ANIMATION STUDIOS & GENRES
All about animation studios, popular genres, and trend patterns.
ANIMATION STUDIOS IN JAPAN
According to a page on ranker.com, a site that lets users upvote and downvote items in a list form, the current top 10 animation studios in Japan (last updated on March 17, 2022) are as follows:
Madhouse
Ufotable
Wit Studio
Studio Bones
MAPPA
Kyoto Animation
Ghibli
Sunrise
Production I.G
White Fox
Lindwasser, Anna. "The Greatest Anime Studios of All Time, Ranked." Ranker, Accessed April 3, 2022, https://www.ranker.com/list/best-anime-studios-of-all-time/anna-lindwasser. The site is only available in English, easy to use with a visible search bar and settings button. (Connie)
GameExpert. "What is the Most Famous Anime Company?" Gaming Section: Magazine Gaming, E-sport, Jeux Vidéo, Reviews, Trucs & Astuces, 2 Dec. 2021, https://gamingsection.net/news/what-is-the-most-famous-anime-company/. Article makes many claims without basis or evidence, along with typos. Site based in France, with some articles in English. (Connie)
STUDIO GHIBLI
Studio Ghibli is one of the most well-known animation studios globally, founded in 1985 by Miyazaki Hayao, Takahata Isao, and Suzuki Toshio. It’s known for its maximalist/minimalist art style, high-quality filmmaking, and beautiful soundtracks, with world-famous productions like My Neighbour Totoro, Howl’s Moving Castle, Ponyo, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Castle in the Sky, and Spirited Away, the top-grossing anime film for 19 years until the end of 2020. Bauer, Patricia. "Studio Ghibli." Encyclopedia Britannica, Accessed April 3, 2022, www.britannica.com/topic/Studio-Ghibli. The site is organized and informational, providing other mediums such as videos, images, a related articles tab, and a fast facts tab. Only available in English. (Connie)
KYOTO ANIMATION
The Kyoto Animation company was founded by Yoko Hatta in 1981 and first incorporated into a limited private company in 1985 before finally being reorganized into a stock company in 1999. Kyoto Animation, KyoAni for short, is known for its high production value and attention to detail. Their most well-known animes include A Silent Voice, Clannad, Free!, Violet Evergarden, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, and K-On. "Kyoto Animation." Japanese Wiki Corpus, Accessed April 3, 2022, www.japanese-wiki-corpus.org/culture/Kyoto%20Animation.html. Article originally written in Japanese, English translation available. Provides an outline of the studio’s history along with production details for specific animes. Website available in English and Japanese. (Connie)
MADHOUSE
Madhouse is an animation company based in Tokyo, Japan, founded in 1972 by Masao Maruyama, Osamu Dezaki, and Yoshiaki Kawajiri. It is known for being one of the big powerhouse animation studios, with over 300 animes. Some of its most popular or well-known productions include Hunter X Hunter, One Punch Man, No Game No Life, Death Parade, childhood favourite Card Captor Sakura, and the globally famous Death Note. "Madhouse (Creator)." TV Tropes, Accessed April 3, 2022, https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Creator/Madhouse. Article is short and informative, the site is only available in English. (Connie)
Madhouse Inc. Madhouse.co.jp, Accessed April 4, 2022, https://www.madhouse.co.jp/. The official Madhouse studio website. The site is mostly in Japanese, with only “Corporate Profile”, “Corporate History”, “Record of Awards”, “Contact & Map”, and a few introductions to works available in English. Event information, links to social media, and recruitment advertisements are available in Japanese. (Connie)
POPULAR GENRES
"Genre" is not always a clear cut concept
“FACET ANALYSIS OF ANIME GENRES”
This resource allows one to read about the different genres of anime and how anime can be grouped into these genres. It is a scholarly journal, accessible through the UBC library that outlines the research process and results of analyzing genres in anime. Some key information that the journal speaks on is the ambiguity of genre in anime, and how many anime can fall into multiple “genres”. Some examples mentioned in the text are how an anime can fall into both a “sports” genre and also “shonen”, with one “genre” describing the content (sports) and the other describing the audience (shonen). Another important idea mentioned by the journal is that in Japanese, the term “anime” refers to animation regardless of country (ex: donghua - Chinese animation), rather than the Japanese animation style that most people think about when they hear anime. (Alexa)
Hyerim Cho, et al. “Facet Analysis of Anime Genres: The Challenges of Defining Genre Information for Popular Cultural Objects.” Knowledge Organization, vol. 47, no. 1, Jan. 2020, pp. 13–30. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.5771/0943-7444-2020-1-13.
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ANIME INFLUENCE ON DONGHUA
(aka Chinese animation)
CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN CHINESE ANIMATION AND JAPANESE ANIME
This resource is an article from a peer-reviewed scientific journal. The article discusses the history of Chinese animation and Japanese anime before comparing and contrasting both. One important takeaway from this article is how Chinese animators have started to “mimic the drawing technique, genres and style of anime” (62), which draws the connection of Japanese anime and its influence on animation globally. The article also points out, however, that this has not necessarily had an enthusiastic response, as some Chinese viewers may feel that this “devalues” (62) Chinese animation traditions. At the end of the article, there is also a table that clearly states out differences in Chinese animation vs Japanese anime in terms of intent, audience, and response. (Alexa)
Momchilova, Maria. “Cultural differences in Chinese animation and Japanese anime”, Rhetoric and Communications Journal, 2019, https://rhetoric.bg/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Momchilova-M-issue-41-Octover-2019-final1.pdf
“AN ETYMOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE TERMS DONGMAN, DONGHUA, AND MANHUA”
This resource is an article written as an analysis from a linguistic point of view of the Chinese terms dongman, donghua, and manhua. The site itself specializes in articles pertaining to Chinese animation which can be downloaded in PDF form. In terms of the content of this article, the aforementioned terms are all derived from Japanese terms that used to/still describe anime and manga. Some key facts the article talks about are how dongman is “a term often associated with Japan”, and that donghua came from the Japanese word doga, which was used for animated shorts in the past. The article ends off by mentioning how the Chinese animation industry is still up and coming, and that many of these terms will most likely evolve or possibly change connotation as the industry itself changes as well. (Alexa)
Chen, Yan. “An Etymological Study of the Terms Dongman, Donghua, and Manhua”, ACAS, 2019, https://acas.world/2019/02/02/an-etymological-study-of-the-terms-dongman-donghua-and-manhua/
INFLUENCE OF JAPANESE ANIMATION
Under the influence of anime, many shows and studios have been inspired to create productions with similar animation, plot structuring, and art styles.
TENCENT PENGUIN PICTURES
Tencent Penguin Pictures is the film production branch of the Chinese company Tencent Holdings Inc., with a large lineup of well-made films and animations based on games, comics, novels, and more. Tartaglione, Nancy. "China’s Tencent Marches With Penguin Pictures For Online Drama, Movies." Deadline, 11 Sept. 2015, https://deadline.com/2015/09/china-tencent-launches-penguin-pictures-1201521890/. Article reports that Tencent Holdings Inc. is opening a film production branch with details on Tencent’s other relations to the film industry. Site and article only available in English. (Connie)
Many of Tencent Penguin Picture’s animations have art styles similar to Japanese animes, with shows like The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, The King’s Avatar, and Quanzhi Fashi. "With Tencent Penguin Pictures (Sorted by Popularity Ascending)." IMDb, www.imdb.com/search/title/?companies=co0600785. Site and list available in a variety of languages including French, Italian, Spanish, and English. Easy to navigate, large database of all things film-related including companies, actors, and productions. (Connie)
BILIBILI
Bilibili is mainly a video streaming and sharing platform based in Shanghai but has also participated in producing many animations with styles similar to Japanese anime. Examples of these include Heaven Official’s Blessing, Link Click and The Daily Life of The Immortal King. "Bilibili Announces Over 50 New Chinese Anime Titles at ANIME MADE BY BILIBILI 2021-2022, Bringing Chinese Anime to Global Audiences." PR Newswire: Press Release Distribution, Targeting, Monitoring and Marketing, 22 Nov. 2021, https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bilibili-announces-over-50-new-chinese-anime-titles-at-anime-made-by-bilibili-2021-2022-bringing-chinese-anime-to-global-audiences-301430041.html. Article goes into depth about Bilibili’s plans for new Chinese animations. Article and site only available in English. (Connie)
"哔哩哔哩动画 Anime Made By Bilibili." YouTube, www.youtube.com/channel/UCQFyMGc6h30NMCd6HCk0ZPA. Bilibili’s official Youtube channel, trailers and show episodes are posted there. No English subtitles for the videos. (Connie)
WESTERN SHOWS INSPIRED BY ANIME
Some famous American cartoons that were inspired by anime art styles and animation include Teen Titans, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Voltron: Legendary Defenders, Power Puff Girls, Winx Club, and Steven Universe. Stalberg, Allison. "15 American Cartoons That Were Influenced By Anime." CBR, 11 Jan. 2021, www.cbr.com/american-cartoons-influenced-by-anime. An article on 15 popular American shows inspired by anime, detailing specific aspects for each show listed. Site and article only available in English, the site has an option to turn on dark mode. (Connie)
PHOTO CREDITS
Alexa
https://m.imdb.com/title/tt12331342/mediaviewer/rm3487553025/
https://www.filmaffinity.com/us/movieimage.php?imageId=495682877
https://share.api.weibo.cn/share/255026109.html?weibo_id=469072059249829
Mo Dao Zu Shi (The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation), Tencent Penguin Pictures, 2018-2021
Akudama Drive, Pierrot, 2020
Link Click, Studio LAN, 2021
Connie
https://www.applatest.com/apps/video-players-editors/com.bilibili.app.i
Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works, Ufotable, 2014-2015
My Neighbour Totoro (Tonari no Totoro), Studio Ghibli, 1988
Spirited Away, Studio Ghibli, 2001
Violet Evergarden, Kyoto Animation, 2018-2018
A Silent Voice (Koe no Katachi), Kyoto Animation, 2017
K-ON, Kyoto Animation, 2009-2009
Death Note, MADHOUSE, 2006-2006
Voltron: Legendary Defender, Studio Mir, 2016-2018
Mo Dao Zu Shi (The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation), Tencent Penguin Pictures, 2018-2018
Heaven Official’s Blessing, Bilibili, 2020-2020
Eighty-Six, A-1 Pictures, 2021-2021