What studio would you like animating a Dragon Ball project?

[DBwad]

If a studio other than Toei had a chance to do something with Dragon Ball which studio would you choose?
I myself would go with either ufotable or Production IG

[Gyt Kaliba]

Hmm...despite all of the complaints against Toei, I'd actually kind of prefer the main Dragon Ball material stay with them. Like, more stuff that we are supposed to somewhat take as fitting in with the rest (trying to avoid using the 'C' word here, but you know what I mean without it I hope). So for more movie sequels and stuff, I'd rather it stay with Toei.

Now, if they were to give us something completely different that's a complete re-imagining, or maybe even something that goes so in-depth with characters that the usual Toei stable probably wouldn't be able to do it right - that I could be interested in seeing from another studio. In that case, my top two picks would probably be Bones and Gainax. Bones' animation is almost always beautiful, and Gainax is usually amazing as well, though a bit more 'quirky' in some areas...so I'd like to see what they'd do given the chance.

[DarkPrince_92]

Studio 4 degrees.

[TheGmGoken]

Fan Animation studios .

Though really I'll love to see it be done by Gainax...only if Toriyama didn't do a manga and only did an anime.

[JulieYBM]

Studio Pierrot or Studio Bones. Pierrot's work on Bleach and Naruto Shippuuden have been strong for such long series. For a shorter project I would suggest Studio Bones since Tanaka http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwMjauXbDrU, Kameda Yoshimichi, and other super talents have a big leg in the door after what was accomplished on Hagane no Renkinjutsushi: Fullmetal Alchemist. Studio Pierrot has great connections, too, including Director/Animator Sessha Gorou, Kurita Shin'ichi, Director/Animator Yamashita Hiroyuki, Kouda Masayuki, Matsumoto Kengo, Director/Animator Wakabayashi Atsushi, and many, many others. Toei has good connections, too, but they're just never willing to use their best talents on Dragon Ball for more than a few cuts these days.

Many, many of the impressive animators working in Japanese animation these days are freelance animators. The studio itself is becoming less of a indicator of talent and more an indicator on whether or not an episode or film will have enough drawings to allow these animators to strut their stuff. Bones and Pierrot are a lot better about that sort of thing then Toei usually is.

[Scarz]

I would love to see BONES work on a short animated DB project. I really enjoyed some of the work that came out of that studio. Specially Fullmetal, Soul Eater, and Space Dandy (okay, okay, I know it's not out yet but it looks so fun!).

[Storm]

Well, once they have a little more monies, I'd love to see Studio Trigger's fluid, energetic style used in a Dragon Ball product.

And while not a studio, I'd be interested to see Mamoru Hosoda's visual flair in the Dragon World.

[DBZAOTA482]

Production I.G.
Madhouse
Bones
Bee Train

[Gyt Kaliba]

And while not a studio, I'd be interested to see Mamoru Hosoda's visual flair in the Dragon World.

I could also get behind this. Even if it wasn't his art style and they just brought him in to direct a new film, I'd love to see what it would turn out to be.

[UltimateHammerBro]

Bones

This.

[B]

Didn't Hosoda direct an episode of DBZ? Or do key animation on one of the Z movies? I'm sure I could look it up.

In addition to what people have offered, Madhouse would be interesting. Maybe David Production, but they're still really new.

[Storm]

According to Wikipedia, he was a key animator in the first two Broly movies, Path To Power, and DBZ 173. His distinctive art style didn't really come to fruition until the Digimon Adventure pilot, though.

[KentalSSJ6]

Id not so much see a new studio animate the series so much as a certain animator animate the fights.

But, if I was to have a new studio animate DBZ, id say BONES or GAINAX.

Bones has a load of amazing animation talent that we can see a lot of in the FMA Brotherhood openings and fights such as Wrath VS Greed, Wrath VS Greed Possessed Ling, The Strong Arm Alchemist: Alex Louis Armstrong VS Scar, and Edward VS Father.

As for Gainax, well one look at Gurren Lagann, especially its two movies, and Kill La Kill will show you they spare NO expense in the animation department.

[Storm]

As for Gainax, well one look at Gurren Lagann, especially its two movies, and Kill La Kill will show you they spare NO expense in the animation department.

Kill La Kill is the brainchild of Studio Trigger (which contains a lot of ex-Gainax employees) and Hiroyuki Imaishi, who previously directed Gurren Lagann and Panty And Stocking.

Also, though TTGL had a beefy budget, KLK, despite its (sometimes) fluid animation, does not, which is why I would wait for Trigger to build up money since they're a new studio.

[KentalSSJ6]

As for Gainax, well one look at Gurren Lagann, especially its two movies, and Kill La Kill will show you they spare NO expense in the animation department.

Kill La Kill is the brainchild of Studio Trigger (which contains a lot of ex-Gainax employees) and Hiroyuki Imaishi, who previously directed Gurren Lagann and Panty And Stocking.

Also, though TTGL had a beefy budget, KLK, despite its (sometimes) fluid animation, does not, which is why I would wait for Trigger to build up money since they're a new studio.

I have yet to watch Kill La Kill but I did watch a fight scene on youtube and I admit I did notice there was a few scenes that seemed CGI heavy in the sense that I noticed when the characters were CGI models. Granted it was handled well but again thats why I wanna see Gainax animate DBZ because they get big budgets for their series.

And I cant believe I left out Production I.G., their work on the Sengoku Basara anime was downright amazing.

So, id be fine with either BONES, GAINAX, and Production I.G.

[Storm]

I have yet to watch Kill La Kill

Well, it's pretty awesome.

I did watch a fight scene on youtube and I admit I did notice there was a few scenes that seemed CGI heavy in the sense that I noticed when the characters were CGI models.

I would guess you watched the third episode fight between Ryuko and Satsuki, where the CGI abuse got particularly noticeable. It's scattered around the show but it's definitely (infamously) concentrated on that part. Overall the show does a good job of putting together exciting fight scenes despite a reliance on stock footage and looped animation. Gurren Lagann's fluid, fun action comes through well in Kill La Kill.

Also, Studio Trigger's Little Witch Academia has some pretty animation to behold, despite not being action-driven like KLK and TTGL.

[KentalSSJ6]

I have yet to watch Kill La Kill

Well, it's pretty awesome.

I did watch a fight scene on youtube and I admit I did notice there was a few scenes that seemed CGI heavy in the sense that I noticed when the characters were CGI models.

I would guess you watched the third episode fight between Ryuko and Satsuki, where the CGI abuse got particularly noticeable. It's scattered around the show but it's definitely (infamously) concentrated on that part. Overall the show does a good job of putting together exciting fight scenes despite a reliance on stock footage and looped animation. Gurren Lagann's fluid, fun action comes through well in Kill La Kill.

Also, Studio Trigger's Little Witch Academia has some pretty animation to behold, despite not being action-driven like KLK and TTGL.

Granted this was from the second Gurren Lagann movie, one of my favorite moments of animation not to mention fights in general is the fist fight between Simon and The Anti-Spiral. I mean..good god, every blow they dish to each other has so much weight behind it and you really feel it every time. Not to mention I adore how the fight went from a duel using 68 billion light years tall robots and creating another big bang comes down to a bare knuckle fist fight.

[JulieYBM]

Little Witch Academia was made using $400,000 as provided by the Japanese government. It had seventeen thousand drawings for its twenty-six minute runtime. Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann had a budget of about $180,000-200,000 an episode. Kill la Kill has had less animation and more reliance on CG, likely due to Studio Trigger's lack of funds and the subject manner not exactly leading itself to being a sure-sell.

[Storm]

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann had a budget of about $180,000-200,000 an episode.

I'm curious what your source is on this. Not that I don't necessarily believe you, but I hear a lot that TTGL had a lot of money put into it (and of course, 40% of it went towards the last episodes), but I've never been able to find a concrete answer.

Trigger seems to realize their popularity in the west though, given their use of Kickstarter to fund the second Little Witch project, and them remarking on Twitter their surprise that KLK is gaining attention outside of Japan.

[JulieYBM]

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann had a budget of about $180,000-200,000 an episode.

I'm curious what your source is on this. Not that I don't necessarily believe you, but I hear a lot that TTGL had a lot of money put into it (and of course, 40% of it went towards the last episodes), but I've never been able to find a concrete answer.

Trigger seems to realize their popularity in the west though, given their use of Kickstarter to fund the second Little Witch project, and them remarking on Twitter their surprise that KLK is gaining attention outside of Japan.

I was basing the info off of this report on a convention panel. The average budget of a television episode is $100,000-300,000, by the way. For anyone who hasn't checked it out I suggest reading this series of features on Anime News Network, you'll learn a lot about the financials of the industry.