ODE TO ANIMATION

Animation is a medium that is often considered childish and is overlooked compared to live action. While this has always been the case, in recent years the trend of adapting classic animated films and stories into live action versions, along with 3D renditions, have pushed hand-drawn animation out of the public eye in western pop culture.

The history, techniques, and complex visual language of animation, especially those of traditional Japanese animation, are not only being kept alive, but thriving thanks to anime. The form allows storytellers to utilise their imagination to tell common stories in a completely new light. As media and content gets ever more and more standardised and formulaic, the whimsical, expressive nature of Japanese anime continues to enrich our visual grammar.

— Talat Ahmed, Sub-editor, SHOUT