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Akiba-chan: Figumation Anime?

While adding some Summer series to Anime Nano from Moetron’s seasonal list of awesomeness, I noticed this new “anime” called Akiba-chan. It’s slated for release in late July.

While adding some Summer series to Anime Nano from Moetron’s seasonal list of awesomeness, I noticed this new “anime” called Akiba-chan. It’s slated for release in late July.

It’s basically a CG series using figures as the characters. Either that or it’s actually using stop-motion animation. I can’t really tell from the description. The process is called “Figumation” but I’m assuming it’d all be CG, kinda like that Hatsune Miku Nendoroid video.

Akiba-chan also looks like it’ll be a kid’s show. As I’ve learned from shows like Animal Yokocho, kid’s shows can be pretty entertaining (and easier to understand raw). Plus the figures just look really cute. It probably won’t get picked up, but if I can find some raws for Akiba-chan I might check out a few episodes to see what it’s all about.

One reply on “Akiba-chan: Figumation Anime?”

It has, somewhat surprisingly, been fansubbed, at least for the first 5-minute episode. And the figures are not animated in stop-motion nor CGI, they’re rod-operated puppets filmed in live action with CGI backgrounds and effects, in a technique which is properly called “Shadowmation.” You’re exempt from this for having to guess from the description before the trailer was unveiled, but there are an astonishing number of people who have this idea than anything on TV or film which uses puppets is stop-motion when there is plenty which is simply live performances filmed (the same issue has come up with the 2004 film Strings and the Taiwanese Pili franchise) even though it’s very easy to tell which one of these something is by the nature of the movements.

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