Is the art style in modern anime actually better or did we just get used to the digital look?

I rewatched Cowboy Bebop from 1998 then binged a new seasonal show and the difference in cel shading vs crisp digital lines was massive. Did the shift to digital around 2010 really ruin some of the soul or are we just nostalgic?

2 comments

2 Comments

victor_robinson1mo ago

Man I totally get what you're saying about that tactile quality in cel animation. There's something about the hand-painted backgrounds and the slight imperfections in the linework that gives older shows a warmth that digital just can't replicate. When I watch something like Evangelion the colors feel like they're actually part of the world, not just layered on top of it. But at the same time modern digital studios can do stuff with lighting and particle effects that would've taken a million cels to even attempt back then. Maybe the real loss is that digital makes it too easy to pump out uniform looking shows without any of that happy accident charm. I honestly think the best stuff comes from creators who understand what each tool does well and don't try to fake one style with the other.

henryp401mo ago

I actually read this interview with Shinichiro Watanabe where he talked about how cel animation had a natural "breathing" quality because the paint would settle differently on each frame. That stuck with me because when I watch something from the late 90s the backgrounds feel almost tactile, like you could reach out and touch them. Digital lines are too perfect sometimes, they don't have that slight wobble or uneven color that gave older anime its texture. But then I see something like Violet Evergarden from 2018 and the way light moves through those digital backgrounds is something cel could never do, so maybe it's not better or worse just different tools for different feelings.