Author: LIAR/Anitama Cover Source: BONES 20th Anniversary Logo
Founded in 1998, the animation studio BONES celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, and as a 20th anniversary, it has also held a commemorative exhibition at the Tokyo Animation Center to commemorate its founding, bringing together materials from many of the works produced by the company over the past 20 years. The December 2018 issue of the monthly magazine NewType also featured a special supplement to BONES 20th Anniversary, covering everything from all five current studios to the supervision of BONES's work, interviews with voice actors, and historical presentations. We selected interviews with various producers to introduce the history of these five studios and review the 20 years of BONES.
As we all know, BONES's five studios are named after A, B, C, D, and E: Studio A is the studio established in the early days of BONES, which is mainly based on original works; Studio B was founded in 2002, and the establishment of Studio B has also brought great changes to the workability of BONES; Studio C was established in 2003, and the first production work is "Fullmetal Alchemist", the predecessor of P.A.WORKS, "Echizen Animation Main Shop", Many studios currently active in the front line, such as Animation Workshop, are also involved in this work; Studio D was established in 2009 because of the second animation of Fullmetal ALCHEMIST of Fullmetal ALCHEMIST; Studio E was established in 2015 for the theater trilogy "Symphonic Poems Eureka seveN Hi-Evolution", bringing together many established production staff.
<h4>■ STUDIO A OF BONES ORIGIN</h4>
Representative works: "Ji Qiao Qi Chuan Xi Yue War", "Wolf Rain", "HEROMAN", "Hisone and Masotan", "GOSICK", "Wild God" and so on
The 20th anniversary of BONES also means that BONES' top pillar A studio and its first work, "The Legend of Ji Qiao", have also ushered in 20 years. At the time of "The Tale of The Stranger", Naoki Amano, who is now a producer at Studio A, was still producing it. Amano, who belonged to Studio B for a while, was officially incorporated into Studio A after "Wolf Rain".
Amano's unforgettable work belongs to the Marvel giant who died a few days ago, Stan Lee as the original "HEROMAN". Being able to work with such a marvel artist was an extremely rare experience in Japan at that time. Heroman was a work led by veterans such as Noboru Namba, chief animators Toshihiro Kawamoto, and Takashi Tomioka, who were still up-and-coming at the time, and the main producers who were also involved in other BONES works, such as the up-and-coming Tsuyoshi Oda, Kazuhiro Miwa, and the performer Kotaro Tama, who were also active as illustrators and composers on nickelico, and the main producers who participated in other BONES works, such as kotaro Tamura, who were also active as illustrators and composers on nickelico. Amano recalled the production scene at that time, and the overall coordination left a deep impression on him. Amano was involved in the work as the director of production (Desk) at the time, and the role of Riki Amano (CV: Katsuyuki) in the play was based on Naoki Amano. Riki Amano's boss, Dr. Minami (CV: Hodanori Matsumoto), is naturally based on President Masahiko Minami of BONES. It is said that Amano revealed that this idea is completely a "prank" of the series composition Yamato Yashiro and character design Shigehito Koyama, and he did not expect that even he would be spoofed by the two of them, and even his personality was almost the same as in the play.
Looking back on the films produced over the years, "original" has always been the biggest feature of Studio A. From the original "Tales of The Tale of The Strange Tales of The Stranger" to the recent "A.I.C.O. Incarnation", "Hisone and Mastan", to the new work "CAROLE & TUESDAY" supervised by Shinichiro Watanabe next year, compared to Studio B, which mostly uses mechanical and robot fights, the action scenes of Studio A are character-centric. From the very beginning of BONES, Studio A has actively invested its energy in original works, and compared with other studios, Studio A has more original works. And the style is not single, rich and colorful, which is the characteristic of A work.
When Amano first joined BONES, there were not many members, and it was such a small studio that gave him a sense of "family", and the sense of community was very strong, of course, and now it is the same. President Minami, who now leads Studio B, often leads everyone to eat barbecue that is very inconsistent with summer in the summer, so whether it is Yoshihiro Ōsara at Studio C, Mayi Suzuki in Studio D, or Watanabe Makoto in Studio E( Makoto Watanabe), everyone is a "family" who eats a pot. No matter which studio, in the end, it is a sibling derived from Studio A. Therefore, small fights between brothers and sisters are also common, but everyone has always supported the big family of BONES, and no one can be less.
Amano's dream was to make a theatrical animation, and he originally entered the industry because he envisioned a movie, but Studio A, the leader of BONES, has not yet had a theater work, which makes him feel very incredible, so he hopes to lead the people of Studio A to produce a theater animation in the future. Of course, it is only a matter of chance and timing, and I hope that Mr. Amano will one day achieve his wish.
<h4>■ Studio B that continues to challenge</h4>
Representative works: the theatrical version of "Aiscacconi", the theatrical version of "Cowboy Bebop Heavenly Gate", the theater animation "Alien Without an Emperor's Blade", "The Legend of RahXephon", "Symphonic Poem Eureka seveN", "Zamud of the Dead", "Spirit 100%", "Space☆Dandy", "Blood Frontier", OVA "Forever Long", etc
Studio B, led by President Masahiko Minami, was the first animation to be produced by his predecessor, SUNRISE Studio 2, in two theatrical productions, "Aiscacconi" and "Cowboy Bebop Heavenly Title". Based on these two works, the original animation "The Legend of RahXephon" was produced, and studio B was newly established. Subsequently, President Minami personally served as a producer, producing works such as "Abandoned Princess", "Brilliant Dance Festival, Dawn of Mars", and "Symphonic Poem Eureka SeveN". Although "Brilliant Dance Festival Dawn of Mars" is a work based on the game, the content of the animation is basically original, as always, the spirit of Studio B, more royal than science fiction, more than the fight of characters, more inclined to robot animation.
In the early works of Studio B, the most brilliant was the theatrical animation "Alien Without Emperor Blade Tan" supervised by Masahiro Ando. Set in Japan's Sengoku period, this game is a collection of unique original artists who are indispensable to BONES, such as Ito Kayuki, Toyoyuki Nakamura, and Kentoku Saito. The time and experience spent for this work are still fresh in The memory of President Nan.
"There are so many experts in the studio who can fight, so why not make a plan for them!" President Nan did not expect that such a ridiculous sentence could actually make the plan pass, laughing that this thing could only be done in that period.
Subsequently, Makoto Watanabe, who was still part of Studio B at the time, took over the baton of President Minami and stood at the head of the line to direct the production of "Skeleton Man" adapted from the original work of Shotaro Ishinomori, the original animation "Zamud of the Dead Thoughts" that preceded the network credit, the theatrical version of "Pocket Full of Rainbows" of the Symphonic Poem Eureka seveN, and the late Iida Mainosuke supervised "Forever Long". Pioneered BONES's unique path of sci-fi and robotic animation.
After that, Studio B's production policy changed again, and the opportunity was the theatrical version of studio D's work "Fullmetal Alchemist's Holy Star of the Sighing Hill" produced by Studio D at that time. The production of this game, Yuki Nagano, was favored by President Nan, and he hoped that he would also bring some changes to Studio B. So he was promoted to production director, and worked with General Supervisor Shinichiro Watanabe to produce a different color work "Space☆Dandy" with different words and rich variety shows. Because of his outstanding performance, he later became a producer, responsible for the two works of "Snow White" and "Psychic 100%".
Why did you suddenly take over the work "Snow White with Red Hair"? President Nan said that this is completely selfish, because he wants to see such works. The content is an authentic girl's manga, and Snow grows up with the support of the people around her, and on the other hand, it drives the atmosphere around her. President Minami wanted to make such a story, so he "forcibly" threw the project to Studio B.
Now that Yuki Nagano left BONES in 2016, he has set up a new studio, STUDIO DURIAN, together with Kiyoko Oshiyama, and I believe that he will make full use of his past experience in future works. At present, Studio B is doing its best for "Psionic 100% II", still centered on Tachibana Shōsuke and character design and painting supervisor Kameida Shogun, gathering a lot of cutting-edge animators to sprint with a posture that will never lose to the previous game, bringing us a more refreshing and free battle drama.
<h4>■ All-round C studio</h4>
Representative works: "Fullmetal Alchemist", "Sakura High School Male Public Relations Department", "DARKER THAN BLACK – Black Contractor-", "UN-GO", "Concrete Revolutio ~ Superman Fantasy ~", "My Hero Academia"
In 2003, BONES, which had already begun to double open, suddenly wanted to open another enhancement line, which led to the creation of the new C Studio due to Fullmetal Alchemist. The leader of Studio C is Yoshihiro Ōsara. During the production of RahXephon Legend of the Wing God, Ito Yoshiyuki suddenly recommended a manga to Otsuki, Fullmetal Alchemist. After seeing it, Ōsei immediately reported to President Minami, hoping to adapt the work into an anime. However, the first to be carried out was not the production of TV animation, but the cutscenes in the PS2 game "Fullmetal Alchemist Flying Angel". At that time, the game animation team of producer Yoshihiro Ōsara, who supervised Seiji Mizushima, and character design and painting supervisor Ito Yoshiyuki, who was involved in the production of this cutscene, was the prototype of Studio C.
In the production of the game animation, the PROJECT of TV Animation was discussed, and the production of the TV series officially began. "Fullmetal Alchemist", which spans one year and is broadcast every Saturday at 6 p.m. on MBS TV, has attracted attention from all walks of life. Ohsa is also proud of the new studio, but the process of setting it up was not easy to come by.
At that time, Studio A was busy with "Wolf Rain" and Studio B was producing the theatrical version of "The Legend of RahXephon", "Multiple Variations", and the main force of BONES had almost no time to pick up The film of Studio C. At that time, in Studio C, except for Otsuki, only Kaori Ito became the supervisor of Yo-Yo style and Little Mummy To My House .112 (Kaori Komori). So I had to borrow people everywhere and finally completed this masterpiece. Therefore, the animation that made Da Xue name his deepest impression was undoubtedly "Fullmetal Alchemist".
The experience gained from Fullmetal Alchemist is also a great asset for Da xue. As the origin of Studio C, it received 50 episodes for 1 year at the beginning, and it was a masterpiece broadcast on the all-Japan television network, which also made Ōsaka more confident. "My Hero Academia" is also a work of the same scale, and whoever receives such a work will feel the supreme honor. Da Xue also hopes that the young people in the studio can experience this feeling as soon as possible.
After Studio C, he collaborated with Tensai Okamura on "DARKER THAN BLACK – Black Contractor-" and "STAR DRIVER Shiny Tarket" with Inspector Igarashi. Da Xue said that as a studio operator, the first thing to consider is what you want to do and what the current production team wants to do. In works that exploded like "Psychic 100%" and "Space☆Dandy", Da Xue said that he could not do it. Studio C is more suited to comic-like content than Studio A, which excels at slender work, and Studio C is more adept at character-centric work than Studio B, which specializes in diverse genres. This is after comparing Studio A and Studio B, Ohsa's idea that only by going this way can Studio C have its place in BONES.
In addition to continuing to undertake the production of "My Hero Academia", Studio C also hopes to be able to make original works. Ohmi personally likes the work of "Boy meets Girl" and hopes to make such an animation. In addition, he also hopes that there will be a better "double" than him in the future, so as to release his ambitions more recklessly.
<h4>■ United Studio D</h4>
Masterpieces: "Fullmetal Alchemist", "NO.6", "The Tempest of the Garden", "Coffin Ji Jiayika", "SHOW BY ROCK!! "Wenhao Wild Dog"
Fullmetal ALCHEMIST is the second TV animation of Fullmetal Alchemist, still produced by BONES, and studio D was set up for this work. Like Yoshihiro Ōsara at Studio C, SteelFA is a huge treasure trove for Studio D's Asari Suzuki producers. Nowadays, in addition to the old animation companies and studios, there are almost very few TV series that can be received for more than one year. To produce such a long-form animation, it is necessary to have an experienced supervisor to maintain the production team on site. Inspector Taihiro Irie is the best person for Suzuki's side, and the skills and skills learned from Irie Supervisor also provide great help for her future works.
After the production of "Steel FA", Studio D produced "NO.6", "The Storm of the Garden", and "Coffin Ji Jiayika". Led by Hiroki Kanno, a veteran original artist who was a member of BONES in the early days, and Nobuhiro Arai, the character designer of "Bunhao Wild Dogs", the team led by Suzuki is from the middle to the new, and the members are very united.
Although Suzuki is the second generation of EMPLOYEEs who joined THE CLUB for more than 10 years, she believes that Studio D is more like the "backbone" of BONES than the A, C and E studios set up in the first generation. Suzuki said that he would not deliberately realize that this was THE WORK OF BONES when he set up the project. BONES's works should not be limited to a certain genre, but "branches out of the woods" everywhere, and President Nan naturally nodded in agreement. Q What are the characteristics of President BONES? President Nan can't give a clear answer, everything is free, maybe this is BONES.
Unlike other studios, Studio D's animation is almost an adaptation of the original. When making adaptations, Suzuki said that it was actually similar to the feeling of doing original work, for example, the work "Coffin Hime Kayika", although it is based on the original novel, but the amount of things required for animation is almost the same as the original. However, the original works are more representative of the core of the studio, Suzuki said that he participated in the early days of joining the company is "Skeleton Man" and "Zamud of the Dead", he also hopes to be able to make an original work, today's society is tired of more people, Suzuki hopes to be able to make a bright, let the audience feel happy and warm original works in the future.
<h4>■ Fledgling Studio E</h4>
Masterpiece: Theatrical version of the Symphonic Psalm Eureka seveN Hi-Evolution trilogy
Studio E was newly established in 2015 for the theatrical version of the Symphonic Psalm Eureka SeveN Hi-Evolution trilogy. Producer Makoto Watanabe said that it is not so much a special space as it is not so big as to say that it is currently not large. Perhaps because of "Eureka seveN", nearly 80% of the original artists in the studio, led by Stunt Supervisor Yasushi Muraki, specialize in machinery. The rest also includes color, performance, and Kyoda Confidante also has an exclusive table at Studio E.
Makoto Watanabe was also one of the early members of BONES, and participated in the theatrical version of "Escaconi" and "Cowboy Bebop Heavenly Title" with President Minami, and then Studio B independently participated in several works as a producer. He was most impressed by the Symphonic Poem Eureka seveN in which he participated as director of production.
From the TV series "Eureka seveN" to the theatrical version of "Pockets Full of Rainbows", Eureka seveN AO also helped a little in the early days, and Watanabe has always been with "Eureka seveN". When it was decided to do a theatrical trilogy, Watanabe said that this was his mission, a mission that he had to participate in.
When Hi-Evolution 1 was released, the topic was once again stirred up by the re-editing and challenging content of the TV series. Watanabe, a producer, said that although the title is "Eureka seveN", it is very interesting to try to let the audience see another brand-new work every time. Every time I work with Inspector Kyota, I can feel the stimulation and new cognition from him. New effects can be produced next, and Watanabe is also full of expectations for new works during the production process. The second work, "ANEMONE", made Watanabe feel Kyoda's good intentions for this work, and will definitely let everyone see the new "Eureka seveN".
Watanabe had broken his body when he was involved in Forever Long, and for a while he had thought negatively that he might no longer be able to fight for animation as he had in the past. But the efforts between the various studios have allowed him to see from a young age and see that the entire animation industry is increasing in both quantity and quality. If the studios are all independent teams, it is impossible to complete a work, and they must work together across studios. During the production of ANEMONE, Watanabe also deeply felt the unity between the industries.
In the past 20 years in the industry, Watanabe hopes to be able to thank these colleagues who have participated in the production of works together in the future. Especially the mechanical painting team that now works with him on Hi-Evolution. Whether future works will challenge CG works or continue to paint works, he cannot foresee. I hope to work with them in particular. In addition, regarding future mechanical animation, Watanabe said that mechanical animation is no longer the mainstream of the industry, but he will still stick to his preferences, and probably insist on making mechanical animation until death.
No matter which studio it is, we can see that they are undoubtedly making works with a BONES foundation, these works are always interesting, from the pictures and images, we can feel the enthusiasm of every producer for animation, hoping that BONES, who is now at the forefront of Japanese commercial animation, can continue to adhere to the challenge of freedom and move towards the next 20 years.
<h5>[References].</h5>
Monthly "NewType" December 2018 Issue
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