Good studios for animation?

[russell]

personally Im a massive fan of:

Gainax
I.G.
Studio 4°C
Ufotable

and of course, ghibli.


are there any others that are worth watching just for the animation?  I particularly like the modern digital techniques, flares, blurs, enhanced colours, 3D and of course, fluid action

 

[Tatsujin]

personally Im a massive fan of:

Gainax
I.G.
Studio 4°C
Ufotable

and of course, ghibli.


are there any others that are worth watching just for the animation?  I particularly like the modern digital techniques, flares, blurs, enhanced colours, 3D and of course, fluid action

 

It's not just studios, it also involves artists as they don't always come from those producers and also the time frame of development they've invested in the project.

P.A.Works
Silver Link
MADHouse

And there are several others like Production I.G., CoMix, Wit Studios (part of Production I.G. and they're first animation production is Attack on Titan) and there are other several ecchi and hentai animation producers that I cannot recall - David Productions, Hoods Entertainment, Seven.

Honestly you gotta look over the Chief Animators and the assistants, those play a major key role before you look at the animation producers.

Forgot to mention, Satelite and 8-bit.

[Tiffanys]

I'm actually a big fan of Sunrise. Some people don't like how they're kinda known for having happy endings but I really like things being able to end on a happy note. Really brightens up my day rather than leaving me in gloom for weeks like some horribly sad endings can do. I still nearly tear up whenever I hear "Hey, Nana..." which was from one of Madhouse's works (NANA). They also have a notoriously bad ending with their most popular work...

(click to show/hide)

Death Note

Sooo.. Madhouse - very good animes, but generally have shitty depressing endings. As such, I love them but hate their endings. Some don't have bad endings though, like Black Lagoon.

Production I.G. is pretty good. No real complaints to be had there. They just put out some nice quality stuff like Ghost in the Shell.

I liked Hellsing and I think that was Gonzo, but didn't they go out of business or something?

Anyways, I seem to recall the names Gainax and Bones but I don't recall anything they made off hand.

I hate Studio Ghibli. A lot of people would want to string me up for it, but yeah... Ghibli stuff is just meh to me. Princess Mononoke was okay, but just okay. Sprited Away was like it was made for toddlers and kids 5 below. And hey, I can enjoy a good Disney cartoon but Spirited Away was just too much. It was like watching Teletubbies or something. Grave of the Fireflies was just boring. Overall.. they're way overhyped well beyond any kind of hype any studio should have. It's almost like a Ghibli cult or something.

edit: Like this freakin' OP for instance... "and of course, ghibli" as if it's a given and there's nobody out there that doesn't like them. 

[ConsiderPhlebas]

I liked Hellsing and I think that was Gonzo, but didn't they go out of business or something?

They were one of the companies involved in the animation of Hellsing TV, not Ultimate. They had really tough times, got de-listed from the stock exchange and had to fire a bunch of people, etc., but have recovered somewhat.

Bones is great studio.

Not gonna comment on those Ghibli things 

[Nikkoru]

[Takeshi]

Well, we did have this, but I guess we can have a new thread.

A major sucker for BONES, Madhouse, Production I.G., A-1 Pictures. Most of what these studios make I would rate 4-5 out of 5.

edit: Like this freakin' OP for instance... "and of course, ghibli" as if it's a given and there's nobody out there that doesn't like them. 

I don't like them either.

Grave of the Fireflies is a masterpiece and Princess Mononoke was pretty awesome, but the rest of their stuff doesn't really speak to me much. I can't remember if there is anything else that I like that Ghibli made.

[VicViper573]

If anyone's looking for good, old animation, then look no further than:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatsunoko_Production

Since the studio's inception, Tatsunoko has specialized in television production; by contrast, rival studio Toei Animation, focused chiefly on feature films and was just beginning to move into TV production when Tatsunoko was formed. The studio debuted in 1965 with the TV Series Space Ace. Since then, many legendary figures in the anime industry have worked with Tatsunoko, including Mizuho Nishikubo, Hiroshi Sasagawa, Koichi Mashimo, Katsuhisa Yamada, Hideaki Anno (Tatsunoko provided animation work on the Neon Genesis Evangelion TV series), and Kazuo Yamazaki. Sasagawa, in particular, is notable for bringing his fondness for "gag"- or comedy animation to the forefront in Tatsunoko series such as the Time Bokan (1975) franchise.[3]

The translated and edited versions of the studio's more successful animated series, such as Hiroshi Sasagawa's Speed Racer (1967), Gatchaman (1972), and Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995) are credited with bringing international attention to Japanese animation.[citation needed] Although it carries a strong roster of action and science-fiction anime titles, Tatsunoko has nevertheless become known also for several widely-acclaimed fairy tale and fantasy-based series for younger children, such as Minashigo Hutch (1970), The Adventures of Pinocchio (1972), Temple the Balloonist (1977), The Littl' Bits (1980), and the Bible-based Superbook (1981)....

Several of today's top Japanese animation studios have their roots in Tatsunoko. Studio Pierrot was founded in 1979 by former Tatsunoko employees.[citation needed] J.C.Staff was founded in January 1986 by Tomoyuki Miyata, who previously worked at Tatsunoko. Production I.G was established in 1987 as I.G. Tatsunoko, which was a branch for the production of Zillion led by Mitsuhisa Ishikawa.[6][7][8] Coincidentally, Production I.G acquired 11.2% of Tatsunoko later. Studio XEBEC also traces its history to Tatsunoko, as it is an offshoot of Production I.G, and Koichi Mashimo who previously worked at Tatsunoko founded Bee Train, which existed as a subsidiary of Production I.G until 2006. Kenji Horikawa left Bee Train to form P.A. Works in 2000. Radix was founded in December 1995 by former Tastunoko staff. Asread was formed in 2003 from former XEBEC staff. Wit Studio was formed in 2011 from former Production I.G staff. TNK was founded in 1999 by Teru Kato, who previously worked at Tatsunoko.

For those of you unfamiliar with their works:

http://bakabt.me/browse.php?q=tatsunoko
http://bakabt.me/browse.php?q=gatchaman
http://bakabt.me/browse.php?q=casshern
http://bakabt.me/browse.php?q=yatterman

Tatsunoko was a very influential animation studio and their studio established many of the anime cliches you see today. 

For example, anime's terrible trio stereotype, best known to most of you by Pokemon's Jessie, James, and Meowth from Team Rocket, is actually a spoof and parody of Doronjo, Boyacki, and Tonzura from Yatterman. Personality wise, Doronjo = Jessie,  James = Tonzura,  Boyacki = Meowth.

Gatchaman established the 5-man superhero team that fights villains from outer space.  For Americans, think of it as the original Power Rangers, but much more violent and people die.  Gatchaman's basic plot structure was also the inspiration for the various live action Toei Super Sentai franchises.

Casshern is the direct inspiration for Capcom's "Megaman" and "Megaman X" series. 

Speed Racer, a/k/a MachGoGoGo needs no introduction.  Everyone has seen at least one episode.

Some of you may also remember the children's show "Lil Bits," which is also Tatsunoko.

SDF Macross was partially financed by Tatsunoko, and there is still an ongoing legal battle over distro rights in the USA.

Although not an anime, Tatsunoko vs Capcom, the Wii fighting game, is a great introduction to Tatsunoko's superhero animes.

SNK's "Benimaru," from the various King of Fighters games, borrows his movesets from both Casshern and Hurricane Polymar, both Tatsunoko shows.

[Xycolian2332]

I like madhouse and bones.

That's about as much as I know.

[Lustrious]

modern digital techniques

When I read that, the "Powerpoint slideshow" technique of SHAFT + Akiyuki Shinbou comes to mind.

[Tanis]

I like Sunrise, mainly because I seem to watch Vision of Escaflowne YEARLY.

:/

[Bob2004]

I'm not sure which studio it is that actually does the animation, but for me Shinkai Makoto's films win hands down when it comes to quality of the visuals. All his films have stupidly, ridiculously, impossibly amazing art (with the exception of Hoshi wo Ou Kodomo, which is merely Ghibli level quality). I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that they are without peer.

I hate Studio Ghibli. A lot of people would want to string me up for it, but yeah... Ghibli stuff is just meh to me. Princess Mononoke was okay, but just okay. Sprited Away was like it was made for toddlers and kids 5 below. And hey, I can enjoy a good Disney cartoon but Spirited Away was just too much. It was like watching Teletubbies or something. Grave of the Fireflies was just boring. Overall.. they're way overhyped well beyond any kind of hype any studio should have. It's almost like a Ghibli cult or something.

edit: Like this freakin' OP for instance... "and of course, ghibli" as if it's a given and there's nobody out there that doesn't like them. 

I know a few people who don't like or enjoy most Ghibli films, but I think you're the first person I've met who doesn't at least agree on their quality, even if they don't actually like any of them. Still, to each their own, I suppose.