Change the style, change the vibe

While anime-style visuals may be distinct in and of themselves, there are still many different ways to portray anime content. Anime is an all-encompassing term, but within the genre there are many different styles. I think it's quite obvious to see the differences in design between shows like Shin-chan and FLCL. Whatever the reasoning may be, the creators pick a certain anime direction when putting a show together, and that direction can set the entire tone of a program.

While it may seem like a simple decision at first, it actually is a truly difficult one. When setting out to create an anime program, you have to find a visual style that compliments the story you're trying to tell. If you're going for something serious, you have to pick a style that doesn't hurt your story's intense moments. If you're doing something more akin to a comedy, a simply and quick-moving approach can fit the bill.

As we've said before, there are a few shows that employ various anime styles within one show. These cuts are done to show anime character emotions, exaggerated to the 10th degree. This is just a small slice of the action in an anime, though. You still have an over visual style that some characters never break from, and others jump in and out for a few moments.

Could you really imagine Death Note having the same impact if it had the style shown above? Keep the story and all the other elements exactly the same, but imagine it with those visuals. Without a doubt, I think it would hurt the impact of the show. It's a style that just doesn't mesh with what Death Note is all about.

Have you seen any shows that featured a story and characters that didn't come together nicely with the anime style?

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