Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Anime and the Michael Bay issue

There are all different types of anime out there, but I think it's safe to say that the 'action' genre is pretty well represented.  Whether you're dealing with giant mechs beating the crap out of each other or gangs of baddies using hand-to-hand combat, you'll find no shortage of over-the-top action.  I find anime action to be some of the most well-designed and fluid action out there, but there are always exceptions to the rule.

A handful of the action anime that I've watched seem to try and throw too much at you while you're viewing.  We're talking about epic battles that involve huge explosions across massive landscapes.  Mix all that in with a camera that's zipping and zooming all over the place, and I end up getting completely lost in the scene.  When the dust settles, I have no idea what happened until someone explains!

I'd liken this to Michael Bay films, which are known for big action and even bigger explosions.  The camera work is so hectic that you can't even keep track of what's going on.  It's almost like there's no plan to the way the camera moves, and it just doesn't match up with the action on screen.  Zooms are too close, cuts are too quick and you're completely taken out of what should be an intense moment.

What anime features have you seen that include hard-to-follow action?  I really hope I'm not the only one that has trouble tracking the blows from time to time.  Anime obviously has a lot to do with style and visuals, but sometimes the animators don't let the viewers really take in everything that's going on.

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