It is no question in my mind that animator Atsushi Wakabayashi (nicknamed Kaba-san by peers because that name is a mouthful!) embodies the aesthetic of anime. The way his characters dart in and out with smooth kineticism, from far in the background to right up into your face – it’s a feast for the eye! And as wild and frantic as it may be, it’s easy to follow yet at the same time, never predictable.
In order to achieve such fluid movement, Wakabayashi abandons character modals, leveraging a more rounded and simplified design to depict the subject from multiple angles in a single cut. You start to see this most around the 8 second mark, as the Masked fighter dodges Shishiwakamaru’s attacks, flipping into the distant background only to handspring back into the foreground. And even though the camera moves very little, and the background is relatively flat, there’s a tangible sense of the characters inhabiting a three-dimensional space.
Because of this we are drawn in. Wakabayashi transports us into the ring instead of merely viewing the spectacle from the sidelines. That’s powerful. Like being able to watch a basketball game while standing in the middle of the court. Characters have a perceptible volume instead of being flat images on the screen. This volume translates into weight, making each movement more meaningful to us.
What’s more is that Kaba-san is ever mindful of perspective. When the Masked Fighter flips into the air it is beautifully reminiscent of old Kamen Rider reruns, mimicking the blocking and camera placement. When Shishiwakamaru lands, not only does it feel psychically weighted due to masterful follow through animation, it feels emotionally weighted since it’s right in your face! This use of the foreshortened perspective adds more to the illusion of volume, and grabs you by the sholders and screams, ‘Hey this is a real person!’ even if it isn’t. ☕
It is no question in my mind that animator Atsushi Wakabayashi (nicknamed Kaba-san by peers because that name is a mouthful!) embodies the aesthetic of anime. The way his characters dart in and out with smooth kineticism, from far in the background to right up into your face – it’s a feast for the eye! And as wild and frantic as it may be, it’s easy to follow yet at the same time, never predictable.
In order to achieve such fluid movement, Wakabayashi abandons character modals, leveraging a more rounded and simplified design to depict the subject from multiple angles in a single cut. You start to see this most around the 8 second mark, as the Masked fighter dodges Shishiwakamaru’s attacks, flipping into the distant background only to handspring back into the foreground. And even though the camera moves very little, and the background is relatively flat, there’s a tangible sense of the characters inhabiting a three-dimensional space.
And because of this we are drawn in. Wakabayashi transports us into the ring instead of merely viewing the spectacle from the sidelines. That’s powerful. Like being able to watch a basketball game while standing in the middle of the court. Characters have a perceptible volume instead of being flat images on the screen. This volume translates into weight, making each movement more meaningful to us.
What’s more is that Kaba-san is ever mindful of perspective. When the Masked Fighter flips into the air it is beautifully reminiscent of old Kamen Rider reruns, mimicking the blocking and camera placement. When Shishiwakamaru lands, not only does it feel psychically weighted due to masterful follow through animation, it feels emotionally weighted since it’s right in your face! This use of the foreshortened perspective adds more to the illusion of volume, and grabs you by the shoulders and screams, ‘Hey this is a real person!’ even if it isn’t. ☕
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