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Looking Back on 20 Years of Studio Bones


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Greed1914



Joined: 28 Oct 2007
Posts: 4410
PostPosted: Wed Dec 12, 2018 2:35 pm Reply with quote
This was an interesting article. I was watching Concrete Revolution recently, and it occurred to me that Bones seemed to do a lot of anime originals.
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Lord Geo



Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 2530
Location: North Brunswick, New Jersey
PostPosted: Wed Dec 12, 2018 4:29 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
“Jyu-Oh-Sei was the last time Bones made a request from [Shou Aikawa] instead of the other way around."


This has to be a typo or misunderstanding, because I can't find any indication of Aikawa worked on the Jyu-Oh-Sei anime. I'm guessing Aikawa is referencing Tenpou Ibun Ayakashi Ayashi (a.k.a. Ghost Slayers Ayashi), which came out the same year & was a creation of Aikawa's for Bones. In fact, it's interesting that Aikawa mentioned that Bones would rely on him for its early days, because Bones very first anime production (that it headed up), 2000's Clockwork Fighters Hiwou's War, was another Aikawa creation.

It's not really given much talk, especially since it was meant for children, but Hiwou (alongside Angelic Layer not long after) was a great indicator of the potential Bones had as a major player, and it's sad that these earliest days weren't even given a passing glance in this retrospective. It's not like Bones went straight from the Bebop & Escaflowne movies to Rahxephon & Fullmetal Alchemist, and those early years should be given due credit, too.
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MarshalBanana



Joined: 31 Aug 2014
Posts: 5294
PostPosted: Wed Dec 12, 2018 5:56 pm Reply with quote
[quote="Lord Geo"]
Quote:
In fact, it's interesting that Aikawa mentioned that Bones would rely on him for its early days, because Bones very first anime production (that it headed up), 2000's Clockwork Fighters Hiwou's War, was another Aikawa creation.

It's not really given much talk, especially since it was meant for children, but Hiwou (alongside Angelic Layer not long after) was a great indicator of the potential Bones had as a major player, and it's sad that these earliest days weren't even given a passing glance in this retrospective. It's not like Bones went straight from the Bebop & Escaflowne movies to Rahxephon & Fullmetal Alchemist, and those early years should be given due credit, too.
I may be wrong, but isn't Clockwork Fighters Hiwou's War also the only BONES TV show to be animated on cels?
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RogerSmith2004



Joined: 05 Jul 2015
Posts: 22
PostPosted: Wed Dec 12, 2018 5:57 pm Reply with quote
Lord Geo wrote:
Quote:
“Jyu-Oh-Sei was the last time Bones made a request from [Shou Aikawa] instead of the other way around."


This has to be a typo or misunderstanding, because I can't find any indication of Aikawa worked on the Jyu-Oh-Sei anime. I'm guessing Aikawa is referencing Tenpou Ibun Ayakashi Ayashi (a.k.a. Ghost Slayers Ayashi), which came out the same year & was a creation of Aikawa's for Bones. In fact, it's interesting that Aikawa mentioned that Bones would rely on him for its early days, because Bones very first anime production (that it headed up), 2000's Clockwork Fighters Hiwou's War, was another Aikawa creation.

It's not really given much talk, especially since it was meant for children, but Hiwou (alongside Angelic Layer not long after) was a great indicator of the potential Bones had as a major player, and it's sad that these earliest days weren't even given a passing glance in this retrospective. It's not like Bones went straight from the Bebop & Escaflowne movies to Rahxephon & Fullmetal Alchemist, and those early years should be given due credit, too.


Yes, though if I recall correctly, Minami said in a recent interview that Hiwou War Chronicles wasn't initially intended to be a children's series first and foremost. That being said, there isn't a ton of info on that series, and I'd be interested in reading more about it.

I'm also really interested in what happened with Ayakashi Ayashi, as it had been (allegedly) cut from 50 episodes to 25, and I would like to know how the staff were able to overcome those challenges and what went down. Though something like that might be a bit too real and I can understand that staff might not be allowed to talk about that.
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Lord Geo



Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 2530
Location: North Brunswick, New Jersey
PostPosted: Wed Dec 12, 2018 6:42 pm Reply with quote
MarshalBanana wrote:
I may be wrong, but isn't Clockwork Fighters Hiwou's War also the only BONES TV show to be animated on cels?


I have no idea, but I wouldn't be surprised. Hiwou debuted in late 2000, which was around the time digital started becoming more prevalent. I haven't seen the show in years, but I think it did have that softer look cel-animated shows tended to have.

RogerSmith2004 wrote:
Yes, though if I recall correctly, Minami said in a recent interview that Hiwou War Chronicles wasn't initially intended to be a children's series first and foremost. That being said, there isn't a ton of info on that series, and I'd be interested in reading more about it.


First I've heard of it, but considering that Shou Aikawa was the creator of the show, it would make sense that it wasn't originally going to be for children. While there isn't any blood in the show, though, it also doesn't shy away from delving into the actual history is takes place in, and deaths are brought up often in a historical fashion. I definitely should give Hiwou a re-watch at some point, because I highly doubt it will ever get license rescued.

Quote:
I'm also really interested in what happened with Ayakashi Ayashi, as it had been (allegedly) cut from 50 episodes to 25, and I would like to know how the staff were able to overcome those challenges and what went down. Though something like that might be a bit too real and I can understand that staff might not be allowed to talk about that.


I think Ayashi was just a victim of not maintaining good viewership numbers. It aired in the legendary "Sat 6" time slot over at MBS, which had been where Gundam Seed, Fullmetal Alchemist [2003], Gundam Seed Destiny, Blood+, & (afterwards) Toward the Terra & Gundam 00 first aired. That was a golden time slot, & Ayashi just seemed to not attract an audience like the shows before it had, so it got axed & finished up via OVAs.
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penguintruth



Joined: 08 Dec 2004
Posts: 8458
Location: Penguinopolis
PostPosted: Wed Dec 12, 2018 8:45 pm Reply with quote
I remember seeing the original Bones logo (made up of bones) before the Cowboy Bebop movie back in the day, and thinking, "Studio Bones? What the shit is that?"

Since then, they've produced a lot of interesting anime: both FMA series, Darker than Black, Space Dandy, and My Hero Academia. Even anime of theirs I find overrated - Wolf's Rain and Eureka Seven, for instance - have some great concepts and production values.
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Frog-kun
ANN Reviewer


Joined: 10 Jun 2017
Posts: 118
PostPosted: Wed Dec 12, 2018 9:26 pm Reply with quote
Lord Geo wrote:
Quote:
“Jyu-Oh-Sei was the last time Bones made a request from [Shou Aikawa] instead of the other way around."


This has to be a typo or misunderstanding, because I can't find any indication of Aikawa worked on the Jyu-Oh-Sei anime. I'm guessing Aikawa is referencing Tenpou Ibun Ayakashi Ayashi (a.k.a. Ghost Slayers Ayashi), which came out the same year & was a creation of Aikawa's for Bones.


Yeah, it was Ghost Slayers Ayashi. My mistake. It's been fixed now.
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professorwho



Joined: 11 Aug 2017
Posts: 74
PostPosted: Wed Dec 12, 2018 9:39 pm Reply with quote
Easily Frog-kun's best article yet! The writing quality and research is impeccable. Keep up the great work, Kim!
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LightningCount



Joined: 04 Mar 2018
Posts: 228
PostPosted: Wed Dec 12, 2018 9:50 pm Reply with quote
Looking forward to reading all of this, but only had time to skim it right now. You could really see a dynamic change in some of the directorial shot selection in Gundam 0083 and G-Gundam. Really good usage of scale and different angles. The mid-to-late-90s Sunrise style might be my favorite anime era, and Bones carried that into the 2000s, especially the earlier years of the 2000s. Pound for pound, I think RahXephon is my favorite Bones anime, and while their original stuff hasn't quite hit me the same way in recent years (their style seems to have simplified quite bit, perhaps in reaction to trends or budget?), they continue to put out really well animated shows on the whole.
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Sachiko2010



Joined: 11 Dec 2010
Posts: 68
PostPosted: Wed Dec 12, 2018 10:33 pm Reply with quote
Very nice article. It filled-in a lot of blanks on Bones' history for me. Bones is one of my favorite studios, with anime that have really touched me deeply over the years.
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Top Gun



Joined: 28 Sep 2007
Posts: 4563
PostPosted: Wed Dec 12, 2018 10:49 pm Reply with quote
BONES is far and away my favorite anime studio, responsible (along with the division of Sunrise that birthed them) for several of my all-time favorite series. No matter what the project is, they almost always deliver something chock-full of visual flair and fantastic cuts of animation. I'm watching Mob Psycho 100 on Toonami right now, and almost every scene is blowing my mind. It's a fun coincidence that I'm also rewatching one of their earliest works, the masterpiece Wolf's Rain. Here's to many more years!
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jroa



Joined: 08 Aug 2012
Posts: 537
PostPosted: Wed Dec 12, 2018 11:11 pm Reply with quote
This is a very nice overview with plenty of personal touches about some of the main staff and their frequent collaborators.

Unfortunately, with respect to Eureka 7 in particular...the studio has been seemingly confused, at least from the outside, regarding how to treat that property. AO doesn't have a good reputation and the "new" movies seem to be in an awkward place.
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relyat08



Joined: 20 Mar 2013
Posts: 4125
Location: Northern Virginia
PostPosted: Wed Dec 12, 2018 11:16 pm Reply with quote
This is an awesome article Frog-kun! Really appreciated the opportunity to learn more about what is, more or less, my favorite studio outside of KyoAni. As I've paid more and more attention to the sakuga fandom over the last few years, the intentionality of Studio Bones's work has impressed me more and more every day.
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Angel M Cazares



Joined: 23 Sep 2010
Posts: 5406
Location: Iscandar
PostPosted: Thu Dec 13, 2018 12:08 am Reply with quote
Very nice article that effectively conveys why Bones is such a fantastic studio. I look forward to more exciting anime from my favorite studio.
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BaronViolet



Joined: 27 May 2018
Posts: 212
PostPosted: Thu Dec 13, 2018 4:30 am Reply with quote
This was a great article. I had no idea the character designer for Bayamax once worked for Bones. Amazing! I cannot wait to see Carol and Tuesday. It looks like It will be another hit from Bones
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