No Style Off-Limits for Anime's Trendsetters Posted Mar 15, 2023

Ask anybody about anime and they’ll probably point to something like Akira or Princess Mononoke, two masterpieces that seem to typify the entire genre - and, for many reasons, that’s true. While CGI and live-action efforts do exist, anime has long stuck to a style similar to that of One Piece, Dragon Ball Z, Pokemon, and Naruto. These are hand-drawn shows that have renown all around the world. In fact, 25 of the 50 US states favor One Piece over anything else, followed by Pokemon (8 states).

One Piece

That latter data, which also points to Hawaii, California, and Utah as the only holdouts of Jujutsu Kaisen, Sailor Moon, and Attack on Titan, respectively, may seem to indicate that there’s not much mad science going on behind the scenes at anime studies but that isn’t true. On a purely visual basis, shows such as the gothic Gankutsuou, Afro Samurai, with its melding of Eastern and Western tropes, and the rather bizarre Ping Pong have a way of rising to the top. The impossibly gloomy Angel's Egg also deserves a mention due to its minimal use of color. 

There’s a reason One Piece is the planet’s go-to for stories though. The show is an incredibly vivid piece that isn’t afraid to give strange characters the spotlight. Whitebeard's son Edward Weevil continues to attract fan criticism for his rather unpleasant appearance, while Gaimon is a man with a green afro stuck in a treasure chest. There's also the egg person Fukurou. One Piece’s cast is otherwise depicted as a group poised on the edge of madness. It's an over-dramatic, suspense-filled anime that somehow manages to meld comedy with serious events. 

On that last point, being able to present two contrasting things in a single show is a difficult task yet one that frequently crops up in anime. Nana tells the tale of two polar opposite women with the same name. The great gulf between these two characters’ identities is so important that it’s even depicted on the Blu-ray edition of the complete collection. However, what makes Nana so interesting is the fact that the visuals change depending on which of the two protagonists is in the frame. It’s the kind of thing Avril Lavigne dreams about - the punk vocalist vs. the lovelorn girl. 

Lupin the Third

Of course, this kind of experimentation isn’t unique to anime. Changing a basic idea into something new is synonymous with a genre’s survival, with some of the strongest examples coming from the entertainment industry. This includes video gaming, movies, comic books, and music. Let’s be honest, even something as seemingly amateur as South Park was once one of the most novel things on TV. Cast in a sea of conventional cartoons like The Simpsons, Trey Parker's and Matt Stone’s paper art style was bound to stand out. 

Gaming has also seen more than its fair share of tinkering. Arguably the first anime video game out there - Lupin the Third, an arcade stealth title from 1980 - resembled the likes of Jet Set Willy (1984), with its single color sprites and simple objectives. The player was tasked with helping Lupin collect bags of money while avoiding nasties like dogs and the authorities. Of course, now, mega franchises like Dragon Quest, Monster Hunter, and Final Fantasy are still considered part of the anime genre, despite huge, even irredeemable differences from the hand-drawn format.

One of the more fluid parts of entertainment, namely, casino gaming, has also made some rather bold leaps recently. Anime-themed slots such as Moon Princess and Ninja Fruits are a relatively new part of what was once quite a conservative industry. After all, slots were based around fruits for a good chunk of its history. Ninja Fruits, which can be found on one of the best online slot sites, the Virgin Games platform, features its own cast of hand-drawn characters and can be tried out with 100 extra spins when players deposit £10. Pineapples, watermelons, oranges, plums, and strawberries also make an inevitable appearance.

Hidari Jingoro

So, what’s new in anime’s perpetual battle with itself? Mysterious (real-life) 17th-century sculptor Hidari Jingoro recently caught the eye of the Whatever Co. media agency. Helmed by Masashi Kawamura, the studio has produced a proof-of-concept short simply entitled Hidari. In theory, Hidari will eventually become a full-length anime about the eponymous sculptor, now altered a little to be a carpenter. What’s special about this? Kawamura plans to use wooden puppets and stop-motion animation in an effort to reproduce the “thrilling action” of anime.

The result is an incredibly unique presentation that’s, unfortunately, no more than five minutes long at present. The fictional Hidari seems to follow a classic ronin-style story, where, after suffering a betrayal (and losing an arm), the character becomes a samurai to exact his revenge. Naturally, Hidari carves his own replacement limb out of wood. Whatever Co. is currently crowdfunding the project on Kickstarter, hoping to raise a relatively small amount for such an ambitious show - $14,510. Things look promising too. Hidari has already amassed more than half of its target.

Overall, anime has a long history of experimentation that ranges from different color palettes and art styles to efforts to tell part of a story through visual quirks, like the dichotomy of dark and light - or two girls called Nana. As for the future, the huge range of art techniques still available to artists means that anime's potential is limitless.