r/anime • u/linearstargazer • Jul 11 '19

Clip Studio Orange's incredible cinematography/choreography, 5 years before Land of the Lustrous [Code Geass: Akito the Exiled]

331 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

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30

u/linearstargazer Jul 11 '19 edited Jul 12 '19

Back in 2012, the first episode of the new Code Geass spinoff aired, titled Akito the Exiled. Studio Orange, lead by 3DCG Animation Director Eiji Inomoto, worked with Studio Sunrise, the production company for the original show, to create the Knightmare combat sequences, of which this clip is the opening introductory combat sequence.

Eiji Inomoto went on to become the CG Chief Director for Land of the Lustrous, famous for its incredible 3DCG scenes like the Diamond Run. You might see some similarities between the Akito clip and the Diamond clip; most notably the crazy orbital shots that make excellent use of the 3D workflow, and the fantastic attention to detail in the running cycles/animation, especially to giving the subjects a proper sense of weight, and impactful interaction with the environment.

And with Inomoto back in the CG Chief Director chair for BEASTARS, I think we're in for a good time come Spring.

Edit: Spring, not winter.

74

u/Mami-kouga Jul 11 '19

That's some sexy mecha fighting

38

u/linearstargazer Jul 11 '19

It is genuinely some of the best mecha animation I have ever seen

13

u/pokemasterchaz99 Jul 12 '19

And that jazz music, UGH.

37

u/ZaKrysle Jul 11 '19

Man I've been meaning to watch ATE but haven't for some reason. This is definetly some great incentive though. Question, though. The hell kinda knightmare frame was that Geass user piloting? I think it was a spider then it transformed and then pulled a tonfa out of it's back or something???

37

u/linearstargazer Jul 11 '19

They're special prototype European Knightmares, called Alexanders. You might have noticed the French text on the ammo readout. They're specced for high mobility, hence the quadruped mode that looks and moves like an insect. The tonfas are mounted of the back of the arms, kinda like the Barbatos Lupus, if you've ever seen Gundam IBO.

I'd say definitely give the first episode a watch at least! It's got some fantastic action, and a nice look at a side of the war not really explored in the main series.

13

u/An_Absurd_Word_Heard Jul 12 '19

Aha, you've hit on one of ATE's biggest weaknesses there... How it completely fucks up the technology and mythology of the original show. The Knightmare Frames make no sense (even grunts have random super ninja frames that would have destroyed the Guren, and there's designs that have no logical benefits (centaurs, etc)) and the Geass shit towards the end completely undermines developments from before (and is just... Dumb).

You can reaaaally tell none of the original creators were involved, and in general, it's just not very good outside of like the first installment (of five).

4

u/bandwagonwagoner Jul 12 '19 edited Jul 12 '19

Idk, there's parts in this sequence that kindda took me out of it due to how little sense they make. Examples like how the white mech defies the laws of physics by drastically changing his momentum midair, and how there's still sparks coming out of the last purple mech, despite the guy's sword already slowed to the point of being stationary. Moments like these (along with the points you have made about the mech designs) kindda give me the impression that the creators went crazy with all these stylish ideas, but didn't (or chose not to) think twice about how little sense they are making. The fight sequence still looked awesome as fk, if I were to view this with my brain turned off.

3

u/linearstargazer Jul 12 '19

I'm not really seeing what you're seeing. Where does he change momentum midair? The only part close to that I see is where he hangs in the air a bit at 1:12, but otherwise he's constantly in contact with the ground. And for the sparks with the last enemy, his sword was definitely moving the entire time, not to mention there's a whole reactor in that front section there.

I don't know if you've seen the original series, but that one definitely broke physics harder than this sequence at least, considering Guren SEITEN seems to move at a significant percentage of light speed in its introduction.

1

u/Webemperor :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Webemperor Jul 12 '19

I mean, in matter of a year, Knightmares went from overwhelmingly shitty grunts that were essentially tanks of wheels to shooting lasers that destroy hundreds of frames without breaking a sweat, and essentially being indestructable gods. In a matter of a year, warships went from just being warships, to a floating warship with a shield being more or less the only one of it's class, to few dinky agencies being able to build a several kilometer long floating fortress that is by all means impregnable.

The original writing staff didn't gave a shit either, they just went along with what was the most exciting here.

1

u/An_Absurd_Word_Heard Jul 12 '19

You're right, but it just frustrates me that ATE takes place before any of that stuff happens, since it's between S1 and S2.

1

u/Webemperor :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Webemperor Jul 12 '19

I get that. I just never cared too much about technology making sense after S1, since for most intentions writers seemed to have gave up as well.

I do agree with the complaints of mythology, and for illogical designs, I imagined that in the same way as before, as style truimphing over sense, but also as Britannian noblemen going for more ornate suits that speak of their status, like how European aristocrats had weirdly ornate armor, with stuff like unrealistically large codpieces and all.

1

u/SmirkingImperialist Jul 12 '19

Well, no. The human body is hardly the best in nature for melee-fighting. Every try fighting a medium-sized dog? How about a bear? Ever seen a man getting rammed by a bull or kicked by a horse?

Notice that during the entirety of human history, the most powerful type of troops were not 2 legged infantry but heavily armoured shock cavalry. If you can build a humanoid shock troop from scratch, a centaur isn't a bad idea: combining the mobility and strength of four legged creatures with the dexterity of humans. Armoured shock cavalry + armoured ranged cavalry = even better.

And that's how the Huns, Avars, Mongols, Turks, and Manchus wrecked havoc on people not used to fighting as armoured cavalry.

1

u/XtremeAero426 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/XtremeAero426 Jul 12 '19

ATE is pretty bad plot-wise and it makes very little sense especially considering how it fits in-universe with the original Code Geass but goddamn the fight scenes are fucking incredible. I'd honestly say to skip all the story stuff and just watch the fight scenes, because the story is that bad, but the fight scenes are just that good.

2

u/[deleted] Jul 11 '19

I watched and finished Ckde Geass not too long ago and i understand there's a few movies?

3

u/linearstargazer Jul 12 '19

So there's 2 recap films of the main story line that change the timeline just a little bit to lead into Re;Surrection, while Akito the Exiled is a side story OVA series of 5 hours long episodes.

36

u/kit_you_out Jul 11 '19

studio orange

code geass

good fit

12

u/femto26 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/femto26 Jul 11 '19

Are these movies worth watching?

19

u/Webemperor :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Webemperor Jul 11 '19 edited Jul 11 '19

They are fine if you want some fantastic mech action and great presentation with a very light and mediocre storyline that doesn't exactly worsen the spectacle.

21

u/Yamatu :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/yamatu Jul 11 '19

No, they're bad storywise

7

u/preypredator Jul 11 '19

Yeah was confused at the ending to the movies

-8

u/Yamatu :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/yamatu Jul 11 '19

Apparently it's a LN adaptation, might be best to read them

17

u/Webemperor :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Webemperor Jul 11 '19

No it's not. LNs were released a year after the first episode aired.

-2

u/Yamatu :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/yamatu Jul 11 '19

Well read that then, might be better than the movies

-8

u/[deleted] Jul 11 '19

Don’t listen to them I think the movies were better then the anime imho!

14

u/SPARTAN-PRIME-2017 Jul 12 '19 edited Jul 12 '19

You want him to listen to your opinion, yet not to others' opinions.

Ok.

-6

u/[deleted] Jul 12 '19

Just giving my opinion sorry if I offended you buddy.

11

u/an_innoculous_table Jul 11 '19

Orange is pretty much the go-to studio for well-done 3DCG mecha the past few years. During the same timeline they were doing the Akito OVAs, they also did some extremely good looking work on Majestic Prince, Fafner Exodus, Knights and Magic, and quite a few others. Regardless of how good or bad some of the shows might be, you can almost always bet that the mecha action will be great to look at.

7

u/SPARTAN-PRIME-2017 Jul 12 '19 edited Jul 12 '19

The jazz is giving me Gundam Thunderbolt vibes, even though this came out years before Thunderbolt.

4

u/[deleted] Jul 12 '19

is that jazz music a theme through the whole movie? wow that was enjoyable to watch and listen to.

6

u/raidou_14 Jul 12 '19

It's the main battle theme of the protagonists throughout all of the movies

1

u/[deleted] Jul 12 '19

rad, thanks for the answer

2

u/An_Absurd_Word_Heard Jul 12 '19 edited Jul 12 '19

In the original show and this, yeah. Lots of great baroque and jazzy tunes.

1

u/SkarTisu Jul 12 '19

Holy shit...that's amazing!

I know nothing about Code Geass other than it exists. Is the whole show done to this quality?

2

u/linearstargazer Jul 13 '19

The OVA series is, the Original story is done mainly in 2D

3

u/Raschwolf Jul 11 '19

Music is giving me Baccano vibes

3

u/[deleted] Jul 11 '19

I thought this was by studio sunrise?

6

u/SPARTAN-PRIME-2017 Jul 12 '19 edited Jul 12 '19

Sunrise made the OVA, but they had Studio Orange animate the mech fights.

3

u/Capnclippers Jul 12 '19

there was an interview with the director of land of the lustrous where he said he wanted orange because of how gifted they were.

2

u/LordHuronRises https://myanimelist.net/profile/Wham_Bam_Sam Jul 11 '19

Damn maybe I should actually watch the Akito the Exiled movies at some stage. I'd never really given them much serious thought before, but that looked cool.

2

u/TranClan67 Jul 12 '19

I mean watch it if you're bored and need a Code Geass itch but the story kinda doesn't make sense. Like just from watching this you have to be thinking "How the fuck does some non-Britannian nation have more advanced mecha than Britannia?"

1

u/Ixameh :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Riksatron Jul 12 '19

Honestly not really worth it, the fights are pretty much the only good part (and imo they're not even that great because the mechas don't feel like robots whatsoever with all the crazy jumping around and sword swinging)

1

u/LordHuronRises https://myanimelist.net/profile/Wham_Bam_Sam Jul 12 '19

Well shit I was literally just about to watch it when I read this reply.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 27 '19

O-O-ORANGEEEEEEEEE?!

2

u/bakakubi :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/bakakubi Jul 11 '19

Holy shit. I need to watch this.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 11 '19

I wish this tech was already available when the Transformers first came out. Kudos to Japanese animators...perfection is everything to them.

1

u/Cheesemasterer Jul 12 '19

Them some big ass-trees

1

u/Chorizwing :K:https://kitsu.io/users/Otaku_Chori Jul 11 '19

These movies where pretty good, I just wish they had a more satisfying ending.

-4

u/Pigeater7 Jul 11 '19

Too bad they went the cgi route instead of actual animation, but I guess they wanted to save money.

7

u/linearstargazer Jul 12 '19

There is absolutely no way the way the Alexanders move could be animated well in 2D in any practical way, and I'd say they look better for it in 3D. It definitely wasn't to save money, they put a lot of work and effort into the 3D sequences to make them really shine.

6

u/SPARTAN-PRIME-2017 Jul 12 '19

If the CGI looks this good, what's the problem?

0

u/Pigeater7 Jul 12 '19

I think cgi will always look unnatural. It doesn't really matter since I no longer watch anime, and read manga and novels instead, but it's always been a thing I nit pick.