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 images, 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 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 development phase, "Photography" of the TV series, Hirayama finally felt 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, like 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 industry's greatest challenges and risks can be overcome.

• «It seems the ending of "Girls Band Cry" wasn't planned for a sequel, and Hanada-sensei wrote a rather risky script. I wouldn't call it a bad ending, but it's a defeating one.».
• «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, doing 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 its anime is low. That's why they lose good source material and are in decline. Plus, this pretty girl anime is outdated.».
• «Differentiating is good, but doubling the effort is enormous. It's been shown that adjusting the hardness of the facial contours makes everyday scenes bearable. I hope they manage to integrate it well.».
• «The story of poor and struggling young people doesn't apply to today. It's now very easy for young people to get jobs, even with minimal education. Even high school graduates can enter large companies, landing jobs in the service sector.».
• «With costs tripling, making a sequel isn't so simple. Although the initial investment cost is different,».
• «Despite everything, I ended up watching it. It was a challenging project, but the execution was somewhat rough due to lack of time.».
• «If they wanted to portray the lives of today's youth, the image of poor, struggling youth wouldn't be appropriate. This is a story from the 2000s. These days, even high school graduates can get good jobs if they have the necessary interpersonal skills.».
• «This is absolutely true. For anyone who lived through the recession, it's incredible that a high school graduate can land a job at a large 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!