Working for a worldwide audience in
animation for television, film and game since 1987 under Mitsuhisa Ishikawa’s
supervision, Production I.G has grown to be a studio with some of the most
widely known productions.
One of I.G’s most renowned pieces is
Ghost In The Shell, popular even with
those not so familiar with Japanese animation for its well-liked cyber punk
theme. Including this one, animation productions directed by Mamoru Oshii have
brought a lot of attention to this studio.
If I am honest, though, there is one
thing in particular in this studio that tends to catch my eye. Simply put, it’s
the way they make use of this one factor in their animations; the sports genre.
I’ve watched a fair number of Japanese animation series that belong in this
genre, and while years ago I wouldn’t have thought I would, I kept getting
drawn to new sports series when they were announced. And I like those produced
by I.G in particular. Sports as a genre in Japan media is a great one for
animation because it gives you all the tools to work up some gorgeous animation
sequences thanks to all the physics and dynamics sports rely on.
There is certainly some cultural
background involved as well for sports animation to be so popular. In Japan,
school activity clubs are a concept much more strongly implemented in a one’s
school life than they are in a lot of other countries, and, not surprisingly,
sports clubs in particular get much attention. This makes series working
closely with the theme of sports one of the best choices to lure the audience
since it is very likely to have it relate to the story and urge the characters’
growth (though it can also have negative results, as were the threats the
author of Kuroko no Basuke received
for his take on high school basketball competition). In turn, the studio behind
it will invest a lot more in this type of productions to achieve just that. And
I.G’s results are just great.
Below are the opening sequences for
two of the most recent sports series to get an animated adaptation. Both grew
very popular in little time, and are two of the best examples of I.G’s amazing work
in portraying physics in a visually artistic way (apologies for the lyrics on
the side of the first one, I couldn’t find a version good enough without them).
On the note of physics and dynamics,
this studio made full use of those on another recent show that, unlike the
previously mentioned ones, is not really related to sports. Shingeki no Kyojin (more commonly known
as Attack on Titan in the West) has
come to be one of the most famous stories worldwide in the worlds of comics,
and I.G has, again, gained much praise for being the one to bring this very
dynamic tale to life. It is also worth to mention how well the studio
implemented CG landscapes and tools for some of the scenes throughout this
series (and the fact they had my favourite Japanese composer provide them with
a soundtrack only earned them more points). Find the two openings for the first
season of Shingeki no Kyojin below,
but with a light warning for blood and shock factor.
None of this is to say Production
I.G overlooks the charm of more slow paced scenarios, though. Their animated
adaptation for the high school romance comic series Kimi ni Todoke is an
endearing one that earned enough popularity to invest on a live action movie as
well.
Finally, props to Production I.G for
having its own restaurant café in their own studio building. Imagine getting
lucky and coming face to face with an animator you admire while waiting for
your coffee!
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