Blood+ Production Report (4): Drawings Touch-up

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And now, for a touch-up by the chief animation director!!!! Hi, there! I'm Peko, the new PR recruit. Hmm, what do you think of the drawing at the top? This is a touch-up actually done by Akiharu Ishii, the chief animation director for Blood+. Eh? You are asking where he'd made corrections? Well...

What the Animation Supervisor does: Drawings Touch-up

OK, here is my plain drawing of Saya. This is really fantastic! Unbelievable!

My Saya was transformed into a terrific Saya by Ishii's magic hand. Some say he had done something more than a mere "touch-up"! And it seems like we have more characters as well! Anyway, this is what we call "a touch-up by the chief animation director," one of the jobs that he is responsible for!!! This is a process where corrections are made to the drawings so that the entire series has the same style and keeps the same quality throughout.

What do you pay attention to the most when you are checking the drawings?

No doubt the facial expressions. Don't you think the fans and the people who watch Blood+ particularly pay attention to faces? So I'm putting emphasis on correcting faces more than anything else. Of course I have to work on other parts as well, but considering what to prioritize in the limited time I have, I couldn't think of anything but check facial expressions.

You bet! Faces are important when it comes to the fans' list of top hot characters. (lol) You simply say, "touch ups," but what kind of corrections do you actually make?

Hmmm, parts that do not fit with the story, I guess. It's difficult to put this in words. (lol) For example, the direction of eyes and shape of the pupils. Altering the facial expression to fit the intended context of the scene. At any rate, I amend it to express the nuance that's required by the style and the story.

Wow, that's complicated. It's really up to your artistic sensitivity! But isn't it hard to make alterations to drawings done by others artists?

Absolutely! (lol) I get nervous. It's quite stressful to touch up someone's finished drawing. But if I find something that's "not right," then I have to correct it.

That's tricky.

It's my job. I sometimes think someone might have a grudge against me.

I can see it's a tremendous responsibility to be in charge...

(4 - to be continued)

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