I came across this opening by the popular indie animator Kouji Nanke while watching Maison Ikkoku (it was the 5th and last in the TV series), and it made me look up a lot of details on photography in old animes that I’ll write in this post. I’ll be referring to this OP later so watch it first.I’ll come back to that OP in a moment, but what makes photography in cel era anime interesting is the fact that everything was completely physical, using a real camera and shooting real drawings and so on. I mean, if we look at the history of 2D animation, especially its most common form (cel animation), cameras were the standard for a long time and computer photography is a pretty recent development in the medium. Disney had used tower-style recording machines since the 30s at least, because remember that every cel is a layer that has to move on its own on top of the background.Obviously this is a bit too sophisticated for most anime, considering the tighter economical and time-related constraints. I believe Toei Douga used something similar in its movies at least, but generally speaking laying all the cels on top of each other, including the background, does the job faster and easier, albeit not as elegantly, and this could become a nightmare if you have a lot of layers moving at the same time, maybe even at different speeds. Needless to say this process required skilled staff to pull it off well, and while photography still requires a lot of skill and experience nowadays, using software on a computer is totally different. I once read that photography, although a visually defining step in modern anime even now, isn’t regarded as highly as it was back in the cel era, simply because it costs less and is all digital. And although photography became all digital, the workload is said to have increased since higher quality is demanded and more things are added in and tuned digitally. That’s not our topic today anyway.Photo of what was probably a common photography setup of the day. Simpler setups also existed. The cel is usually placed on transparent glass, underneath which there is a light source. Notice the physical space available for moving the cel, which is important for creating various effects I’ll talk about later.That’s why photography required actual photography know-how back then, and any effect you wanted to create had to be done physically somehow. A lot of these effects could be created using what is called an Optical Printer, which was a very common device in cinema for creating special effects such as transparency (and by extension fade ins and such). What it basically does is taking two film rolls and projecting them on top of each other, manipulating them as necessary, while a camera recaptures the final footage on a third film. Sounds simple but it really wasn’t, and 3 rolls of film (sometimes even more) weren’t cheap. All that made this device irrelevant when it came to anime.You could still create most visual effects yourself, and that’s what anime creators did. If we go back to transparency, say you wanted to make a character look transparent, this had to be done by photographing the cels at different exposure than the background. It’s possible to use the same film multiple times, so all you had to do was shoot the background alone first with full exposure, rewind the film, and shoot the character only at lower exposure and it will look transparent on top of the fully visible background. I believe other methods existed but this was the most common. This is especially useful for shadows, reflections, or objects behind windows and so on. The process had to be repeated as many times as there were objects with different exposures on screen, and rewinding the film posed the risk of damaging it and having to repeat the whole process again, in other words it was troublesome.This is what is called a “Double Exposure” in photography, and a lot of terms are used in the anime industry to refer to it derived from that. Dabu-Rashi (ダブラシ, Wラシ) and WXP are the most common and are still in use today.The next effect I want to talk about is illumination. I mean the effects when the background or a part of it shines a bright light (e.g. sunlight). Remember what I said about the light source underneath the glass? It’s all about that light source. I think that this light isn’t necessary most of the time, and maybe it’s only used to create those effects. Since cels are transparent, all you have to do is shine light from underneath them and this light will shine through. And to focus light on certain areas of the screen just use a black paper sheet with the desired area cut-out or color the back-side of the background black except for the desired area. This is what is called 透過光 (roughly translated “Penetrating Light”).I have to note that this isn’t necessarily the way it was always implemented. Other methods existed, techniques changed with time, different people did it differently etc. I’m trying to explain the general concept behind those techniques here. Also, just because I think this is interesting, I’d like to mention that cels aren’t completely transparent, which resulted in complex cuts with multiple cels on top of each other sometimes having blurry backgrounds among other undesired artifacts.This technique is especially useful in creating starry skies or the starry backdrops of mecha animes, all you needed was a black sheet with holes in it. You could do another trick based on a similar principle, a trick called Masking (マスク合成 - Mask Composition), using sheets of black paper called “Masks” to hide parts of the drawings you didn’t want to show. A very simple example of this would be framing a character inside a rectangle on top of a background.As you can see, all that involves some physical manipulation in one way or another. Adding filters to the camera lens or on top of the drawings adds another whole desminsion of possibilities, but I believe that’s the most straightforward trick of the bunch so no need to go further into that. You could also manipulate the glass behind the cels, as seen in this example from Ideon: Be Invoked movie, which was one of its most memorable scenes.You can clearly see that what’s behind the cel is glass, not completely transparent though.The last technique I want to mention is physically moving the cel during filming. The effect resulting from moving cels is what you expect, and I bet you can easily come with a few uses for this yourself, but the use of this extends beyond creating simple visual effects.Backgrounds are usually drawn on sheets larger than cels, and then cels are placed on them accordingly. Here’s the thing: If the background is large enough, you can do a “following pan” if you move the cel on the background along a horizontal line. Characters walking in a city, running in a forest, flying through clouds, you name it. Moreover, the background can consist of multiple layers moved at different speeds based on the distance between them and the character. This is essential in creating 3-dimensionality in anime and is the basis for a lot of visual tricks. This is mainly called “Multi” (マルチ).One has to be cautious with this, however, since scenes with both moving backgrounds and characters are and have always been some of the trickiest scenes in animation. If the disparity in the speed of movement between the character and the background is clear, say the character is animated on 3s and the background on 1s, then the character would move in a stuttery way, as if trying to catch up to the background, in what is called “Flicker” (フリッカー) in anime. This is a problem modern anime still runs into. Examples can be seen in this video or in this scene from Urusei Yatsura near the end.Now we can finally go back to the opening. Starting with the first few frames of the OP, you could see masking, illumination and transparency in a single shot. Kouji Nanke didn’t only draw Kyoko’s (the character) eyes obviously, and you can see how more parts of her hair show up on the letter and to the sides. I think it’s safe to assume this wasn’t intentional, since masking was hard to implement perfectly, and we can see light bleeding from the right edge. I believe the letters are cut-outs. As for the shadows, I believe he left a distance between the letters/cels and applied light on an angle while shooting.Moving on we see the flower petals. I’m not quite sure how he did that, but if you look closely you can see that their shapes are constant, they just “glide” on screen, so it’s safe to assume it’s some kind of sheet with shapes on it used with light some way or another. Also I feel like they don’t interact with the shadows of the letters, so maybe he filmed them with the background first and then filmed the letters on top.This is easily the most impressive cut in the OP. You have two characters half transparent (double exposure), Kyoko framed with illuminating background (masking and illumination), a cut-out petal, and characters moving out of the screen (multi). Filming all that together requires high photography skills and shows just how versatile of an animation creator Kouji Nanke is. Kyoko is cute.This OP seems simple and plain at first, but when you take a moment to consider all the techniques involved in creating it you can’t but admire the level of craftsmanship it takes to create something like it. It boasts a strong sense of 3-dimensionality through all these visual tricks. The animation is of course nice and Nanke’s drawings are lovely, but his focus was obviously the unique feel created by the shadows/lights, the layering, framing and transparency. Almost all common photography techniques were beautifully incorporated in this OP, which made it a very fascinating piece of animation to me.Well, most of this post is irrelevant now that everything can be done with a click on computers. Nonetheless, these techniques and knowledge are the basis for what we have today, and persisted in one way or another into modern anime. This post was intended as an introduction to cel era photography, so I’ll link a few resources and extra reads below.==========Documentation on cel era photography in animeIntroduction to a photography machine used in Toei DougaA special on photography in modern animeAn article on Optical Printers
Sep 23, 2020 • Subscribe
More like this
15 Anime Set in the Victorian Era
Black Butler is the quintessential Victorian anime. It follows a young noble who runs his estate, manages his toy business, and serves Her Majesty Queen
Black Butler, Pandora Hearts, The Case Study of Vanitas, The Mystic Archives of Dantalian, Undead Murder Farce
Depth in Anime – Photography, Compositing and Animation
So I watched the first episode of A-1 Picture’s ‘Granblue Fantasy the Animation’ last night. Not sure I’m a fan. Like so many other anime these days, Granblue…
Anime in the Netflix Era – Notaku Newscast #2
No asses were broken in the production of this podcast. Read more
Digimon in the Modern Era
In its over two decades of existence, Digimon has seen a wide array of iterations, so today we'll be taking a look at the most recent anime…
The Role of Resistence in Colonial Photography
There is something to be said of the need to photograph. Whether it is today where social media apps such as Instagram, which was set up with an…
Photography in Motion – The Asadas! (Movie Review)
As many people know, I am very much a fan of viewing movies in the theaters. With new norms and social distancing in place in this times, but…
Photography in Anime – Photographic Genres – Sing Yesterday Episode 5
Minato’s thoughts on photography inspired a few thoughts of my own on the topic… I agree with him on some things, disagree on others. I also look at…
In the Era of Reiwa Yuri
In recent years, the yuri genre has been undergoing something of a renaissance, or going through a golden age. This has come hand in hand with an explosion…
Ainu Culture in Japanese Colonial Photography
Colonialist photography has a complicated and chequered history in Japan. With the surface intention of demonstrating Japan’s anthropological prowess to the rest of the world, it also served…
Daido Moriyama Photography Retrospective in London
The good folks from The Photographers' Gallery in London have just revealed details of their Daido Moriyama Retrospective. Set to run from F...
●EXHIBITION● AKIRA CEL EXHIBITION
Katsuhiro Otomo, Akira, Bibliography, Otomo, Animation, Manga, Steamboy, Japanimation,
Anime Boston 2024: One Piece Fandom in the 4Kids Era
Table of contentsA History LessonForward to the PastGiving a 4Kids Dub to a Show That Shouldn’t Have a 4Kids DubConclusion A History Lesson In this day
10 Beautiful Sakura Photography Spots in Tokyo
Experience Japan's stunning spring season by visiting the best sakura spots in Tokyo for for iconic shots that define the beauty of Japan.
The Anime Nostalgia Podcast - ep 84: Anime Cels & Cel Collecting with Jen & Stephanie
Subscribers! Be sure to go to the blog to read the description easier & check out links for this episode! Older fans often talk about…
Another Revisit in the Eye-Patch Girl Era
Another is a horror-mystery anime from 2012. I first saw it and reviewed it at the beginning of my blog writing. For Halloween, I added it to my…
VHS Trading and Fansubs in the Modern Era
No matter what the future holds, it is obvious that anime fans are an industrious bunch who have a history of doing whatever it takes to access the…
10 Beautiful Spots in Tokyo for Sakura Photography
Experience Japan's stunning spring season by visiting the best spots in Tokyo for sakura photography for that perfect shot.
This ANIME is About REGRETS and PHOTOGRAPHY 📸
Have you ever regretted something that you wish you could revert back to? Connect With Me: Film Analysis YouTube (@Juhnime) - https://youtube.com/@Juhnime Personal YouTube (@YoojoonKang) - https://youtube.com/@YoojoonKang MyAnimeList (@Juhnime) - https://myanimelist.net/profile/Juhnime Linktree…
●ANNOUNCEMENT● AKIRA CEL EXHIBITION key visuals
Katsuhiro Otomo, Akira, Bibliography, Otomo, Animation, Manga, Steamboy, Japanimation,
●SIGNATURE● AKIRA CEL EXHIBITION Message Wall
Katsuhiro Otomo, Akira, Bibliography, Otomo, Animation, Manga, Steamboy, Japanimation,
Was Divorce in Japan’s Edo Era Easy?
Divorce in Japan's Edo era was a simple affair...if you were a man. For women, "divorce temples" provided a way out.
Godzilla: The Showa Era Films
The King of the Monsters battles Japan, aliens, some dinosaurs, and the changing times to secure its place in pop culture history
Tamayura, Shutter Love and Photography
Photography changes everything. What printing was for the letters, photography became for the visual corpus of the world – in the sciences, in exploration, investigation, the arts and…
The Ranking of Kings: Best Boys in a Demented Era
Hype and Watching New Things When it was airing, Ranking of Kings was one of those shows that started small and started gathering a larger following as it…
Where to Find Art, Design and Photography Books in Tokyo
Here's where you can explore collections of artful books and find inspiration for your next creative project in Tokyo.
Black Tomb (2008): Love & Violence in Dystopian Kamakura-Era – Anime First Impressions
Kurozuka, also known as Black Tomb, is a 2008 seinen, post-apocalyptic, dark fantasy anime that’s an adaptation of a manga, which was an adaptation of a novel. It…
●ANNOUNCEMENT● ORBITAL ERA
Katsuhiro Otomo, Akira, Bibliography, Otomo, Animation, Manga, Steamboy, Japanimation,
A 90s Delinquent Anime About The Sengoku Era of Japan
Bousou Sengokushi If you want a little look into what young Japanese street life in the early 90s looked like in an animated form.. Bousou Sengokushi is the way…
Ash hates photography #anime #animeedit #pokemon #ash #pikachu #misty #brock
#anime #animeedit #shorts #pokemon #pikachu #ash #misty #brock
Overlooked Licenses of the NES Era
Just about anything could become a game on the Nintendo Entertainment System. By the early 1990s the NES dominated the console market, and e...
Dragon Ball, Legend of the Crystals: Final Fantasy, Golgo 13: The Professional, Golgo 13, Mouse
In the modern manga era: Where do Scanlators (fan translations) belong?
This is a concept, I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. Fan translation, I think anyone from the Death Note era of anime and manga remembers the iconic…
‘Tokyo: Art and Photography’ at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford
29 July 2021 – 3 January 2022 Ahhh… Edo, Edo, Edo… …city of dreams, and occasional nightmares… …as Kumagai Jiro Naozane in the final part of the Kabuki…
Toonami’s Origins: The Moltar Era | A Retrospective
Let’s take a look at the humble beginnings of one of the most well known blocks in all of USA anime, Toonami.
One Piece Chapter 1055: The new era.
In One Piece Chapter 1055 Shanks stops Admiral Ryokugyu and the location of the third Poneglyph is revealed.
San Antonio Attacks Phoenix with OVA!! Beware the Animation Cel with Teeth!!
CactusCon '87 (or "That Wicked City Con")By the winter of 1987, C/FO-San Antonio was smack dab in the middle of organized anime fandom and I was right in…
Dirty Pair, Fist of the North Star, Macross, Phoenix, Wicked City
Tokyo Art Scene: Prints, Paintings And Photography
Enjoy some visually stimulating works of 2D art through these special exhibitions featuring rare books, modern paintings and film photography.
Gundam Thunderbolt: Kentaro Waki Director of Photography
The following interview is from the animation works booklet that comes with the special edition release of Gundam Thunderbolt: December Sky. I highly recommend it for anyone, because…
Anime’s shift to digital colouring and photography
We know that anime shifted from an analogue production process to a digital one. I can’t find a very simple, understandable account of the shift, of the sort…
State of the Herald: Dawn of the Next Era
It’s hard to believe, but we’re already halfway toward our fourteenth anniversary. With the holidays behind us and the winter anime season well underway,
State of the Herald: Dawn of the Next Era
It’s hard to believe, but we’re already halfway toward our fourteenth anniversary. With the holidays behind us and the winter anime season well underway,
“In the Beginning, Woman Was Truly the Sun”: Haikara-san ga Tooru and Emerging Feminism in the Taishou Era
In the beginning, woman was truly the sun. An authentic person. Now she is the moon, a wan and sickly moon, dependent on another, reflecting another’s brilliance. The…
September 17 2023: Real Life is More Animated than Cel
Amy finally returns and starts with some of her watching over the summer and we follow up from last week’s epsode on Anime Toronto with a thought on…
Tokyo Art Scene: Painting, the Avant-Garde and Other Photography Exhibits
Tokyo Art Scene is a biweekly report on ongoing art and design exhibitions around Tokyo. It features event listings for architecture, art, ceramics, design, fashion, fine arts, photography…
The Forgotten Era of Japan’s Musical Comedy Films
Musical comedies dominated the screen in Japan's pre-war and post-war eras. Here are some classics for your viewing pleasure.
The Forgotten Era of Japan’s Musical Comedy Films
Musical comedies dominated the screen in Japan's pre-war and post-war eras. Here are some classics for your viewing pleasure.
The Forgotten Era of Japan’s Musical Comedy Films
Musical comedies dominated the screen in Japan's pre-war and post-war eras. Here are some classics for your viewing pleasure.
The Forgotten Era of Japan’s Musical Comedy Films
Musical comedies dominated the screen in Japan's pre-war and post-war eras. Here are some classics for your viewing pleasure.
Kyoto Buddhist Temple Warns of New Photography Scam
A famous Buddhist temple in Kyoto is once again drawing visitors - as well as scammers looking to profit off of them.
1999: Towards A New Era
In middle school, Naru appreciated anime, fanfiction, and pretty guys just as much as the next internet-surfing pre-teen, but it was actua...
Samurai X: Trust and Betrayal, Black Cat, Get Backers, Mononoke, Needless