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Mar 15, 2023 11:54 AM
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Oct 2020
579
Androide911 said:
Episode six had a harbor shot with modern yacht PNGs
i keked


The series takes place in a post apocalyptic world, a yacht existing isn’t that surprising, there’s been a lot of modern stuff shown in this.
Mar 18, 2023 7:31 AM
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Mar 2016
3
This anime gives me Satoshi Kon vibes. People complain about the animation, the direction, and so on. We are so accustomed to watching high-budget post-kawaii-boom anime that we tend to forget how things were in the 2000s and even in the 90s. Series like Serial Experiments Lain, Paranoia Agent, etc., use animation to make something distinctive, whether it's for a tight budget or intentionally. Here the animator makes something distinctive, the director prefers doing montages to show 2 things at the same time, we have really nice panels, etc. I really don't know what there is not to like other than animation. If you don't like it go watch your bad ol' mediocre and uninteresting isekai with great animation and a copy-paste story of the 90s and 2000s anime, that are at best a 5/10.
Mar 18, 2023 7:47 AM
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Oct 2020
64
Bacon24 said:
truth999 said:

it's pretty obvious some budget cuts are happening still frames zoomed in scenes cgi etc again I think it still great but if they had a good budget they just hire freelancers if they didn't have enough people to animate it

i cba, usually when they use cgi is because of time constraints not budget (most anime use cgi for something, most isekai anime always use cgi for background for people walking, horse carriages, etc.)

https://twitter.com/CanipaShow/status/773667808957698048?s=19

https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/ao8k4t/bahi_jd_animator_explaining_how_high_quality/efz41wb?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share&context=3
Thank god at least one person here understands the budget myth. I'm gonna use these links whenever I need whenever I'm talking to someone saying budget in relation to animation quality.
Mar 18, 2023 11:06 AM
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May 2017
866
Yeah the animation is ass, i think the artstyle is great though.
Mar 18, 2023 6:49 PM

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Mar 2018
53
Yes obviously the animation is awful for a big part of the show, the story and world is still pulling you in tho.
Mar 18, 2023 10:53 PM
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Apr 2012
51
I peaced out after episode 4. I was giving it a chance when I thought the jank animation might be due to budget cuts, but someone in the ep. 4 thread said this animator Yasunori Miyazawa does this intentionally and it's supposed to be art or something. Dropped.
Mar 18, 2023 10:56 PM

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Apr 2012
714
Really bad animation. Makes me hate that an otherwise interesting story is ruined by the low-fps, crude animation. This could have been one of the more popular anime this season.
If you haven't watched "Fantastic Children", don't talk about "best anime". Thank you.
Mar 19, 2023 12:06 AM
VA-11 HALL-A

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Aug 2014
1715
To those that think that the animation is even remotely acceptable; did we watch the same series? Why are there so many people defending the art and animation as an 'artistic choice' instead of just calling it what is is? For an anime released in the year 2023 this style can only be described as lazy and half-assed. I watch an anime I expect animation. Not a bloody slideshow, powerpoint presentation looking picture book masquerading as some 'artistic' bullshit.
Your standards are majorly low if you believe it is acceptable to have a show that looks like this.

"𝚃𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚒𝚡 𝚍𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚔𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚜."
☆ 𝙰𝚗𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝙻𝚒𝚜𝚝 ☆
☆ 𝚅𝙽𝙳𝚋 ☆
☆ 𝙱𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚘𝚐𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚢 ☆
Mar 19, 2023 9:09 AM
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Sep 2020
7
Bacon24 said:
truth999 said:

it does man what you think they could have a huge budget and need to make budget cuts?

budgets are not released for most anime so how do you know? and scheduling, staff, environment, etc. is more important

Hey what drives quick schedules and small staff? Could it be… budget?
Apr 2, 2023 7:26 AM
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Jul 2013
41
It IS bad but I don't think it ruins the anime much! Kinda fits the eerie vibes
Apr 15, 2023 10:34 PM
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Sep 2018
54
I really have no idea what people are complaining about. I actually really like the style of this animation and it suits the story really well. There are newer anime with ugly animation and awful CGI, this isn't one of those shows. The story is great and I honestly hope it comes back for season 2.
Apr 23, 2023 1:46 PM
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Jul 2020
2
EmmyMoomin said:
I want to know if it’s just a vocal minority or everyone that thinks this.
I wouldn't say it's a minority, but they are certainly a lot more voiced about it from what I can see if the only thing I knew about it was that the animation was bad. Not even close though, it certainly has some strange moments, but overall you forget about those if you're actually invested in the story, which clearly many people were not.
May 15, 2023 12:11 AM
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Dec 2010
23
I watched all episodes. I watched many anime with unique art style, like Mob Psycho 100, Gankutsuo, Mononoke, Jojo, etc. I know how to differentiate whether the animation looks like that because it's the concept, or it's just bad animation. Hikari no Ou are indeed art form animation. It has unique art style. But in the same time I can't deny it has terrible animation. Looks like it has small budget, and not enough time and staffs to draw or check the animation. But I can feel the studio and staffs really using their head and try to be creative to compensate what they lack. For example the usage of small windows/panels or still hand painted drawings. I feel like they use most of their budget for the opening song and episode 1. After that the animation just keep going downhill. 
May 15, 2023 1:32 AM

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Jun 2019
6632
aqua11alta said:
I watched all episodes. I watched many anime with unique art style, like Mob Psycho 100, Gankutsuo, Mononoke, Jojo, etc. I know how to differentiate whether the animation looks like that because it's the concept, or it's just bad animation. Hikari no Ou are indeed art form animation. It has unique art style. But in the same time I can't deny it has terrible animation. Looks like it has small budget, and not enough time and staffs to draw or check the animation. But I can feel the studio and staffs really using their head and try to be creative to compensate what they lack. For example the usage of small windows/panels or still hand painted drawings. I feel like they use most of their budget for the opening song and episode 1. After that the animation just keep going downhill. 
People are confusing art style and animation (both when discussing this series and just in general). The art style for Hikari no Ou is gorgeous and also very refreshing as it's in line with and evokes that older feel distinct from a lot of the modern art styles - evocative both of older series and of the series' setting itself. But the animation is lacking in areas due to budget constraints, most on display in situations like the fire hunters' dogs floating across the sky with little fluid movement. 

Fortunately animation is a minor concern and not a big priority for me as I rank it in importance on the list of priorities as far as what I care about in a series after first and foremost writing, then voice acting, music/OST, direction, and even the art style itself above it. But I still can't pretend not to notice it or say it doesn't harm it even a small bit.
WatchTillTandavaMay 15, 2023 1:36 AM
Jun 29, 2023 1:43 PM
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Jul 2018
564089
I think yes.

Picture of the dragon:


I can't say that this is a good quality drawing of the dragon.

In some cases Touko's eyes are colored black, when they are actually yellow:



And last thing are static pictures. When some action happens, anime shows static pictures with people talking in background. I don't know if this is a feature of this anime or just lack of budget:

Sep 28, 2023 11:08 PM
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Jun 2020
61
Reply to truth999
the animation overall is smooth and fluid it's a small show with a lower budget trying to do alot and the ways they keep the budget low seems more artistic then lazy I like the animation overall and feel like there's no real problem with it
@truth999 doesnt all tv anime have same budget
Oct 27, 2023 3:58 PM

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Sep 2023
198
Reply to EmmyMoomin
Androide911 said:
Episode six had a harbor shot with modern yacht PNGs
i keked


The series takes place in a post apocalyptic world, a yacht existing isn’t that surprising, there’s been a lot of modern stuff shown in this.
@EmmyMoomin
Lack of knowledge caused you to totally misunderstand Androide911's point. PNG is an image file type. AKA... literally a picture. A real photograph. Of a boat. Photoshopped into an anime. Not that such a thing doesn't happen in other anime, and not that it's a poor decision in and of itself, but this thread is about quality of the animation and art style, which is why dude "keked" (4chan speak for the past tense of "lol"), since they (apparently, if what he is saying is true) decided to use a PNG of a boat in a supposedly artistic anime.

Mind you, I haven't watched this yet. I came to this discussion thread beforehand to see if it was worth it or not. I'm just trying to be helpful and show how it's easy to misunderstand someone's point if you don't actually know what they mean.
Dec 22, 2023 3:18 PM

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Jul 2021
1373
I can accept that some people like the animation or that the animation doesn't bother them. BUT I am baffled by some people insisting that "the animation is good".

I believe that there's an absolute "bare minimum" level of animation quality that should be expected in 2023, and this show is just not at that level. If the production wanted to "break the rules", they should have done it with clear artistic intent and justification.

Yes, characters are allowed to go "off-model" for any number of reasons, like selling a punch-line or intense action. But in this show, characters constantly look "off" when they're just walking down the street or turning their heads during a conversation.

Yes, you don't always need swirling cameras, complex choreography, or long takes during an action sequence. But you still have to sell the speed, the danger, and the emotion. Why does this show keep resorting to still images, with the only moving parts being rippling hair and blood sprays, with combatants hanging in the air in awkward poses?

Yes, you can have text on full-screen black background, but why does this show keep taking up the whole screen to show a single word that does not add any extra information or impact? Often characters are just explaining lore when this happens, and a caption at the bottom would have been enough.

Yes, you can have detailed static illustrations to emphasize a dramatic or picturesque scene, but why does this show do it at seemingly random moments, like when a character is explaining some lore or walking into an empty room? Some of these choices were so strange that they were almost comedic.

There were too many instances when the animation noticeably degraded, in terms of smoothness, the amount of movement, accuracy and consistency, while they served no apparent purpose other than to save time or cover up production issues.
Dec 31, 2023 5:08 PM

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Nov 2015
686
Oh, it is bad, i won't deny this. I'm sure it is a lack of budget and production issues. Even some background art, if there were some, were not pleasing to the eye. It felt incomplete. Action scenes were the worst to look at since there was so much movement to track and it didn't translate well. But i still kept anticipating the next episode for the plot.
Jan 10, 12:16 PM
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Sep 2014
70
I just started rewatching Seirei no Moribito and YES the art is lacking in this Hikari no Ou. But it's 2023 and we have to take the breadcrumbs we get, just like with Under Ninja. Hikari no Ou is still a good show worth watching.
Apr 29, 10:51 PM

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Jun 2008
220
I just started watching this show, and while the story and setting are intriguing, I definitely feel like there's a lack of budget here.

At first I thought maybe it's an artistic choice to have no shading and be more "simplistic", but there are way too many talking over still shots (sometimes the still shots are just glossary text on a screen) and more than a few times, the animation will just pause and switch to a complete still shot (in a different art style mind you) in the middle of a scene while people are talking. I dunno if it's supposed to be artistic but it feels like a budget-saving tactic to me >_>

Also like, these still illustrations are gorgeous!!?


it makes me wish the show was like this instead.

But then I started wondering why these stills are in such a different art style than the rest of the show... and now I'm wondering if they're illustrations from the light novel (LNs usually have occasional illustrations for important scenes)?
May 21, 2:53 PM
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Jul 2016
877
having higher standards and expectations ruining people lol
May 21, 3:54 PM

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Apr 2021
1494
Reply to womanrspector
Bacon24 said:
truth999 said:

it does man what you think they could have a huge budget and need to make budget cuts?

budgets are not released for most anime so how do you know? and scheduling, staff, environment, etc. is more important

Hey what drives quick schedules and small staff? Could it be… budget?
@womanrspector Money can control these aspects, but it can't outright fix shit schedules by just throwing bucks at it, specially when the problem runs deeper than just that.

Issues such as a lack of professional training, veterans being stretched amongst the increasing number of series being made every season, the buttload of outsourcing needed and without proper communication between both parties leading to the original intent being lost/butchered, the likes.
May 22, 9:02 PM
🍅 Tomato 🍅

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Feb 2020
98707
For me, it's good enough.
Oct 3, 1:42 AM
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Sep 2024
12
I watched it at release. New round these parts, so messaging now.

At first I thought it was bad animation, it was sad though watching people flee it droves, because the story was so interesting.

I watched on, and my interpretation of the animation is that it is both budget and a stylistic choice. I see it in the most part as an animated book, possibly something from their future.

Chunks of the animation are actually like on textured paper. There's like an ebook slow update of frames kind of look as well at times. Sometimes they seem to be simply using interesting approaches to tell a lot at once, with just them walking and still frame pop ups of events happening.

Just to be clear, I am pretty sure it was also budget. I mean, the fly in to the mansion scene that get used multiple times, its um. yeah well i mean.

I rank this anime a 10/10, it's a masterpiece and i was very worried after the terrible viewer count season 2 would never come, but it did. It is possibly one of the top 10 most unique post apocalyptic world lore setups i have had the pleasure of watching. (bit off topic, but i rave to people about the story)
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