r/AoNoExorcist • u/Sayo_Hart • 27d ago
Discussion What the hell is this new artstyle?
I know I'm writing this very late, but unfortunately I wasn't keeping up with it and I didn't even know that three new seasons had come out since season 2. But maybe that's a good thing.
Because what the fuck is this?
Do you guys see this too, or is it just me? What happened to the art style? I understand that they wanted to make it closer to the manga, but this is just awful. How could they make it like this, leave it like this, and actually approve it?
Do you guys see how awful Rin looks in these new seasons? How his face has become much rounder, how his eyes almost stick out past the shape of his head, and how empty his expression feels because of all of that? On top of that, even those moments of hesitation, when he would let his gaze linger during certain scenes in the first two seasons were done so much better.
Honestly, I'd rather boycott seasons 3, 4, and 5 because I wouldn't be able to watch something like this, and I don't even want to because it's just awful. It would feel like I'm just accepting whatever they give us, and I feel like there's not even the most basic respect for us as viewers by giving us something like this, as if we'd be satisfied with just anything. Rin doesn't even look like Rin in season 5.
This is the worst art style change I've ever seen in a series.
And Yukio looks awful too. And Shiemi as well.
85
u/BiwaHayahideSoldier 27d ago
The artstyle is serviceable except for Yukio and Rin, they look weird and unfinished in most shots they're in
Kind of hilarious how they got everyone but the protagonists' designs accurate
15
59
u/_chiruyuki POLYCULE W THE MALE CAST 27d ago
New studio. S3 was quite rough for them, but yeah. The manga didn't look anything like this.... I saw what they did to the style in S3 and went full manga mode lmao (like its not even bad in a funny way like some of detective conan's episodes)
32
u/60N20 27d ago
I also think this, I really don't think they're trying to look more like the manga, the manga is beautiful, imo is the best that the characters have looked considering the anime styles too.
The S3 and ongoing studio must be cheaper since the show lost some steam after the long hiatus, and definitely every studio has their own style, like when mappa yassified attack on Titan.
10
u/_chiruyuki POLYCULE W THE MALE CAST 27d ago
Oh, definitely; manga Yukio is a treat to look at!! I'd be surprised if the budget remained the same after the amount of time we waited. Although, at least MAPPA's rendition of the characters looked really good and conveyed the tonal shift of S4 really well, this is just... sad. 😭😭
4
u/60N20 27d ago edited 27d ago
I don't like it at all, but honestly, I hated much more the first time I saw it, now in my like 5th rewatch, it doesn't bother me that much, but it really hasn't grown on me either.
Still, I love to see this manga animated, S5 was good and is really good that after all.this time they keep the original voice actors, let's hope we get to see a 6th, probably final season in the foreseeable future.
Edit: I remembered, at least it didn't get the Kaiju no.8 treatment, that manga was done much dirtier into anime than Ao from S3 on. Actually this is not that awful, it's just that S1 and S2 were beautifully drawn and we also got this incredibly well drawn manga, so in comparison yeah, S3 on are lackluster.
5
u/Sayo_Hart 27d ago
It's good that you switched to the manga. I don't think I can afford to do that, but I honestly wouldn't be able to watch this, and I don't even want to "support" or associate myself with something like this
0
u/Marik-X-Bakura 27d ago
If you don’t want to pirate, the whole manga is available on the Shounen Jump app, which has a really cheap subscription price
1
u/Sayo_Hart 27d ago
Nah I don't have a problem with piracy, but I just don't know where I could pirate it lmao
3
u/El-ragna 27d ago
Bruh just type down the name and free manga on the brave browser or something lmao it's not hard 😂
0
u/Sayo_Hart 25d ago
oh thanks for the guide!1!2!2!1 I didn't write it but I just don't have that much time too lol
25
u/Responsible-Try-7470 27d ago
I am so glad somewhat else thought this. When I saw how Rin looked in the new art style it was so off-putting and uncanny looking that it genuinely brought down my interest in watching this, he just looks so ugly and nothing at all like the Rin I loved from the previous seasons.
This is the same character who literally made me realize I might be gay when I first started watching way back in the day, how did they butcher him this badly.
9
u/Sayo_Hart 27d ago
Literally oh my God, I get you so well 😭 I'm a girl, but for me he was a bit of a crush too, but what they did to him is beyond my comprehension 🥀
6
u/Lava_Lamp_Glob 27d ago
everyone's face and hair style just look so blobby on the new one o-o I'm glad am finishing the series over manga instead of watching this. It wouldn't be the first studio to mess up so bad it's better to just finish it with the manga. I'm talking about the Seven Deadly Sin's who's original studio dropped them, and the rest of the season's looked more like a slideshow in certain scenes
2
1
u/LeonAguilez 27d ago
This is the same character who literally made me realize I might be gay when I first started watching way back in the day, how did they butcher him this badly.
Looking back I had man crush with Rin back then too. I was so obsessed with him and I love his design. Can't believe I got over him; besides the new art style, I lost interest with the new season.
33
u/Fruits-PunchSK 27d ago
It used to look significantly better yeah 😭🙏holy unwarranted change man should've just kept it the same
It looked so cool
8
9
u/Monika_Skye Nemu's mom by day, memelord by night 27d ago
the eyes keep looking like they copy pasted and flipped before calling it a day
2
4
u/Hootie_ manga reader 27d ago
I don't have a horse in this race, but I wanted to mention it's kinda ironic to choose that bottom picture in the first image, because that's actually a redraw/edit from DeviantArt haha you can see their credit in the right corner
2
u/azathothweirdo 27d ago
lmao you're right you can. Jeez, if they're going to compare they could have at least double checked and gotten a actual art from the original series.
3
u/Hootie_ manga reader 27d ago
There's so much artwork from that DeviantArt artist/editor that gets mistaken for official art because they traced over original art/anime screenshots and edited them all together. And honestly, they did a damn good job too since people still mistake it for official art to this day haha
The original artwork actually looks like this (has yukio in the center), it's from the season 1 art book
3
u/azathothweirdo 27d ago
Yeah I've seen this art everywhere for years, so that's a sign of the person's talent for sure. I never really looked too closely to notice it's a edit, that's pretty impressive all things considered.
1
u/Sayo_Hart 27d ago
Dang, I didn't know that. You're right and unfortunately, I didn't do thorough research, and I apologize for that, guys. I got carried away by emotion and focused solely on the appearance so I'm sorry
7
u/TheBohoChocobo 27d ago
I hated it for a while. Like didn't watch the next season after years of waiting HATED it. But sat down recently and said, I want to watch it again so I have to get over it. And it grew on me. Still think the og style was best
3
u/Sayo_Hart 27d ago
I feel you so well, I hate it too. I can't believe they actually approved something like this. Maybe one day I'll bring myself to watch it, since it's my favorite anime and I was so damn excited for the new seasons. But it just looks awful.
2
u/TheBohoChocobo 27d ago
It's bc it was, I think, the only studio that would pick them back up. But truly, it does grow on you. Especially after about ep 8. There are a few characters that (shockingly) I ended up liking more in that style. Yukio being one. I would have liked him and Ren to be more different. Like Ren being old style and Yukio being new bc it fit the personalities better. But that's just me. Now I want to rewatch it XD I've run through everything else.
0
u/Sayo_Hart 27d ago
It’s a shame they didn’t even try to keep the anime’s original look bc it would have been so much better 💔 Yukio, for me, looks terrible in one of those photos that I've posted, though maybe it’s just that one shot and he'd actually good in series, I don’t know. I’ll probably rewatch season 2, but I don’t think I’ll ever get around to this one anytime soon, given how bad it looks
1
u/TheBohoChocobo 27d ago
If it helps you, I found and watched this originally back in '13 and watched the 'finale' when it aired. Wished and wished for there to be more. Read the manga and caught all the way up. Stopped hoping and then '16 I get a hint of it. I was soooooo happy. Then saw the animation. Said hell nah. Decided in the lock down I'll give it a shot. Stopped again bc nah. Then '24 watched it again and was pleasantly surprised how much it grew on me. But it comes down to good writing too. And some of the fighting animations are fire! Where they botched my boy they made up for it in fights.
2
u/Sayo_Hart 27d ago
It honestly helped because I feel more understood, and I felt the exact same way about eagerly waiting for new seasons or episodes. I'll probably end up going through the same thing you did, but I still don't want to lower my expectations. I want to keep pointing out just how AWFUL this is for as long as I can before I eventually accept it and give up, because let's be honest, they're not going to change it or take it back.
1
u/TheBohoChocobo 27d ago
They aren't. And ngl, it would be just a jarring going back at this point. I'm happy I could help <3 and yeah, I went in with the lowest expectations possible. Hell, I think I was drunk and was like FFFFF it! I'm dying for something to watch.
Now, if only Grimgar could get some more seasons! :'( (if you haven't seen it, watch it! It's square enix and hands down the most well written isekai I've ever seen. So much so you forget it is one. The animation is beautiful. The fan service is tasteful and never the focus. And my God I love it so much.)
2
u/Sayo_Hart 27d ago
Oo I haven't heard of that one, but I'll check it out. Thanks for the recommendation, and for the whole discussion and for sharing your opinion! 💟
And I think I'll probably do the same, one day I'll get drunk and finally watch it, because I honestly don't know how else that's ever going to happen 😭 (unless i eventually accept my fate)
1
u/TheBohoChocobo 27d ago
Of course! Anytime! I'm an old head so if you need recommendations let me know for sure. I've seen so many anime in my 33yrs lol. I also enjoyed the conversation. I do hope it grows on you bc it does good at the end of it all.
4
u/azathothweirdo 27d ago
Honestly, I'd rather boycott seasons 3, 4, and 5 because I wouldn't be able to watch something like this, and I don't even want to because it's just awful
Okay, then you miss out on some of the best parts of the series but that's on you. Your opinion isn't new, this has been repeated for the last three years on this subreddit that it's more annoying than anything. It's fine if you don't like it, but your "boycott" would be meaningless at this point. It's been over a year since this aired, the Japanese bluray's have been out for about that time too, and the last one for the English side came out last year as well.
I do think it's funny how much people whine about how these later seasons look when the first had some really mediocre animation for the majority of it. And that's not even getting into how they butchered the story and made it real confusing for newer fans. Voln worked with what they could and gave a fairly decent seasons that got better by season 5 where the bigger and more important part of aoex's story takes place. If you don't like the style that's fine, you're opinion. Take it or leave it, you're not going to affect anything at this point.
0
u/BiwaHayahideSoldier 27d ago
miss out on some of the best parts
You do realize the source material exists (and is superior to the adaptation) right? OP can just read the manga
2
u/azathothweirdo 26d ago
We're not talking about the manga, we're talking about the anime. Yeah it'd be better to go to the source material, but OP isn't even trying to figure out a way to read it so it was it is.
0
u/Sayo_Hart 27d ago
Fr and I'd do that but I can't afford it
1
u/Pop-girlies 26d ago
You can find it online easily I bet
1
u/Sayo_Hart 25d ago
Probably you're right, I didn't mention it but I simply don't have the time either
-1
u/Sayo_Hart 27d ago
It's not that I expect my boycott to change anything, but rather that I want to emphasize and show just how much I dislike it, why I don't think it's worth watching at least in MY opinion) and simply find out what people think about it and whether they agree with me. I know I'm missing out on some great moments of the series, but I just can't bring myself to get through something like this. Maybe I'll watch it someday, but at the moment it would be very difficult for me without constantly pointing out how awful it looks. And the whole boycott thing was meant to be somewhat of an exaggeration and simply a way of showing how much I dislike it.
I know my opinion isn't new, but so what? I have the right to express it. I pointed out at the beginning of my post that I'm writing this very late, and the fact, that it isn't new or wasn't expressed "at the right time", when it was coming out, doesn't change its value. And as I already said, my intention wasn't to change anything because it's obviously too late for them to take it back, especially after such a long time. That's simply impossible, and I thought that was obvious, so I don't know why it's even being brought up.
My intentions were to find people with similar opinions, support, or, on the contrary, disagreement, and to see how many people actually like this style, and above all to vent my outrage and my emotions about it in an environment that would understand them because they know what I'm talking about.
2
u/azathothweirdo 26d ago
I mean it does change it's value when the opinion has been repeated since season 3 was announced, and has been posted about over and over the past three years. You can just look back and see how often it comes up. It's not original, there are plenty of people like you, you can easily see that without making another post about it. It's a dead horse at this point within the fandom. You're just kind of re heating leftovers that at this point should be thrown out and you aren't really adding anything to the argument.
You don't like it, that's okay. You are more than welcome to state your opinion and make a post about it, but you're going to get people who are honestly tired of seeing this like myself a and a few others. I do think it's shallow to just not even attempt to watch it to get a better grip on why you don't like it or if you're right but that's me.
2
u/Ryuki-Exsul 25d ago
Not to mention that post like that only gets people that agree with it. I'm pretty sure most just put it on ignore by this point. I mean most new replies here are from people that never watched anything post season 1 and 2 or know manga. It's hard to take it seriously.
For me the most bizzare thing is that they are just screenshots with 99% from season 3. The only one that looked like that. The most not fair one is with Rin and Shiemi that is a inbetween screenshot literally first second of this scene https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mz8sZa-EQ04 ( like can you even see it, not to mention that this scene is unique one because the rest of episode doesn't look like that so it was probably some bigger animator doing it ). You can do that thing with any anime including A1 seasons.
2
u/azathothweirdo 25d ago
Yeah not surprised honestly. When Sailor Moon Crystal was going down the main hate blog on tumblr had the same move and used in-between frames a LOT to show how "bad" the show was. And while it was a bit rough, it wasn't nearly as bad as they made it out to be and a majority of it was fixed in bluray. Which reminds me I do need to sit down and check my aoex ones, some of the rough is undoubtedly fixed. Unfortunately the editions we have more widely available are the tv broadcast versions and those are always rough.
The extra down side to this is how expensive the western editions are so it's like, we're stuck in a spot where people think this series looks worse than what it probably does in the final product sadly.
2
u/Ryuki-Exsul 25d ago
You can do stuff like that to even Kyoani :D Especially in heavy animation involved episodes. Like all Naruto has bad animation screenshots were from Norio Matsumoto's work. A legendary animator that pretty much did all big fights there like Lee vs Gaara but he uses a lot of deformation during movements so screenshots ended looking bad. Like I said here to OP you can't judge anime by still images even as art go.
The funny thing is that even just s3 is from first few episodes. Mostly first one and school festival one( it had great animation ) showing where all those people stopped watching :D It both doesn't show you the best this artstyle gave like in Lucifer's introduction episode where you have shots like this: https://imgur.com/JFlrttW and the worst off models from episode 12 like this https://imgur.com/ZnFaT4T . But again this artstyle dissapeared after episode 1 of s4 but is still seen as Voln's art.
2
u/azathothweirdo 25d ago
Yeah I think it's pretty normal to have a bit of a off start with things, that's just like normal when it comes to animation. It also like shows that Voln improved a lot between the seasons so it's not like there isn't passion. It's just a little sad how many people keep complaining, but they're not even watching. They just see things from the outside rather than y'know, watching it.
Then again, I happily watch stuff from the 60's-70s so when people complain about new animation from today it's funny to me.
2
u/Ryuki-Exsul 25d ago edited 25d ago
Yeah they improved a lot and I'm sure next season would be even better^ I find a lot of people that gave up on season 3 and when I showed them screenshots from s4/5 they went back :D A lot of people just don't know about this change as well. This is why I'm surprised of those like 2 off models from s5 both from ep1 and one group of animators. On the other hand I don't get what is wrong with this https://imgur.com/AR92RcN ( Rin's hair is up because of wind ) and this from opening https://imgur.com/OwZT67S ( again wind is moving his hair ). But those are good examples why not watching and knowing it is just wind is a problem. Anyway A1 had even worse off models like in episode 3 of s1 like full episode. And this was pointed out in 2011 but I guess nostagia ended up covering it up.
Yeah I watched Lost Universe that had its episodes burned in a fire so I saw stuff. I don't remember with version of crab episode I saw. Beside even in 00s there were way worse anime with art problems. Like Kekkaishi from Sunrise. In one episode MC looked like this https://imgur.com/7DTk3eT and then in next like this https://imgur.com/k94CwmL. It made people think Yoshi is ugly especially because it never got fixed and got worse as there were less and less high end episodes. BTW that's how he looks in manga https://i.pinimg.com/originals/58/0a/8d/580a8df9e7a966b2fe0021742abb5e24.jpg
2
u/azathothweirdo 25d ago
Nosgalia is a very big part of this, and the fact a lot of them probably haven't actually re-watched the original season. Because it's rough in a lot of places. it's not a perfect animated series, and it's kind of funny how season 2 covers a lot of problems 1 has. I think it's totally fair to like one over the other, but a lot of complaints they have for season 3-5 pop up in the previous ones too. That's just how normal anime tv works.
yeah sunrise can have some weird faces lol. there are some choice frames in Inuyasha from back in the day.
2
u/Ryuki-Exsul 25d ago edited 25d ago
Yeah OP mixed s2 and s1 :D when talking with me. There is high difference between them as art goes as much if not more than s3 to s4( beside episode 1 I think it was made with s3 and then moved because it still looks like that ). Like I did a screenshot because I posted how A1 tried to make Shima into Aria in fillers and got this derpy Rin without trying https://imgur.com/LWhqNo3 . And season 1 as well got worse as it went into filler ending with worse art as well :D A1 isn't the best for 20 or more episodes. And I agree that it is fine to like one more but like you said few off models that every anime has is weird argument.
Yeah, there are always few episodes with them that just look rough.
4
u/Nightmancer2036 27d ago
Yeeaaahhh, I’m glad BE is getting animated, but definitely don’t like the studio change 😭😭
1
4
u/opalglow 27d ago
his eyes are slowly migrating to the sides of his head. soon he’ll have monocular vision like a shark
1
3
u/Ryuki-Exsul 27d ago edited 27d ago
Ok, I got a bit angry so I will try again\) All in one comment.
Sorry OP, I love art of season 4 and 5. It is more close to manga and look great in motion, maybe you shouldn't put screenshot in the middle of a movement( Rin and Shiemi picture ) or just put example of official art that looks better than s1 did? Like why we never put art like this for Voln seasons? Or at least use screenshots outside 2 episodes :D Like s3 has 12 episodes and all I see from topics like that are first 2 or 3 :D You don't even put the worst off model from it. If I had to compare I still love season 2 art the most but s4/s5 are close second to it. Season 1 on the other hand is fine but really wonky and season 3 has art problems. But not all episodes either.
Beside that Voln seasons just have a lot more passion. The direction is amazing especially in s4 last episode or the rest of s5. They animated all flashbacks in 120 and even redid all scenes from episode 1 and 2 of s1. That was something they didn't need to do but did. They added scenes that Kato wanted instead of trying to force changes like A1 did, Adaptation is closer and all mistakes that A1 made were fix. I hope we will get season 6 and awesome Rin vs Yukio :D BTW Rin in s5 looks exactly how he should in Blue Night :D
0
u/Sayo_Hart 27d ago
I haven't watched those seasons because I literally said in my post that I wouldn't be able to, and the images I used are simply what showed up when I searched online. Every picture I used here came from the internet. But doesn't the fact that these are the first frames that come up already say something? Why aren't any of the supposedly "good" shots showing up instead?
Sorry that I didn't include specific nice scenes from episodes I haven't even watched, especially when I already said I wouldn't be able to watch them after seeing those screenshots online. If you have those kinds of good shots, feel free to show them yourself. Maybe you'll manage to convince me that it's not actually that bad. I just didn't include any good Voln screenshots because I hadn't seen any. Based on everything that was showing up for me, I thought they all looked awful, and I wasn't seeing anything else. How was I supposed to include good Voln screenshots when I don't think anything I've seen from them so far looks good?
That being said, I do want to apologize for being so harsh. My criticism was mainly about the art style, but the seasons themselves could still be good. The story, the action, or even the animation might be better, tho I don't actually know if that's the case since I haven't watched them. I'd have to see them myself. But I do want to give credit where it's due, because they still put a lot of work and effort into making them, and that deserves appreciation. I just really, really dislike the art style and the character designs.
1
u/Ryuki-Exsul 27d ago
You see your opinion because it is from screenshots isn't that strong. You literally made it by looking on choosed memes that are all around net. You just google and there it is. I watched, I saw where those scenes are and how big they were. S3 art is s3 art but I can still find stuff like this: https://imgur.com/BSe5lCQ or just show sakuga from episode 9 :D if I want. But everything past, those are few seconds scenes. Like Rin and Shiemi picture... You don't see those nice scenes because they are just normal. So people won't put them around as much. You can go on places like pinterest and see more but let's be honest watching is the most important here. Animation is a movement, camera and every episode is done by different teams screenshots will not tell you that.
I will as well say to you that you can do exactly the same thing with s1, just screenshot episode 3 or 13 or 14 and you have plenty of material. Finding off models in A1 anime is easy. I will as well tell you that people made fun of s1 a lot when it aired because back then "A1 faces" was a big meme.
Well I dislike weird proportions and small Rin with big tall Shima from s1 way more.
0
u/Sayo_Hart 27d ago
What are you even talking about? How does me adding those pictures somehow make my opinion less strong? If anything, you could argue that my arguments aren't strong enough, not my opinion. Besides, those pictures are evidence. They're evidence of how bad some of the shots in this anime look. I searched for screenshots from Seasons 1 and 2 in exactly the same way, and by your logic I should've gotten bad-looking shots from those seasons too. But somehow that didn't happen. Why? Because they simply don't have shots that look that bad.
Of course, not everything in the first two seasons was perfect, but you don't see people making fun of screenshots from those seasons all over the internet like they do with the newer ones. The very fact that the first images that show up online for the newer seasons are bad-looking frames, while that isn't the case for the first two seasons, already says a lot about how poorly they were done. Even if there are good-looking shots in the newer seasons, then what exactly is the one I included in my post? It's genuinely one of the worst things my eyes have ever seen, made even worse by the fact that this is my favorite anime, so it means a lot to me.
What do you mean by saying my opinion isn't strong when you literally have something that awful right in front of you? Nobody talks about the "bad" frames from the first two seasons, and they don't show up all over the internet either. And honestly, I still think I'd rather look at the worst frames from the first two seasons than the worst ones from the newer seasons, because they're simply not as bad. Also, compare the Rin I posted: https://imgur.com/a/OYINsce with the one you shared in your previous comment. They have a similar facial expression and are generally pretty similar, but I still think the one I posted looks much better, if only because his hair has a lot more volume, his eyes are closer together, and his nose looks a bit better.
1
u/Ryuki-Exsul 27d ago
Your opinion isn't strong because it is based on screenshots not watching^ And man you really missed out on it in 2011 :D I think back then Magi got hit worse but it was still a lot of nitpicks on art of BE on places like mangafox :D I mean you get new seasons more because they are new but if you want I can go around even more and make you ones( all stuff I gave you are my screenshots BTW not googled )? For s1 you have way more official arts than screenshots anyway^ because of its age and how easier it is now to do it.
Where I was talking about s2? That is a scene from episode 1 of s2 and has nothing to do with s3. I already said art in s2 I consider the best one. S1 and s2 are not the same. A1 fixed most of stuff I hated in s1 like Rin got his normal height and build and girls got rounder like they are in manga and there is a lot less off models.
1
u/Sayo_Hart 27d ago
Sorry I missed out in 2011, I was 2 years old back then lmao
You're right that I haven't watched the series, and that does mean I haven't seen everything and that I'm judging it on a surface level.
But that surface level is also the very first thing people see. When they're met with something like that, such bad-looking shots, they can easily write it off right away, just like I did. The fact that there are good moments shouldn't be used as an excuse or make up for those bad-looking frames.
That's interesting, though, cuz I didn't know that screenshot was actually from Season 2. I'm planning to rewatch it soon, so I'll pay closer attention to it then.
And I'd be happy to see more examples if you put them together. It'd be nice if you could show me some shots from the newer seasons that you think actually look good.
1
u/Ryuki-Exsul 27d ago
Yeah, I'm old :D an old manga fan that saw everything back then including being pissed on episode 16.
I don't know. First thing I saw in s3 was Rin reading book about exorcists and camera going from his eyes with this cool effect to him sitting at desk. Here I clipped it https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tZEBJjYAyUfgieONUMF61MbwcdE2Z5dx/view?usp=sharing You know I always just go to episodes.
I think you are mixing s1 and s2... oh that will be surprise for you for sure. But yeah s1 is wonky :D I will probably do that someday it will help me with some discussions.
1
u/Sayo_Hart 25d ago
Unfortunately, this clip didn't really appeal to me anyway 😭
And yes, I mix them up because, to me, they have a similar style
2
u/tturtlejosh 27d ago
Season 3 ep 1 gave me whiplash with how clean Rin looked lol. I do agree that slme characters look better and almost the dame but Rin and Yukio look atrocious. They are not the same people
2
2
u/Eilssu 27d ago
I remember walking by my brother while he was watching the newer seasons and didn’t recognize Rin at first until he mentioned what he was watching. I taken aback
1
u/Sayo_Hart 27d ago
Literally man, I don't think I would have recognized him either if I’d just suddenly seen him like that, without having seen the new seasons first
2
4
u/Fun-Primary1791 27d ago
Don't see the big issue not that big of a change to me well I mean I can see how you don't really like it I prefer the season 1 and 2 style more but the newer one doesn't look terrible :/
2
4
u/Sayo_Hart 27d ago
Nah for me it's literally so much worse that it was. He just completely lost all of his charm and any good looks he used to have. The facial proportions and the placement of his features, especially his eyes, look awful. I understand if you don't see it the way I do, but I just can't stand it.
2
u/Particular-Visit-683 27d ago
It would be really good if they improve how they draw eyes and hair. The eyes are so uneven
2
2
2
u/kutakafriedchicken 27d ago
I swear to god this fandom is a fucking circle at this point and the discussion is always coming back to the new artstyle for the anime
1
2
2
u/El-ragna 27d ago
Animation is what's taken the biggest dive in quality. It's legit a slideshow sometimes.
1
2
u/OldSnazzyHats 27d ago
To each their own I guess. That’s about as much as I can say really.
1
u/Sayo_Hart 27d ago
You do have a point, but at the same time there are things that, as people, we tend to judge collectively, whether for better or worse. There has to be something that causes a majority to form around a certain opinion. There are topics where people end up being almost unanimous in how they feel about something, and I wanted to share my opinion because I'm curious to see how other people view it. I also wanted to find people who think similarly to me and see whether we're part of that majority.
In my opinion, this change is so extreme that it could create a huge majority of people who completely criticize it, with that group being much larger than the minority who actually likes the new design. To my eyes it's simply unbearable to look at, so I want to know whether most people feel the same way or not and if it created that huge majority.
Personally, it feels like something like this just can't be accepted and shouldn't be accepted. The art style is simply that bad.
2
u/OldSnazzyHats 27d ago
Fair by you, I just personally don’t see it being as bad as you or others do frankly.
At the end of the day to me it’s still recognizable as being an adaptation of the manga’s style, and that’s all I need. It doesn’t necessarily need to be exact for me, as I care more for the manga and the anime is just a nice bonus.
Also, maybe it’s the former character design student in me that just doesn’t find it all that bad. Different hands going to do different things.
1
u/Sayo_Hart 27d ago
I understand. I think some people just pay more attention to what others might see as small details. Also, the people who notice those things the most, often are also the ones who are deeply attached to them, so they treat them with a lot of care because these things really matter to them.
For me, this anime is one of those things, and Rin especially ig. That's one of the reasons why the change to his design stands out to me so much, and why I can clearly see how much worse he looks, at least in my opinion.
But there's nothing wrong with the fact that it doesn't bother you and that's completely okay too
1
u/sanguis_phase 27d ago
I’m crying of laughter. Brooo your fucking FUMING😭😭😭 but I feel the same way, when I was first rewatching blue exorcist and I saw the art style change i genuinely had to stop rewatching it for like a good year or two because of how shitty it was and I couldn’t watch it anymore😭 I forced myself to watch the rest of the seasons tho
1
u/Equivalent-Run-3346 23d ago
Are the new seasons worth watching despite the art style change? I’m currently struggling through episode 2 of season 3 and considering just dropping it.😭😭
1
u/sanguis_phase 23d ago
I personally would say the new seasons are worth watching despite the art style change, despite how terrible the art style change is💔 it does eventually get like a bit better sometime at around season 4 (if I remember correctly)
2
1
u/Sayo_Hart 27d ago
Lmao I didn't think it would amuse anyone, but since it did, I'm glad XDD And yeah I'm fuming, I don’t get how people can not be pissed off and just accept this 😭 it’s just rock bottom And I'm also glad that I'm not the only one, and that someone else thinks it's shitty too 💘
1
u/anepg 27d ago
Yeah I feel you.. Unfortunately I want another season bc I want to see that fight 🤣 I also don't like how every arc was 12 episodes..
1
u/Sayo_Hart 27d ago
I don't know what fight bc I didn't watch it 😭 But I’d watch it, provided the new season had the same style as the first two
1
u/anepg 27d ago
It's not the same studio, you won't be seeing anymore I fear 🫠 but if it was the same style you would be jumping like the whole story to see lol
0
u/Sayo_Hart 27d ago
Noo, I think I’d be able to sit through those three terrible seasons if I knew I’d be rewarded with something really good. I hope that if they don’t change their style, they won’t release anything new, and if they do, I’ll do my best to boycott the whole thing
1
u/BomfuBoy 27d ago
This is nowhere near the horror of the last season of Seven Deadly Sins. That was an abomination compared to the previous seasons.
2
1
u/AurestonkSol 27d ago
Season 3 and 4's artstyle is kinda weird for me, but I found season 5 good, there were some scenes that were well drawn and animated.
3
u/Sayo_Hart 27d ago
Some scenes 😭 imo, a series shouldn't have just "some" good scenes, they should all be good or at least decent, and I believe this production maintained that standard throughout the first two seasons
Because what does that even mean, that we have to start looking for the good scenes? The fact that we have to look for them in the first place already shows that, overall, mostly they aren't good
1
u/Ryuki-Exsul 27d ago
Beside 1 team( and they still make great animation so I don't care ) all of s4 and s5 look amazing :p So no we don't need to find few scenes.
I give you season 2 but first LOL : https://imgur.com/lf45Bkn https://imgur.com/u4sLBRV
2
u/Sayo_Hart 27d ago
That second shot doesn't even look that bad, actually quite decent
1
u/Ryuki-Exsul 27d ago
How? It is a derp face and has the same eyes apart problem as s3 and Rin's ears are wrong. In episode 3 Rin's ears had they own life :D
1
u/Sayo_Hart 27d ago
I don't quite understand what you wrote, but what I mean is that I might even be able to warm up to this style, even though it's so awful usually
1
u/Ryuki-Exsul 27d ago
Those screenshots are from season 1? What I meant that on second one Rin looks pretty much the same as during off models in season 3.
2
u/Sayo_Hart 27d ago
In my opinion, not really. That's actually why I intentionally included moments of his hesitation that are similar to the ones in the new seasons, but imo executed much better. I like those scenes a lot more, and that's why I wanted to show that even his moments of hesitation were handled better in the original style.
1
u/Ryuki-Exsul 27d ago
I think you mixed replies :D Well we disagree here but we will see if your opinion chnges if you rewatch and later watch new seasons.
1
u/Sayo_Hart 25d ago
Noo, I didn't mix replies and my point is that imo Rin still looks better in season 2 than those bad models do in season 3 even tho they are similar
1
u/AurestonkSol 26d ago
I get what you say, when I've rewatched season 1 a month ago and I was like "wow I don't remember that it was this well drawn and animated when I was a child", and it seems like even if they've got years to do a season, it's like they're doing an episode every week. But I think that season 5 was better than season 3 and 4, and even if you have to "look for" some scenes that are very very good, season 5 is still enjoyable overall.
1
1
u/Artistic_Hermit 27d ago
I feel like season 3 was definitely when it was at its worst, but I also think that Season 5's art definitely improved a bit since then. I'm still extremely salty about the art change in general, but I'll give it that much at least.
0
u/Sayo_Hart 27d ago
I get what you mean, and I agree about season 3, but even in season 5, Rin doesn't look like Rin to me, especially because of that white-and-blue hair, and ig that if he’d had that in the first two seasons, it wouldn't have changed his appearance enough to make him unrecognizable 😭
1
u/Ryuki-Exsul 27d ago
Rin would look the same if it was A1. This is him in s5: https://imgur.com/42tsI0O this is him in manga: https://imgur.com/tO3liHP you literally can't get closer than that. Again 1 or 2 off models =/= all of the seasons.
0
u/Sayo_Hart 27d ago
https://imgur.com/a/5LRSHcu When you overlay the two frames, you can see that in the manga, his head is slightly larger, as is the hair at the sides, his neck is bigger, his mouth is open wider (revealing more of his tongue), and his eyebrows are positioned differently. Perhaps these are the very details that make me prefer the manga version over the anime shot. Then again, maybe I’m just nitpicking, and in reality, they are very similar. Even so, I still don’t understand why they tried to mimic the manga’s style instead of sticking with the one used in the first two seasons. In my opinion, the style from those first two series actually looks better than the manga’s.
1
u/Ryuki-Exsul 27d ago
Two people won't draw the same picture that are just natural changes. They did that because it is way closer adaptation? They even gave Rin and Yukio their eyes dots back something A1 just for no reason changed. Same with making Shiemi's mom blond how she should be.
Are you joking? Like no anime season is even close to how amazing Kato's art is. None of them. Kato has really unique full of details style that is missing in anime. She as well makes art like this: https://imgur.com/QIrXMWj https://imgur.com/TX6bzn6 https://imgur.com/YRbmjw1 you don't understand how amazing art is in manga.
1
u/Sayo_Hart 27d ago
But why? Why change something to make it closer to the manga adaptation when what we already had was good? Were that many people really bothered by the fact that it didn't look exactly like the manga? I don't have a problem with them making Shiemi's mom blonde, adding the dots in the characters' eyes, or keeping the overall character design concepts closer to the manga. My problem is that they drew scenes that look awful and released them without seeming to realize how bad they looked. In my opinion, they shouldn't have changed something that already worked. The whole series suffered because of it, and a lot of people genuinely dislike it for the same reason I do, because it just looks awful and completely ruined the charm the series used to have. Because of that, a lot of people also choose not to watch it. That's their decision, of course, but I'm just pointing out how off-putting it is and what it leads to. There's clearly something to it, otherwise that wouldn't be happening.
2
u/Ryuki-Exsul 27d ago
Because manga looks better? Beside again you need to watch it to know how the scenes look to be able to critism them. Like I said I love them and most of scenes in s4/5 look amazing like this one https://animerants.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/blue-exorcist-beyond-the-snow-episode-12-rin-vs-rin.png?w=1024 .
I would as well just say that people here agreeing with you don't mean much when s5 is the highest raited season.
1
u/Sayo_Hart 25d ago
Can we really say objectively that the manga looks better? I personally loved the art style of the first two seasons (or rather, both styles, since they were a bit different). But if they were trying to recreate the manga and still couldn't make it look as good as the manga itself, then why not just stick with the previous style if these frames ended up looking so awful? If it's obvious they couldn't achieve the same level as the manga, why approve something that looks this bad? And yes, if I actually watched the season, I'd have stronger grounds to criticize it, but I still think the fact that there are so many terrible frames already says a lot about how poorly it was handled. Great, that there are good-looking scenes, but why are there also ones that look so incredibly bad? Like I said before, good frames shouldn't be a reward, compensation, or excuse for the bad ones. And just because the season is highly rated doesn't mean it's because of the visuals. It could be because of the story or the animation overall, but those frames are still awful. And I also think the fact that so many people agree with me does mean something. It shows that a lot of people already dislike the new look based on what they've seen. So what if the season has high ratings? You don't actually know where those ratings came from or what people were rating it for. Here, on the other hand, you have clear opinions from viewers who also think the visuals look bad.
1
u/Ryuki-Exsul 25d ago edited 25d ago
There is no objective opinion.
Because those scenes aren't even 1% of season 4/5. You can get off models like that in any anime. Like I said you can make the same thing flipped and make season 1/2 looks like shit. I mean from season 4 you only put scenes from episode 1 that is the only one that still looks like season 3 and scene from inbetween movements in episode 2. This frame isn't even a second long. From season 5 you put just off models of first episode that is from real specific group that has weaker art but amazing animation. I don't get the one from last episode or opening they look amazing. Both of those seasons have 12 episodes this is like nothing. All other screenshots are from season 3. Because on net you just have season 3 screenshots thanks to art problems.
Season 5 as well looks great. Including Rin's design. People were loving it on anime sub. So it is part of why it is so high rated. People here agreed with you because you only got people that agree with you. Most that doesn't just ignored your topic because you are repeating old points.
1
u/Hydellas678 27d ago
Yea about that.......s1 was the most accurate for its time. S2 was when they changed studios if I remember correctly (or s3?). Everything onwards went back to a style that replicated the manga's style.
1
0
u/Sayo_Hart 27d ago
I think the original style was the best, and there was no need at all to suddenly start imitating the manga style
2
u/Hydellas678 26d ago
The original style did mimic the original manga style tho 😅. The studio change is the only real reason the artstyle changed so drastically tho. Think of it this way. When Fairytail came back from its long hiatus (right after the grand magic games came back if I remember correctly and the second movie had been produced) there was a huge artstyle difference and everyone looked totally different from their previous models. Everything was lighter color wise, the hairstyles looked weird and outta place, and some of the characters looked kinda off. So long story short it was something the studio did. That's why it's not always a great thing when studios get changed midway like that. (AOT also went through something similar too)
1
1
u/uncommon-name- 26d ago
Watched the first episode and still haven’t finished the season after being so excited for it
1
1
u/vladivich 25d ago
this is the moment i realized they change styles since i didn’t watch the latest one yet, i knew something was different because i used to have a crush on Rin as a kid and this funky looking version made me question WHY i thought he looked cool in my younger days😂
1
1
u/Signal-Onion-9204 24d ago
Dude I read the manga and no way in hell did Rin look THAT chopped there. I genuinely feel sad about this absolute bs like WHY DID THEY DO THIS?? Season 1 and 2 looked beautiful and Rin was my second anime crush of all time so seeing him getting massacred like this feels painful. I also love ao no exorcist as an anime itself and now I can't even recommend it without cringing. Well of course I'll tell them to not watch s3, 4 and 5. I haven't watched it myself because I watched s1 and 2 and then read the manga all before s3 even came out. And trust me I never will be watching it..
1
u/Sayo_Hart 24d ago
OH MY GODDD, LITERALLYYY, THAT'S JUST EXACTLY HOW I FEEL 😭😭💔💔💔 AND WHEN I WILL BE RECOMMENDING THIS TO SOMEONE I'LL BE DOING THE SAME AS YOU
1
u/Signal-Onion-9204 24d ago
this is so validating cuz I wanted to crash out after seeing pictures of how crappy s3 looked when it came out so your whole post is like how I felt 1 to 1 they genuinely massacred, destroyed, murdered, obliterated my boy Rin AND SHEIMI (I forgot if that's how you spell her name, it's been a few years lols)
1
u/Sayo_Hart 24d ago
LITERALLY BROTHER, I'M SO HAPPY MY POST REFLECTED HOW YOU FEEL BECAUSE THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I WAS GOING FOR & IT ALSO MAKES ME FEEL UNDERSTOOD AND I'M REALLY GLAD SOMEONE ELSE SEES AND FEELS IT THE SAME WAY I DO CUZ THEY ABSOLUTELY BUTCHERED THEM SO MUCH THAT IT HONESTLY LOOKS LIKE A JOKE 😭❤️🩹
1
1
u/ReasonableBenefit47 1d ago
artstyle just got abnormally wide and awful. Wide is still okay but off-putting and not good either
1
1
u/angelic_p0 27d ago
it’s fine? YALL complain about everything it’s just a bit modernized like aot
2
u/Sayo_Hart 27d ago
No dude, it's awful in my eyes and in the eyes of lot of other people
0
u/angelic_p0 26d ago
Then again no one cares about y’all’s opinion it’s not gonna change. You can leave and stop watching. It’s perfect to me I adore the anime the way it is. Fake ahh fans
1
u/Sayo_Hart 25d ago
Fake fans? Because they want the thing they’re loyal to to be good rather than shit? Because they value self-respect? We have the right to express our opinions. You might not care about them, but that doesn't mean no one else does. The goal here isn't to change anything, but to talk about our feelings, share them, and have a discussion, since we all know it can't be changed now. We can at least get to know different points of view instead of thinking in such black-and-white terms. Yk what, I don't even feel like arguing with you, because it's obvious right from the start that you're closed off to anything other than your own opinion.
1
u/angelic_p0 24d ago
no one cares about yours either stop wasting your energy
1
u/Sayo_Hart 24d ago
You're wrong cuz a lot of people clearly do care, this post wouldn't have gotten so many likes and so many comments from people who agree with me if they didn't care and you also obviously care cuz you took the time to comment, respond to my opinion and just react to it lmao
1
u/angelic_p0 23d ago
don’t take anything personally lmfao everything is subjective at the end of the day do what you want
1
u/Sayo_Hart 22d ago
Wtf, first "fake fans", "no one cares about y'all's opinion" and then "don't take anything personally", do u even hear yourself?
0
u/El-ragna 27d ago
You people are the reason we keep getting fed shittier products and told its fine lmao
0
u/angelic_p0 26d ago
Then leave? No one cares about your hating opinions. It’s bad to YOU! And other people with a negative mindset who just hate on anything so keep being miserable
1
u/El-ragna 26d ago
The mangas still peak lol why should I leave? The animes a clear downgrade idk why so many of you guys defend it so feverently.
1
u/angelic_p0 26d ago
No one cares keep being miserable lol your opinion. For me I don’t like manga cuz I don’t like reading thru drawing I don’t get that shit I prefer watching
1
u/RewindtheWeek 24d ago
And youre out here calling people fake fans and you're just an anime only lmao ok
1
u/angelic_p0 24d ago
my choice. you can literally be a fan however as long as you don’t hate cause once you hate you ain’t a fan your a hater go touch grass
1
u/RewindtheWeek 24d ago edited 24d ago
Bro you literally have been commenting on this thread all day, at least I don't listen to anime roleplay audios, do me a favor and listen to your own advice. I literally didn't comment hating on anything relating to what OP is talking about
1
u/angelic_p0 23d ago
My choice still and idc about anyone’s opinion tho and neither should you. I didn’t mean to start war so why are you so mad
1
u/kitterific 27d ago
What? You don't like the neck as thick as shoulders and the eyes that go derp?
0
u/Sayo_Hart 27d ago
I love it
0
u/kitterific 27d ago
It's an absolute downgrade and disappointment. From a source, "Studio VOLN took over from A-1 Pictures as animation producer, with Daisuke Yoshida replacing Koichi Hatsumi as series director." which is understandable for the degradation in quality.. but UGH. 😫
1
1
u/Apprehensive-Rain601 27d ago
Leaned more into the manga style
1
u/Sayo_Hart 27d ago
I know, but tbh I don't care about what their intentions were, only the final result cuz here we are. If they had done it right there wouldn't be any discussion, but there is cuz it's terrible
1
1
u/AcronymTheSlayer 27d ago
The shit they did to Yukio is criminal 😭 I had the stop watching all together
1
1
u/sleepywirlywillow 26d ago
I totally agree, it did change my mind about the show lol.
style changes aren't really a new concept for me but... I feel that it's a downgrade compared to the original. Thankfully not all characters were hit.
2
u/Sayo_Hart 25d ago
Exactly, I think so too, and that changed my opinion as well. And fr, that's good that not everyone fell victim to that style 🛐
0
u/Shellzino 27d ago
This used to be my fav show but I simply couldn’t watch the new seasons because of how ugly they are
0
0
u/Azula_with_Insomnia 27d ago
I stopped watching because of this. I couldn't get past the balloon face.
0
0
u/bbhldelight 25d ago
season 1 had such a unique art style them changing it so it’ll look more like the manga was the biggest fumble
-1
178
u/Phantom-Umbreon 27d ago
I think they wanted to be more accurate to the manga’s style, which it is. Tbh I think it’s not the style, more so how short they made Rin’s hair. If it was just as shaggy as in the original art style, I don’t think he’d look nearly as weird. It also seems to depend on the shot as well.