 00:03:37.480 --> 00:03:40.320 In the storybook worlds of a show like "Flip-Flappers" 00:03:40.320 --> 00:03:43.700 Which seems to be a big part of the appeal to fans who love the series 00:03:43.960 --> 00:03:46.160 It's just a matter of personal taste, really 00:03:46.320 --> 00:03:49.220 How about entire genres which are partially defined 00:03:49.220 --> 00:03:52.040 by the style of their background art, like "Cyberpunk"? 00:03:52.300 --> 00:03:54.900 Do you prefer the oppressive, seemingly skyless 00:03:54.900 --> 00:03:57.060 concrete jungle of Hong Kong, as portrayed 00:03:57.060 --> 00:03:58.820 in "Ghost in the Shell: Innocence"? 00:03:59.060 --> 00:04:02.460 Or the ultra-clean and orderly city that "Psycho-Pass" is set in? 00:04:02.680 --> 00:04:05.800 Maybe you like your sci-fi settings to feel hopeful and grandiose 00:04:05.800 --> 00:04:07.600 like they do in "Macross Frontier" 00:04:07.820 --> 00:04:10.020 Or maybe you like them grungy and worn-out 00:04:10.020 --> 00:04:11.420 like they are in "Cowboy Bebop" 00:04:11.660 --> 00:04:14.520 Maybe you prefer that your sci-fi not even resemble reality 00:04:14.520 --> 00:04:17.720 and be rendered in more of a bizarro style, À la "Kaiba" 00:04:18.000 --> 00:04:20.180 Or maybe the portrayal of futuristic societies doesn't 00:04:20.180 --> 00:04:21.520 really resonate with you at all, 00:04:21.520 --> 00:04:24.200 and you'd be more interested in isolated desert planets 00:04:24.200 --> 00:04:28.100 of a sci-fi future gone wrong like what you'll find in shows like "Trigun" 00:04:28.340 --> 00:04:30.320 All of these aesthetic presentations are 00:04:30.320 --> 00:04:33.260 valid reasons to love or hate an anime series 00:04:33.540 --> 00:04:35.800 For me, the gorgeously rendered and uniquely 00:04:35.800 --> 00:04:38.480 well realized fantasy world of "Made in Abyss" was 00:04:38.480 --> 00:04:40.880 a massive part of what made the series captivating 00:04:40.880 --> 00:04:43.260 To the point that I couldn't imagine the show even being 00:04:43.260 --> 00:04:45.280 all that good with out the background art 00:04:45.420 --> 00:04:47.680 Meanwhile there are shows like "Shin Sekai Yori" 00:04:47.680 --> 00:04:50.200 with relatively interesting narrative conceits, but with 00:04:50.200 --> 00:04:52.120 artwork that i find so unappealing that it 00:04:52.120 --> 00:04:53.940 makes watching the show a real struggle 00:04:54.100 --> 00:04:55.560 And that's background art 00:04:55.660 --> 00:05:00.080 Probably the most simplistic and straightforward aspect of anime construction 00:05:00.220 --> 00:05:03.060 I could break down character designs like this for an hour 00:05:03.060 --> 00:05:05.580 And I could break down story and characters like this 00:05:05.580 --> 00:05:07.380 for the rest of my life 00:05:07.460 --> 00:05:10.600 Every single show contains every single one of these elements, 00:05:10.600 --> 00:05:12.540 Always in a new combination and 00:05:12.540 --> 00:05:16.760 usually with some spark of individuality that sets it apart from the show next to it 00:05:16.860 --> 00:05:19.240 From my perspective, a show like "Log Horizon" and 00:05:19.240 --> 00:05:22.240 one like "Overlord" aren't even all that similar 00:05:22.240 --> 00:05:25.660 Sure they are both ostensibly about kind of the same thing 00:05:25.780 --> 00:05:28.360 But the number of differences between them are so vast 00:05:28.360 --> 00:05:31.420 that it would take me hours to point out every single one of them 00:05:31.420 --> 00:05:34.000 And a few of those are the crucial ones that make one 00:05:34.000 --> 00:05:36.500 into the show that I love with every once of my heart 00:05:36.660 --> 00:05:39.280 And the other into something I couldn't care less about 00:05:39.520 --> 00:05:41.980 There's a million ways to love Digibro too, I hear 00:05:41.980 --> 00:05:45.720 At least I know Digibro has made no less than a million videos 00:05:45.720 --> 00:05:50.940 Keep up with them by becoming a Patron and getting inundated with more content than you can possibly consume 00:05:51.160 --> 00:05:53.880 Thanks again for watching, and I'll see you in the next one!