There have already been many anime titles that are either enhanced by CGI or ruined by it. They’re part of a topic that should not be taken lightly too, since more anime studios are switching over to full CGI productions due to its cost and workload-related benefits. What this means is that there might come a day when the world no longer understands, appreciates, or can even see newly produced gorgeous hand drawn 2D animation. Hopefully that will never happen, and the evidence for that is clear to see in these examples of 3D anime that fall flat compared to 2D anime.
Ghost in the Shell
On paper, Ghost in the Shell should have worked with computer graphics since it’s based on cyborgs and androids, but it’s plain to see just how bad and disappointing the CGI series is with Ghost in Shell SAC_2045.
The action sequences actually suffered more due to unrealistic-looking movements, and the characters come off as badly-rendered dolls. It’s plain to see how stiff the characters moved, and this would not have been a problem if that was the intention. However, as seen in the original 2D movie, these cyborgs move fluidly, naturally, and powerfully.
Although Ghost in the Shell deserves to have more of an anime presence, it’s almost pointless to release a series that pales in comparison to what the original Ghost in the Shell movie strived to showcase. It should be synonymous with the beauty of hand-drawn animation fused with digital techniques, instead of allowing CGI to completely take over.
Kengan Ashura
Kengan Ashura is an anime that was positioned to take full advantage of CGI, but the end result left a lot to be desired.
Since realistic movement is easily attainable in CGI animation, a fighting-centric series like this seemed like a perfect fit for the 3D animation style. And to be sure, Kengan Ashura received plenty of positive feedback from audiences for its segments which were focused entirely around combat.
As a total package though, it’s far from ideal. The art is still a far cry away from the gritty manga, and the cel-shaded characters look too clean and smooth while also having a robotic feel to their movements. This leaves the series feeling like an awkward mess with excellent fights sprinkled throughout its runtime, and ends up being a less than stellar example of what 3D CGI anime can accomplish.
Fist of the Blue Sky: Regenesis
Fist of the North Star is a legendary anime and manga that deserves both an honorable legacy and a regular appearance in entertainment. This spin-off series was anything but those things.
Take a look at this screencap and open any page of the original manga; you will not find any panel with Kenshiro and his deformed hands or poorly proportioned body anywhere. Also, all it takes is one glance at this anime and then at the original Hokuto No Ken anime movie, and it’s easy to see how they look nothing alike. It’s seemingly impossible for CGI to capture the organic style and imperfect details that define hand-drawn anime. More on this in the Berserk entry later, but Regenesis suffers from the same art style deficiency as Berserk.
Also, similar to Kengan Ashura, Regenesis attempted to take advantage of accurate CGI movement for the fighting sequences. Unfortunately, this translated into stale fights that were made out to be extreme but lacked the characteristic flash and bombast of the manga that were perfectly portrayed in 2D style.
Berserk
The original Berserk anime is a prime example of what traditional only anime is capable of.
It’s not without its flaws, but the art style and animation perfectly captured the aesthetics and themes of the Berserk manga and story. The art style featured sketched and hashed line art along with emotionally illustrated stills, and gritty hand-drawn art.