So I recently read Yukan’s entries of the “Top Studios” and was interested by the furious exchange between 21st Century Digital Boy and TJ Han. Other than providing company history and epic lulz, I dwelled at their comments of the “debate” about Kyo-Ani. Why does this company receive so much hate even though their shows are so popular? Is it because they lack creativity and pander to the otakus with moe characters? Is their fame overshadowing other companies deserving attention and that causes their fans to rage with contempt? I decided to take a look at the issues of success, creativity, and popularity in the eyes of a visual novel reader. I made this decision because Kyo-Ani collaborates with Key to create anime adaptations of Kanon and Clannad which contributes much of their continued success. I will compare with previous game adaptations and reveal my own opinions on why they did not succeed as well. But I will also make judgments based on a viewer who has not read the visual novel too to give balance to my views.

I think a big part that a visual novel reader likes to see in an anime adaptation is for it to be faithful to the game, and not only that, but to keep as much of the original material from the game as possible. Now I’m fully aware that this is an impossible feat considering time constraints. Also, the nature of visual novels usually have more than one story route. So an adaption must make cuts, but it is important not to cut too much that it will detract from the overall experience. However it must also stay entertaining and understandable for a person who has not read the visual novel.

One show that has made this flaw is Tsukihime Lunar Legends. The biggest problem with this anime is that it is only thirteen episodes long. That is insufficient compared to how lengthy the game really is. There are many cuts to not only plot points but also character traits. We don’t get to see the fun, playful side of Arcueid or the tsuntsun behavior of Akiha. The pacing is also lackluster as there are tons of dialogue for long periods of time, huge explanations of vampire lore and the fight scenes were very short. To an anime viewer who has not seen Tsukihime, it will be very boring and confusing. What I can easily say is that Tsukihime the anime does not show much appeal to either reader or nonreader.

So what about an anime that has a large number of episodes to cover the material? How about Da Capo? This anime series had two seasons with over twenty episodes each. However, Da Capo’s problem is completely the opposite of Tsukihime. It was long, slow, and extremely boring. It certainly has the number of episodes to cover the plot of the game, but it was peppered with anime originals which bear no impact to the advancement of the story. If there were episodes that did advance the plot, they would move as slow as molasses. I do not want to watch Junichi be stupidly dense and do nothing as Kotori and Yume pout at each other for an entire season. This is not what I consider entertaining for either reader or nonreader.

So let’s look at an anime that did strike a balance, Fate/Stay Night. This anime kept a reasonable pace throughout its run with the battles, exposition, plot advancement, and character development. To me as a visual novel reader, this anime has proven that it does stay true to the original story and it made good cuts so I almost feel that this is Fate/Stay Night. I say almost because I am still bitter about that one scene replacing HAWT Saber SEXXORZ with a freaking 3D dragon. But in my view as a person first watching this show, it is not too outstanding. There are long periods of time where the characters sit around the table and do nothing but explain about the Holy Grail War. This scene may work in a visual novel, but it is a slog to listen to for an entire episode. I want to see action and things moving in an ACTION series, not a discussion of history. So overall, Fate/Stay Night satisfies my view as a reader, but not as a nonreader.

And now we finally reach to Kyoto Animation’s Kanon and Clannad. I personally think that these two are probably the best visual novel adaptations I have seen. Both Kanon and Clannad cover ALL the routes of their respective visual novel. But not only do they cover them all faithfully, but they are weaved together to keep the viewer engaged and entertained. The transitions between each individual character routes are fluid and the cuts they made do not detract from the overall experience. Kyo-Ani can produce an anime that is able to stay true to Key’s original works and invoke the same humor and emotional impact. In other words, it appeals to both the visual novel reader, and the nonreader. This can also be attributed to their popularity because Kyo-Ani has successfully garnered the attention of two different interest groups.

All right I’ve covered why Kyo-Ani is popular and successful, but what about creativity? The studio has not made a single original series ever since their debut. Aren’t they only creative at showing awesome camera shots of moe characters in burumas? Although that is a valid argument, Kyo-Ani’s creativity is on a much more subtle level. While they do not have crazy color palettes and fantastical imagery like SHAFT, where Kyo-Ani reveals its own originality is in the episode direction and edits.

Take for example, the stranded island episode in Suzumiya Haruhi. There is a scene where Haruhi solves and explains the murder mystery and it could just have several camera pans with a bunch of talking heads like in Fate/Stay Night. Instead they throw in black-and-white flashbacks along with Phoenix Wright references. That is something not often seen and it is a creative way of telling the scene. Another example is the episode of Tomoyo’s tennis match in Clannad. This episode serves as a sign, saying that Kyou and Tomoyo’s routes are shafted. This is understandable since both routes pull Tomoya in romantically. And how do they pull off this major cut? It is by showing the close relationship between the two titular characters throughout the entire series. When Nagisa became sick, Tomoya turned melancholic. When she returns, he showed silent joy. Tomoyo, Kyou, and Ryou realize this and step back, knowing that Nagisa is the one for him. This segment was not in the visual novel at all and was a complete anime original by Kyo-Ani. The insert song Kyo-Ani included was also a nice touch to the mood. I could also mention about the studio’s own style of imagery like the last scenes in the first episode of Clannad’s After Story, but it is much better to actually see it and make your own judgments instead of me talking about it.

So am I just a raving fanboy out to defend his favorite studio? No, I do not buy any of their merchandise, never memorized the Haruhi dance by heart, and I hate Lucky Star. Does it deserve to be one of the best animation studios of its time? That is really up to the viewer. But whether it deserves the hate or not, Kyoto Animation has proven itself that it takes their adaptations seriously and with great care. And that alone deserves respect.

To all my eroge readers, no I have not changed this to an anime blog. I will still rave about the latest eroge releases and continue posting pr0n. I doubt any mainstream anime watchers actually visit this blog, but I do watch anime and I do have my own thoughts on certain topics about it. I guess I want to pretentiously act intelligent and say something serious once in a while.