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Anime character designs over the years

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F

Forkball

Member
I stumbled across this picture, and while it is a sweeping generalization, I did notice some interesting points.

chart.jpg


Also this:

e5f05f83.jpg


I think it's pretty interesting that a lot of artists conform to a certain style given the decade. I suppose someone this is a bandwagon case, where one artist is successful and the others try to emulate that success. It may have to do with the genre and what aspect of anime fandom is particularly popular at the time.

I personally really enjoy character designs in 80s anime, though the hair is noticeably... 80s. What do you think about the evolution of a the stereotypical anime look? Do you have a favorite era? Favorite style? Down with moe? DISCUSS.
 
M

massoluk

Banned
Yeah, I disagree with the premise, you said it, "sweeping generalization". The so-called '00 is just the style used by the semi-new anime genres. There are still plenty of animes with '70, '80, and '90 styles.

On that note '80 style is the best. May the lord bless Haruhiko Mikimoto-sama. I really fucking hate that '90 style.
 
M

meltingparappa

Member
Forkball said:
I think it's pretty interesting that a lot of artists conform to a certain style given the decade. I suppose someone this is a bandwagon case, where one artist is successful and the others try to emulate that success. It may have to do with the genre and what aspect of anime fandom is particularly popular at the time.
Click to expand...
That is generally true for all types of art in every civilization since the dawn of time.

I'd love to see a chart of a wide selection of ales in a given period and use my hindsight to see who was ahead of the mainstream style curve.

For me, I have such great nostalgia for older, Tezuka-esque designs. He may only have had a handful of facial types, but you'd only very very rarely see a character in a contemporary popular show give someone so many giant distinct noses.
 
M

Majine

Banned
In a few thousand years, real people will have evolved to look like anime characters, while the anime characters look like real people now.
 
C

Cerity

Member
Down for all of them besides that 90's mio, which is pretty exaggerated compared to the others, even by anime standards.

Each of them remind me of series that I've enjoyed immensely.
 
C

Chojin

Member
80s and early 90s were always my favorite. Which coincides with me being in middle school and high school. Go figure :p
 
ShirAhava

ShirAhava

Plays with kids toys, in the adult gaming world
70s and 80s from that chart

that 90s look is soooo LATE 90s.....the early 90s style was totally different and was the best
 
R

Red Liquorice

Member
There were some really odd designs in the 90s, angular and just too much overall, it is really offputting.

I'm a fan of 70s and 80s, so they win for me, but I quite like a lot of the recent examples - the style typified by K-ON, Tamako Market, My Sexy Little Sister or whatever it's called, that style is quite pleasing, and seems to be the style of the moment.
 
S

Seraphis Cain

bad gameplay lol
Yeah, 90s anime that used the "greatly exaggerated cheekbones" style looked fucking awful.

All the other examples are varying degrees of good, though.
 
B

Beats

Member
I don't think that 90s one really works because it looks like it just took the facial designs from Slayers and exaggerated them. I don't remember that many 90s anime looking like that.
 
NeonZ

NeonZ

Member
Beats said:
I don't think that 90s one really works because it looks like it just took the facial designs from Slayers and exaggerated them. I don't remember that many 90s anime looking like that.
Click to expand...

I think it's specifically Saber Marionette's art style. Slayers was similar, but not as bad. Well, most of the time.
saber_marionette_02.jpg
 
S

Synth_floyd

Banned
This pic sums it up pretty well:

i0j5XpMmQkvC4.jpg


Anime design has gotten a lot simpler and doesn't really interest me anymore. It feels like the older style of anime had characters, while the newer style has caricatures. Plus the way that so much anime has gone "moe" to pander to otakus (see the pic above) is another good summation of what is wrong with anime.
 
P

Pop-O-Matic

Banned
Synth_floyd said:
This pic sums it up pretty well:

i0j5XpMmQkvC4.jpg


Anime design has gotten a lot simpler and doesn't really interest me anymore. It feels like the older style of anime had characters, while the newer style has caricatures. Plus the way that so much anime has gone "moe" to pander to otakus (see the pic above) is another good summation of what is wrong with anime.
Click to expand...

Most of the comparisons in that pic are putting movies, OVAs and even straight up promotional art against TV animation. Most anime has always been much more simply drawn and shaded that what is presented here.
 
NeonZ

NeonZ

Member
The issue with that detailed shading is that it only could be used in movies, ovas, and stock footage due to how costly it was.

Compare that last picture you have there for older anime (Misa from the Macross movie) with Misa in the Macross tv show.

ep19_hikaru_misa_at_cafe.png


Nowadays, there's generally a more consistent art style, with higher budget features just having more fluid animation.
 
S

Seraphis Cain

bad gameplay lol
Pop-O-Matic said:
Most of the comparisons in that pic are putting movies, OVAs and even straight up promotional art against TV animation.
Click to expand...

I was thinking the same thing.

I mean, are you really gonna compare the Guyver OVA series to Naruto and FMA? Of COURSE there's gonna be differences.

For an example of 80s TV anime:

YA0mFaI.jpg


Hey look, fuck-all shading.
 
M

Mael

Member
Synth_floyd said:
This pic sums it up pretty well:

i0j5XpMmQkvC4.jpg


Anime design has gotten a lot simpler and doesn't really interest me anymore. It feels like the older style of anime had characters, while the newer style has caricatures. Plus the way that so much anime has gone "moe" to pander to otakus (see the pic above) is another good summation of what is wrong with anime.
Click to expand...

Disney's feature film animation is bad now?
 
I

Ithil

Member
Synth_floyd said:
This pic sums it up pretty well:

i0j5XpMmQkvC4.jpg


Anime design has gotten a lot simpler and doesn't really interest me anymore. It feels like the older style of anime had characters, while the newer style has caricatures. Plus the way that so much anime has gone "moe" to pander to otakus (see the pic above) is another good summation of what is wrong with anime.
Click to expand...

Using movie anime shots against modern TV anime shots. How fair.
 
S

Seraphis Cain

bad gameplay lol
Come on guys, the picture doesn't have to be quoted so many times. Scrolling down the page is becoming a pain in the ass.
 
R

Razgriz-Specter

Member
Synth_floyd said:
This pic sums it up pretty well:

http://i6.minus.com/i0j5XpMmQkvC4.jpg

Anime design has gotten a lot simpler and doesn't really interest me anymore. It feels like the older style of anime had characters, while the newer style has caricatures. Plus the way that so much anime has gone "moe" to pander to otakus (see the pic above) is another good summation of what is wrong with anime.
Click to expand...

Complaining about Disney style?
LOL
Id much prefer a timeless style to some of those examples that might look outdated less than 10 years later.
beautybeast337.jpg
beautybeast5922.jpg
Click to expand...
Never going to look outdated.
 
K

Kotetsu534

Member
I don't have the link but there was a really interesting set of images, hosted on imgur, posted a couple of months ago which had male and female "averaged" comparison images from the 80s, 90s, and 00s in Japanese animation, then images showing them together so you could see the graduated change. It was stark, and rang true to my experience.
 
S

Succinct Verbosity

Member
That picture is just ridiculous. Good animation is good animation, and deminishing the beauty of Disney animation in order to esculate your love of anime is immature nonsense.
 
M

Mael

Member
Succinct Verbosity said:
That picture is just ridiculous. Good animation is good animation, and deminishing the beauty of Disney animation in order to esculate your love of anime is immature nonsense.
Click to expand...
It's stupid too.
Paperman-George-et-un-avion-de-papier.jpg
Click to expand...

Brannon said:
If people keep quoting that pic, then somebody's going to post the longest pic.

You know.

THAT one.
Click to expand...
Don't leave us hanging some aren't aware of the goodies you're talking about.
 
M

Metrotab

Banned
I like the modern style better than most of the older ones.

Ofcourse, quality anime is quality irregardless of the specific type of character design used. I watch old and new all the same.
 
T

Trin

Member
Chairmanchuck said:
I rather have these



than these:




Instead of trying to use an own style, most anime nowadays just copy the most famous anime in terms of artstyle, so a lot of those look so similar...
Click to expand...

Hell yes Tatami Galaxy. I'd love to see more anime play with colors and patterns even half as well. Also a great example of intentionally minimalist character design done right.

I agree that I'd rather have a handful of original series than a boatload of copycats, but when artists and creators draw inspiration from other styles you can still wind up with an amazing end product, e.g. Lupin > Bebop > Samurai Champloo
 
C

Chairmanchuck

Member
Trin said:
Hell yes Tatami Galaxy. I'd love to see more anime play with colors and patterns even half as well. Also a great example of intentionally minimalist character design done right.

I agree that I'd rather have a handful of original series than a boatload of copycats, but when artists and creators draw inspiration from other styles you can still wind up with an amazing end product, e.g. Lupin > Bebop > Samurai Champloo
Click to expand...

Sure, but right now the trend seems to be the style like in my second batch of pics. Everything looks kinda the same.
It doesnt make the anime bad, but just seems like something you already saw a hundred times.

I mean even the manga some of the adaptions look totally different, but as an anime when you compare them, they look the same.
 
A

alfredofroylan

Member
I grow up watching 70's and 80's stuff. There's something charming about the 70's shoujo series.
i691V0wDDc8e4.gif

Lalabel_04.jpg

It's so outdated but still is one of my favorite eras.
 
B

Branduil

Member
Synth_floyd said:
This pic sums it up pretty well:

[IM]http://i6.minus.com/i0j5XpMmQkvC4.jpg[/IMG]

Anime design has gotten a lot simpler and doesn't really interest me anymore. It feels like the older style of anime had characters, while the newer style has caricatures. Plus the way that so much anime has gone "moe" to pander to otakus (see the pic above) is another good summation of what is wrong with anime.
Click to expand...

I knew Otaking's insane chart was going to be posted in this thread.
 
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