Satoshi Hirayamaproducer of the hit original anime Toei Animation “Girls Band Cry,” shared in a recent interview the extreme challenges and risks involved in making the series using CGI instead of traditional animation. The project, an ambitious undertaking, posed unique challenges, both technically and creatively.

Technical and Creative Challenges

Hirayama mentioned that the biggest concern was “what it would be like for the public”. Although there were previous works with an illustrative style that were well received, “Girls Band Cry” sought to move CGI to a whole new level: use illustrative style in “full picture” (animation at 24 frames per second), instead of the style limited traditionally used.

This decision considerably increased the challenges. “Continuous and fluid movement“, characteristic of full frame, proved to be a huge challenge. According to Hirayama, the idea of smooth, continuous animation was permeated with a negative perception among 3DCG animators. “See never-before-seen footage, strange and unknown movements“increased the team's uncertainty, causing many to suggest a return to the limited animation style.

Tripled costs and efforts

Hirayama highlighted that full frame animation tripled costs and efforts compared to limited animation. “It's scary“, he admitted, acknowledging the financial and production risk involved. However, the firm conviction series director, Kazuo Sakai, exploring the possibilities of CGI, kept the team focused on their goal. Sakai stated that “we should not fear, but discover the untapped appeal of CGI“.

Project Evolution

The team began to realize the potential of the project with the second music video produced for YouTube. It was at this point that they began to visualize the objective and, upon entering the development phase, "Photography" of the TV series, Hirayama finally felt that he had achieved something extraordinary. He recognized that without Sakai's unwavering leadership the innovative visual expression of anime would not have been possible.

Visual and Emotional Innovations

The anime presented new visual expressions, such as the elasticity of Nina's cheeks or the lines that emanated from her body when she got angry, elements that highlighted the uniqueness of the show's CGI style. Hirayama praised these details, mentioning that every scene and CGI expression in “Girls Band Cry” resulted in immense satisfaction and fulfillment.

“Girl Band Cry” It not only established itself as a success in terms of audience, but also as a milestone in animation, demonstrating that with passion and vision the greatest challenges and risks in the sector can be overcome.

• «It seems that the ending of “Girls Band Cry” was not planned for a sequel, and Hanada-sensei made a rather 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 make two seasons.».
• «If the costs were three times higher, making two seasons would be crazy.».
• «It's common for something planned for two seasons to end up being just one.».
• «I haven't seen the anime, but I like the keyboardist, mainly because she seems to have a difficult personality.».
• «I found the protagonist so boring 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 politically correct, but the quality of their anime is low. That's why they lose good source material and are in decline. Also, this cute girl anime is outdated.».
• «Differentiating is good, but tripling the effort is enormous. It has been shown that with an adjustment to the hardness of the facial contours, everyday scenes are bearable. I hope they can integrate it well.».
• «The story of poor and struggling young people is no longer relevant today. It is now very easy for young people to get a job, even with minimal education. Even high school graduates can enter large companies and get jobs in the service sector.».
• «With the costs tripling, making a sequel is not so simple. Although the initial investment cost is different».
• «Despite everything, I ended up watching it. It was a challenging work, but with a somewhat rough execution due to lack of time.».
• «If you wanted to portray the lives of today's young people, the image of poor, struggling young people would not be appropriate. This is a story from the 2000s. Nowadays, even high school graduates can get good jobs if they have the necessary interpersonal skills.».
• «This is absolutely true. For those who lived through the recession, it’s incredible that a high school graduate could get a job at a big company. That’s why small businesses are always short-staffed.».
• «I like the episode where the characters see themselves reflected in their own problems and cry saying “Don’t run away from using my life”. Although the dialogue is quite embarrassing».
• «If in the end they had returned to the idol band's stage and sung together, it would have been a masterpiece.».

Source: Yaraon!