Satoshi Hirayama , producer of Toei
Animation 's hit original anime , “ Girls
Band Cry ,” shared in a recent interview the challenges and
extreme risks involved in making the series using CGI instead
of traditional animation. The project, an ambitious undertaking, posed unique
challenges on both a technical and creative level.
Technical and Creative Challenges
Hirayama mentioned that the biggest concern
was “how it would look to the public . ” Although there
were already previous works with an illustrative style that had been well
received, “Girls Band Cry” sought to move CGI to a completely new level :
use the illustrative style in “full frame” (animation at 24
frames per second), instead of the traditionally used limited style
.
This decision considerably increased the
challenges. “ The continuous and fluid movement ” ,
characteristic of the full frame, turned out to be an enormous challenge.
According to Hirayama, the idea of smooth, continuous animations was steeped
in a negative perception among 3DCG animators. “ Seeing
never-before-seen images, strange and unknown movements , ” increased
uncertainty among the team, causing many to suggest returning to the limited
animation style.
Tripled Costs and Efforts
Hirayama noted that full-frame animation tripled
the costs and effort compared to limited animation. “ It's
terrifying , ” he admitted, acknowledging the financial and
production risk involved. However, series director Kazuo Sakai 's
strong belief in exploring the possibilities of CGI kept the team focused on
their goal. Sakai argued that “ we should not fear, but rather
discover the unexplored appeal of CGI . ”
The Evolution of the Project
The team began to notice the project's potential
with the second music video produced for YouTube. It was at this point that
they began to visualize the goal, and as they entered the “photography” phase
of the TV series, Hirayama finally felt that they had achieved something
extraordinary. He recognized that without Sakai's unwavering direction, the
anime's innovative visual expression would not have been possible .
Visual and Emotional Innovations
The anime featured novel visual expressions ,
such as the elasticity in Nina's cheeks or the lines that emanated from her
body when she became angry, elements that highlighted the uniqueness of the
show's CGI style. Hirayama praised these details, mentioning that every
CGI scene and expression in “Girls Band Cry” resulted in immense satisfaction
and achievement.
“Girls Band Cry” has
not only established itself as a success in terms of audience, but also as a
milestone in animation, proving that with passion and vision, the biggest
challenges and risks in the industry can be overcome.
- « It
seems that the ending of “Girls Band Cry” was not intended for a
continuation, and Hanada-sensei made a quite risky script. I wouldn't call
it a bad ending, but it is a defeating ending .
- " It
was supposed to air earlier and considering there are unused songs, I
think they originally planned to do two seasons ."
- " If
the costs are three times higher, doing two seasons would have been crazy ."
- " It
is common for something planned for two seasons to end up being just one ."
- « I
haven't seen the anime, but I like the keyboard girl, especially because
she seems to have a difficult personality .»
- " The
protagonist was so annoying to me that I abandoned the series in the
second episode ."
- « I
lasted until episode 11. Compared to the chaos of my previous work, it was
still bearable .»
- « Toei
Animation tends to be fond of political correctness, but the quality of
their anime is low. That is why they lose good original materials and are
in decline. Also, this pretty girl anime is outdated .
- « Differentiating
is good, but triple the effort is enormous. It has been shown that with an
adjustment to the hardness of the contours around the face, everyday
scenes are bearable. I hope they manage to integrate it well ».
- « The
story of poor and struggling young people does not fit today. It is now
very easy for young people to get jobs, even with minimal education. Even
high school graduates can enter large companies if they accept jobs in the
service sector .
- « With
tripled costs, making a sequel is not so simple. Although the initial
investment cost is different .
- « Despite
everything, I ended up seeing it. It was a work full of challenges, but
with a rather rough execution due to lack of time .
- « If
they wanted to portray the lives of young people today, the image of poor
and struggling young people would not be appropriate. That's a story from
the 2000s. Nowadays, even high school graduates can get good jobs if they
have the necessary soft skills .
- « That
is totally true. For those who lived through the recession era, it is
incredible that a high school graduate can get a job at a large company.
That's why small businesses are always short of staff ."
- « I
like the episode where the characters see themselves reflected in their
own problems and cry saying “Don't escape using my life.” Although the
dialogue is quite embarrassing .
- « If
in the end they had returned to the idol band stage and sung together, it
would have been a masterpiece .»
Source: Yaraon!
