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What Is CGI In Anime? Why does Anime use CGI? How does CG Anime affect the viewing experience? These are frequently asked questions by people who think that CGI in anime is bad and want to learn about the animation industry. It can be said that CGI is one of the most popular tools used by animators. So let’s answer the above questions in this article!
What does CGI mean in Anime?
Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) is a type of 3D animation that attempts to mimic 2D animation. CGI includes both static and dynamic visuals, whereas computer animation only refers to moving images. In other words, the process of creating animated visuals using computer graphics is known as CGI animation.
Studios employ CGI extensively for fight scenes or fast-paced shots to increase the overall quality of the fight and to fill in little details that traditional animation cannot.
This tool is nothing new to the industry. Some studios utilize computer-generated imagery (CGI) to create settings like those seen in:
- Attack on Titan: From camera movement to minute weaponry and details, the program has relied on CGI to enhance the animation from the start.
- Baki: The use of CGI in some of the battle scenes is clear, but it communicates the tremendous fury of the fight situations. There are a lot of fanciful techniques and blood in this game.
- Golgo 13: The first anime to use CGI
- Ghost in the Shell 2 – Innocence(2004): Ghost in the Shell 2.0 is a rerelease of the original anime, with some scenes remade in CGI rather than the original approach.
- Cowboy Bebop: For rotating space conditions, it used 3D models instead of hand-drawn drawings.
- …
Why does Anime use CGI?
The advantage of CGI in anime:
- Cost-effectiveness
- Produce an anime much faster
- The usage of computer graphics in animation minimizes the amount of effort required to create each episode of an anime.
However, we can all agree that CGI in anime isn’t particularly appealing. Inserting 3D into a 2D show is most definitely not a stylistic choice in anime. Complex shots or shots that need a high level of technical animation talent are easier to create with CGI.
For example, moving crowd shots or panning shots around complex objects (mecha, ships, and vehicles in general) were animating the object consistently by hand would take a lot of time and skill. The usage of CGI necessitates dexterity, which is demonstrated in anime.
>>>Read more: Definition of CGI and How CGI Is Used in Animation
How does CGI affect the Anime viewing experience?
The problem with CGI is usually one of two things:
- It doesn’t blend in with the rest of the room and is therefore distracting.
- They strive to make the animation of the characters look natural in fully 3D anime.
The art of 2D animation is one of the reasons why people become addicted to anime. CGI animation is fundamentally different from hand-drawn animation, and most of us don’t find it as interesting or entertaining to watch as hand-drawn animation. CG will never be able to match that.
>>>Read more: Distinguish VFX vs 3D animation in an animation studio
Drawbacks of CGI in Anime
Limitations of CG
CGI overuse detracts from the film’s authenticity and experience:
- CG looks best only on solid objects: Solid object simulation is a skill that computers excel at. However, they are terrible at imitating biological objects. On models, CG looks fantastic until they start moving. Because they are attempting to style the model so hard, their movement appears to be very stiff.
- The characters look too stiff: Because there are no restrictions on 2D character expressions, the artist is only limited by his imagination.
Blending 3D and 2D
When CG doesn’t work at all on a standard anime, it’s even worse. That’s because it’s mostly utilized to save time and money. However, when it is used to enhance a scene, it appears to be rather appealing.
Dynamic camera movement is one of the typical approaches to combining 3D and 2D. A dynamic shot is one in which the camera moves or changes its focus within the frame.
For example, the Attack on Titan 3D maneuver gear sequences. The camera aggressively zooms in on a character and moves at a breakneck speed while following the character/scene. It enables extremely intricate photos with little to no time for you to notice the visual differences.
>>>Read more: No plot? No Story – Plan a plot well to make your story move your audience
Popular CGI anime movie
Expelled From Paradise
The strange thing about CGI is that it works so much better in sci-fi anime since it’s a “new” method that creates a future vibe. Expelled from Paradise is an example of this, as it blends two of the most popular CGI genres: sci-fi and mecha.
Captain Herlock
Captain Herlock is the most beautiful CGI anime here, with animation quality that approaches the Final Fantasy films, but it’s a stronger candidate than those because it’s based on a 1970s anime of the same name.
Berserk: The Golden Age Arc Trilogy
Berserk: The Golden Age Arc trilogy is one of the franchise’s best achievements when it comes to non-sci-fi CGI anime. The CGI in the anime trilogy films is a little rough around the edges, but that doesn’t take away from the wonderfully produced drama and adult plot adapted from the famed manga.
Stand By Me Doraemon
Because it’s so old, the entire series was released as a colored manga flipbook. To improve the film, Doraemon thought outside the box and rendered the entire thing in 3D CGI.
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, like the first picture, broke the mold and tried something new, most notably with its CGI.
Beastars
Every character model and interaction is also rendered in a lovely 3D animation that conveys all of the required emotions.
Land of the Lustrous
Until Land of the Lustrous, which strutted in like a crystal ballerina, no anime series had demonstrated that 3D can be more beautiful or advantageous than 2D. It’s easy to see why the showrunners chose CGI over 2D sketches because they don’t do the Gems justice. Regardless, this anime demonstrates how 3D anime is becoming increasingly competitive with 2D anime.
Conclusion
To summarize, we may say that CGI in anime is a good and useful technique. Certain things can only be done using CG and can’t be done with traditional animation alone. CGI is likely to become more common as the economic status of 2D animation struggles to keep up with the demands of the business.
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Animost – Vietnam 3D Animation Studio
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