Why is Toei Animation so cheap?

[Gonstead]

Be glad Toei isn't as bad as AKOM. They animated about 13 episodes worth of Batman: The Animated Series but the company was actually fired because of their consistently sub-par work.

[samuraix123]

Hey I'm not meaning to derail the topic but can I ask this question really quick? I can't find nobody else around that could answer it. What's the chances of Funimation releasing more Toriko beyond 50? The reason I ask this because I don't know too much about how Anime is licensed etc and I heard they were waiting on something before they get more episodes dubbed.

[Gonstead]

Hey I'm not meaning to derail the topic but can I ask this question really quick? I can't find nobody else around that could answer it. What's the chances of Funimation releasing more Toriko beyond 50? The reason I ask this because I don't know too much about how Anime is licensed etc and I heard they were waiting on something before they get more episodes dubbed.

From what we know, Toriko sold ok for Funi. Not bad but not particularly good either.

[dbboxkaifan]

From what we know, Toriko sold ok for Funi. Not bad but not particularly good either.

That's not surprising. It's not a very interesting anime series per say, all he does is catch animals and eat them more or less what One Piece is about, but instead Luffy's trying to acquire the One Piece.

Nintendo could've sued Toei Animation for Toriko and Digimon if they wanted 'cause they're not too different from what'd happen in Pocket Monsters.

[Gyt Kaliba]

Nintendo could've sued Toei Animation for Toriko and Digimon if they wanted 'cause they're not too different from what'd happen in Pocket Monsters.

Except...not really. Digimon and Pokemon do share a fair few similarities, but when you actually watch the two shows, they couldn't be more different in tone and execution usually. Now, if we're talking about the Digimon games...well, I do have to wonder who thought it wouldn't be noticeable how whole-sale-ly they lifted the Pokemon system for 'Digimon World: Dusk' and 'Dawn'.

As for Toriko and Pokemon...yeah, I'm not seeing it.

[Adamant]

The Digimon franchise is older than the Pokemon franchise anyway, and has far more in common with Tamagotchi, which it was created as a "male alternative" to.

[DBZGTKOSDH]

That's not surprising. It's not a very interesting anime series per say, all he does is catch animals and eat them more or less what One Piece is about, but instead Luffy's trying to acquire the One Piece.

Nintendo could've sued Toei Animation for Toriko and Digimon if they wanted 'cause they're not too different from what'd happen in Pocket Monsters.

... You haven't seen Toriko, right?

[dbboxkaifan]

I have and didn't like it. Toriko lacks originality and creativity.

[DBZGTKOSDH]

I have and didn't like it. Toriko lacks originality and creativity.

What exactly have you seen from it? Because it's nothing like Pokemon or Digimon.

[rereboy]

That's not surprising. It's not a very interesting anime series per say, all he does is catch animals and eat them more or less what One Piece is about, but instead Luffy's trying to acquire the One Piece.

Nintendo could've sued Toei Animation for Toriko and Digimon if they wanted 'cause they're not too different from what'd happen in Pocket Monsters.

I'm sorry but... this comment clearly shows that you don't really know the series/manga at all. And I'm assuming you are joking about the possibility of suing.

I have and didn't like it. Toriko lacks originality and creativity.

Its only one of the most creative shonens since 2008. Its too bad its anime kind of sucks.

[Ajay]

Toriko's anime was garbage. One of the most unenjoyable experiences I had with anime this year. The basic premise is abysmal and I fail to see how an uncensored manga is ever going to change that.

It's not creative in the slightest. It's the same old shonen fighting tropes merged with your typical 'collection' anime like Pokemon. Entirely derivative and uninteresting. It's no surprise that it flopped.

[dbboxkaifan]

It's a show about a guy who goes on a trip to find rare species to eat them all and while doing so he has an amateur cook chief. That's it.

Toriko's just not for me, I'd rather watch something better like Evangelion, 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother, Saint Seiya, Claymore, Baccano, Yu Yu Hakusho, Cowboy Bebop or Ergo Proxy because these are actually shows which the producers were creative with.

[rereboy]

Toriko's anime was garbage. One of the most unenjoyable experiences I had with anime this year. The basic premise is abysmal and I fail to see how an uncensored manga is ever going to change that.

It's not creative in the slightest. It's the same old shonen fighting tropes merged with your typical 'collection' anime like Pokemon. Entirely derivative and uninteresting. It's no surprise that it flopped.

Considering that I'm a big fan of the Toriko manga but I criticize the anime pretty much as hard as you do, that should be an indication how it clearly goes way beyond just a censorship issue.

[Basaku]

Be glad Toei isn't as bad as AKOM. They animated about 13 episodes worth of Batman: The Animated Series but the company was actually fired because of their consistently sub-par work.

TAS still had overall high quality, and the design style had a huge influence on Batman franchise

[JulieYBM]

Be glad Toei isn't as bad as AKOM. They animated about 13 episodes worth of Batman: The Animated Series but the company was actually fired because of their consistently sub-par work.

Garbage is what you get when producers assign an episode to an animation studio after the episode director has already storyboarded an episode. There's really no wonder so many episodes of the series were downright awful: nobody knew anything about the key animators they were working with or even had a chance to get to learn and work in combination with their animators. AKOM wasn't so much the problem as shortsighted producers were. "Hey Frank, you'll be working with AKOM for this episode so try to use little movement and stage cuts in interesting and conservative ways. That'll save us some hassle and money!" would have saved the series a lot of hassle.

So I suppose Toei Animation is indeed better by virtue of being smart enough to not give a lot of money to bad directors and animators.

[Looneygamemaster]

Yeah...I don't think so. I've yet to see Toei do anything that even comes close to that show in both animation and directing.

Admittedly, there were some bad looking episodes, but even they've never looked as cheap as what Toei can turn out.

[rereboy]

It's a show about a guy who goes on a trip to find rare species to eat them all and while doing so he has an amateur cook chief. That's it.

No, its a story about a world living a gourmet age, an age brought forth by a revolution that occurred on the planet several thousands of years ago when a comet collided with the planet and introduced in the environment "gourmet cells", biological material that put evolution into overdrive and transformed nature into something much more powerful and wild than what existed before, essentially dividing the planet into two areas, one in which nature is too dangerous for humans and one where its simply manageable.

That also made nature into something much more varied than what existed before and created a plethora of new tastes and experience regarding eating. This fact has saved humans from killing each other in world wars because geniuses like Acacia, the father of the gourmet age, were able to make the human leaders have a new appreciation towards the world and life with their legendary dishes, making the leaders literally be moved to tears with their indescribable taste and experience.

From that point on, humans began to live more peacefully, directing their interests into these tastes and these experiences. And that created the Gourmet age, an age where the things that people most value in the world are those experiences.

However, gourmet cells aren't just about taste, they are also about power. They make everything more powerful, including humans, which creates the superhumans from the series.

As always, there are humans who want to put this power into good use, into helping and feeding others, while others only want their own self interest and want all the power and experiences of the gourmet age for themselves, not minding what they have to destroy to fulfill their interests.

We've already been introduced to several factions of these superhumans, some with clear agenda, others with a very much hidden agenda, furthering the mysteries about the world that still weren't revealed in the story.

The various themes talked about in the plot and story usually have a connection with food and the appreciation of life, since food is life, food in the world flowing into us, in a essential experience for life. It even acquires philosophical aspects about it sometimes.

The over the top and extreme nature, animals and enemies are always creative and give a constant sense of wonder, action and adventure without never falling into a melodramatic tone and maintaining a fun felling throughout.

The plot has also always maintained a proper ultimate goal in the mind of the reader in the form of "god", the legendary dish that Acacia offered the human leaders and made them give up their wars, said to be the ultimate experience that everyone and every faction wants and that only exists in the part of the world too dangerous for humans, even most superpowered humans, and only possible to obtain during a special eclipse that will appear briefly in the future. The race is literally on.

So... "It's a show about a guy who goes on a trip to find rare species to eat them all and while doing so he has an amateur cook chief. That's it". Er... No.

There's even a few quotes in the manga that are true lessons in real life. One of them is more or less like this, when reflecting on the actions of people that don't have enough to eat: "Before a man can be considered evil... he must have a full stomach, not a empty one".

And obviously I'm talking about the manga. Like I said, the anime sucks due to various reasons.

[JulieYBM]

Yeah...I don't think so. I've yet to see Toei do anything that even comes close to that show in both animation and directing.

Admittedly, there were some bad looking episodes, but even they've never looked as cheap as what Toei can turn out.

Kyousougiga is a better use of visual and audio storytelling than the 1992 Batman series. I'd say Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z had a better use of its resources and talent to create exciting episodes than the 1992 Batman series did.

[samuraix123]

Haha I love reading other people's comments on Toriko.(Not in a bad way either) I actually really love the Anime(Never read the manga) I don't know what it is but I just enjoy watching it so much! Every time I sit down and watch It I walk away in a good mood. but everybody's tastes are different and there's definitely nothing wrong with that. I'm just hoping to get more released on DVD. Also nobody really never answered my question on the whole mouth flap issue in Japanese animation a couple pages back.
Why is it that the mouths only move up and down and their mouths never match the words they're saying? Is it because they know other countries are going to dub it so it would look like a mess? I know it's not a BIG! deal but I've seen plenty of american cartoons and their words match their mouths(Not saying our animation is better btw)

[Ajay]

Regarding the mouth flaps - it's because the audio isn't recorded before the animation like many western cartons so I believe they just estimate the syllables by looking at the script.

Someone with a better understanding could probably elaborate but I believe that's the basic jist of it.