Opinion on PA Works

Mar 16, 2015 10:04 AM

Offline

Jun 2014

4892

FlameWingman21 said:
Watched:
Angel Beats! - 10/10
Hanasaku Iroha - 9/10
Nagi no Asukara - 9/10
Tari Tari - 9/10
True Tears - 7/10

Not watched yet:
Another
Canaan
Charlotte
Glasslip
Red Data Girl
Shirobako
Spider Riders (most likely won't watch)
Uchouten Kazoku

Looks pretty good a studio to me.

Haven't seen any of those. *Goes back into tent labeled shounen and closes flap*

Mar 16, 2015 10:08 AM

#62

FlameWingman21

Offline

May 2013

2029

Syndiciate said:

FlameWingman21 said:
Watched:
Angel Beats! - 10/10
Hanasaku Iroha - 9/10
Nagi no Asukara - 9/10
Tari Tari - 9/10
True Tears - 7/10

Not watched yet:
Another
Canaan
Charlotte
Glasslip
Red Data Girl
Shirobako
Spider Riders (most likely won't watch)
Uchouten Kazoku

Looks pretty good a studio to me.

Haven't seen any of those. *Goes back into tent labeled shounen and closes flap*

Trying new things won't hurt.

Mar 16, 2015 10:51 AM

#63

Meta_Yoshi

Offline

Feb 2014

4271

For a Mid-tier Studio, they put in a lot of effort in the visual department.

Even the lackluster Glasslip still looked and animated really well, and Nagi no Asukara and Angel Beats won me over with the great visuals backed with interesting characters and stories too.

They aren't the best when it comes to adapting from manga/LNs, but apart from Glasslip, they excel in original anime.

Mar 16, 2015 11:26 AM

#64

asdfghjk14789632

Offline

Mar 2013

555

I have a love hate relationship with PA works. Sometimes I love them. Sometimes I hate them with a passion. It's a strange feeling.

But for now I'm still mad about Glasslip and all the time I've wasted on that show.

Mar 16, 2015 12:47 PM

#65

fades

Offline

Oct 2012

1000

I didn't see glasslip, angel beats looked like suzumiya rip off, so I didn't like it as much.
I liked nagi asu, tari tari and another.

I don't think the main goal is to make a realistic romance, I think the goal is to make an ordinary romance, with a touch of moe.
cute but not too cute, chill shows.

Mar 16, 2015 1:16 PM

#66

Riptos

Offline

Nov 2009

3765

I love P.A Works' art style. Even if the anime sucks hard, it still looks really nice.

However when they have done an anime well, it's pretty awesome. Angel Beats was the first anime of theirs I watched and I was blown away by alot of the visual effects on the OP alone. I always watched out for them on the upcoming lists after that.

Mar 16, 2015 2:21 PM

#67

Hahalollawl

Offline

May 2013

760

AaaaaaKun said:
I like the way they treat their employees which is way more dignified than pretty much everywhere else, and their "no fanservice" policy, and Horikawa Kenji is a really cool guy. Unlike Kyoto Ani., a studio similar in size and business model, I'm really glad they score big with Shirobako.

Can you point me to a source for this "no fanservice" policy? I'm actually curious where you got that from and if it is true that would be very interesting.

Personally P.A. Works is probably one of my favorite studios because they do EXCELLENT ART/ANIMATION. Why would you criticize them for something that you haven't even shown they are responsible for (story)? I prefer to give the animation studio credit for something it IS responsible for, namely the art/animation.

Mar 16, 2015 2:39 PM

#68

baki502

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Apr 2012

4713

I have yet to truly find an anime good from them. So no I dont like them. Its not to the point of hate tough.

Mar 16, 2015 2:40 PM

#69

baki502

Offline

Apr 2012

4713

amateur said:
They have a natural talent in taking great premises and turning them into mediocre series on a constant basis.
In the visual department they are always doing a fine job ,so that always satisfies the easy going anime viewer....

*painful memories of Nagi no Asukara flooding back*

Mar 16, 2015 3:26 PM

#70

SeijiSensei

Offline

May 2012

18055

Lancehot said:
I've yet to see something by them I'd watch twice

I've already watched all the existing episodes of Shirobako twice; it's just that good. I'll probably watch Uchouten Kazoku again sometime as well.

Mar 16, 2015 5:20 PM

#71

raveninthemuddle

Offline

Dec 2014

428

Hahalollawl said:

AaaaaaKun said:
I like the way they treat their employees which is way more dignified than pretty much everywhere else, and their "no fanservice" policy, and Horikawa Kenji is a really cool guy. Unlike Kyoto Ani., a studio similar in size and business model, I'm really glad they score big with Shirobako.

Can you point me to a source for this "no fanservice" policy? I'm actually curious where you got that from and if it is true that would be very interesting.

Personally P.A. Works is probably one of my favorite studios because they do EXCELLENT ART/ANIMATION. Why would you criticize them for something that you haven't even shown they are responsible for (story)? I prefer to give the animation studio credit for something it IS responsible for, namely the art/animation.

Sorry, can't find any source online. I heard it from a friend who attended a production meeting with some higher-ups from P.A. Works several years ago back when they were still making True Tears.

Nah, when it comes to studios I always favor their ability and willingness to produce original anime more than making adaptations from good source material. I want to see if their business model and practices can attract new talents and also be sustainable rather than just doing a boring by the book critique that can't distinguish them from others when there is also something going on in the background. I personally have no doubt in their ability to make decent anime and possibly one day a great one if they can maintain their dedication to the path they have chosen. A little more personal touch is what I prefer especially after the downfall of Madhouse in 2011.

Mar 16, 2015 6:01 PM

#72

Syndiciate

Offline

Jun 2014

4892

FlameWingman21 said:

Syndiciate said:

Haven't seen any of those. *Goes back into tent labeled shounen and closes flap*

Trying new things won't hurt.

*Laughs into infinity*

Mar 16, 2015 6:44 PM

#73

Hahalollawl

Offline

May 2013

760

AaaaaaKun said:

Hahalollawl said:

Can you point me to a source for this "no fanservice" policy? I'm actually curious where you got that from and if it is true that would be very interesting.

Personally P.A. Works is probably one of my favorite studios because they do EXCELLENT ART/ANIMATION. Why would you criticize them for something that you haven't even shown they are responsible for (story)? I prefer to give the animation studio credit for something it IS responsible for, namely the art/animation.

Sorry, can't find any source online. I heard it from a friend who attended a production meeting with some higher-ups from P.A. Works several years ago back when they were still making True Tears.

Nah, when it comes to studios I always favor their ability and willingness to produce original anime more than making adaptations from good source material. I want to see if their business model and practices can attract new talents and also be sustainable rather than just doing a boring by the book critique that can't distinguish them from others when there is also something going on in the background. I personally have no doubt in their ability to make decent anime and possibly one day a great one if they can maintain their dedication to the path they have chosen. A little more personal touch is what I prefer especially after the downfall of Madhouse in 2011.

Hmmm, very interesting. And honestly, I don't know if it's true or not but if I think about the shows P.A. Works has done, it does seem like they tend to avoid excessive fan service, so it wouldn't surprise me if it were true.

Also, the second part of that post was not directed at you, it was directed at people who criticize P.A. Works shows for their story which they may or may not have control over.

Also, I agree about the original anime. Another reason I am fond of P.A. Works is it seems like they have, at least recently, decided to take the potentially more risky (perhaps high risk high reward) path of doing original works. While I don't necessarily dislike adaptations, it's nice to see a studio take risks. However, I was perhaps a bit concerned that it didn't seem to be paying off financially very much for them lately until Shirobako. NagiAsu was perhaps a moderate success.

Mar 16, 2015 8:18 PM

#74

Toarujisuru

💉 🩸 🩹 💖 🏥

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Feb 2012

3607

Good animation and relatively nice stories, but I don't think anything they make will ever be a 9 or 10/10 for me. I have yet to see Hanasaku Iroha, though.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world."

Mar 17, 2015 12:56 AM

#75

azzuRe

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Oct 2009

7148

I like their anime, though it is indeed some are hit or miss, but once they made a good one it leaves a good impact in my memory. Their character design is quite consistent, for example the range for their drama slice of life oriented anime like Tari-Tari, RDG, hanairo, nagiasu, glasslip, to shirobako. It is fairly consistent and expressive.

The most important things in life is the people that you care about

Mar 17, 2015 3:35 AM

#76

Kreion

Offline

Mar 2012

654

Hahalollawl said:

AaaaaaKun said:
I like the way they treat their employees which is way more dignified than pretty much everywhere else, and their "no fanservice" policy, and Horikawa Kenji is a really cool guy. Unlike Kyoto Ani., a studio similar in size and business model, I'm really glad they score big with Shirobako.

Can you point me to a source for this "no fanservice" policy? I'm actually curious where you got that from and if it is true that would be very interesting.

Personally P.A. Works is probably one of my favorite studios because they do EXCELLENT ART/ANIMATION. Why would you criticize them for something that you haven't even shown they are responsible for (story)? I prefer to give the animation studio credit for something it IS responsible for, namely the art/animation.

Sorry, buts it is perfectly fine to judge an animation studio on their ability to create an interesting story an pace it well. Most of the time they get a fair amount of autonomy over these things, plus the story is part of the animation. You can't just ignore it if you actually want to judge the series properly. My biggest criticism of PA works is how they pace series, which is often a bit slow and in the worst cases nothing happens.

Animation wise they're very good, though better at art and bgs than complex animation from most of what I've seen.

Mar 17, 2015 5:59 AM

#77

Hahalollawl

Offline

May 2013

760

Kreion said:

Hahalollawl said:

Can you point me to a source for this "no fanservice" policy? I'm actually curious where you got that from and if it is true that would be very interesting.

Personally P.A. Works is probably one of my favorite studios because they do EXCELLENT ART/ANIMATION. Why would you criticize them for something that you haven't even shown they are responsible for (story)? I prefer to give the animation studio credit for something it IS responsible for, namely the art/animation.

Sorry, buts it is perfectly fine to judge an animation studio on their ability to create an interesting story an pace it well. Most of the time they get a fair amount of autonomy over these things, plus the story is part of the animation. You can't just ignore it if you actually want to judge the series properly. My biggest criticism of PA works is how they pace series, which is often a bit slow and in the worst cases nothing happens.

Animation wise they're very good, though better at art and bgs than complex animation from most of what I've seen.

Your use of the phrases "Most of the time" and "fair amount" suggest that it is not "perfectly fine" to simply judge an animation studio on the quality of the story. In order for it to be perfectly fine to judge a studio on the quality of the story, it would seem like you should at least know that they are indeed exerting substantial influence over that story. Whether or not it is "most of the time", an animation studio's control over the story likely varies from studio to studio, project to project.

Is it possible they have some influence? Yes, but is it possible they have very little influence? Also yes.

So you're suggesting it's perfectly fine to judge a studio over something that you haven't proven it even has much control over? I'm not saying you have no right to judge based on story, if that's what you want to do. If you want to hold an opinion based on little or no evidence, then I guess that's your right, but it seems like a pretty weak position to judge from.

However, it seems like instead of blaming the animation studio for a script that they may or may not have had influence on, perhaps one should blame the script writer.

Mar 17, 2015 6:05 AM

#78

Kezmi

Offline

Feb 2013

850

On the whole, I like them. They usually make pretty solid anime, the only flop I can think of is Glasslip, and every studio has a few bad eggs. Their work is practically always beautiful just from an animation standpoint, and I dunno, I guess their brand of cheesy romance works on me.

Mar 17, 2015 6:18 AM

#79

Luna_Sparkle

Offline

Nov 2011

2872

Of what I've seen:
Angel Beats! = 5/10
Another = 6/10
Canaan = 4/10
True Tears = 6/10

I can hardly care. They're sitting at about average, and Canaan and True Tears aren't very memorable. Another didn't do nearly as well as it should have in the second half. Angel Beats is just overrated.

Kreion said:
Sorry, buts it is perfectly fine to judge an animation studio on their ability to create an interesting story an pace it well. Most of the time they get a fair amount of autonomy over these things, plus the story is part of the animation. You can't just ignore it if you actually want to judge the series properly. My biggest criticism of PA works is how they pace series, which is often a bit slow and in the worst cases nothing happens.

Animation wise they're very good, though better at art and bgs than complex animation from most of what I've seen.

...Since when was story a part of animation? They're factors in rating an anime, but animation is a separate factor. Anyhow, story is more important than animation, imo. Which is why I'll never watch SAO, I don't trust the recommendations I've heard.

Luna_SparkleMar 17, 2015 6:21 AM

Mar 17, 2015 6:22 AM

#80

Javera

Offline

Jan 2013

1233

I'm really enjoying Shirobako as of now. Nagi no Asukara was great while Glasslip became a beautiful disappointment. Angel Beats! was one of the first anime i've seen before starting the medium, still entertaining to this day.

I can't really say much of P.A. Works as whole but so far from what i've heard they can be hit or miss.

Youtube Channel | MyFigureCollection

Mar 17, 2015 7:59 AM

#81

Red_Tuesday

Offline

Jul 2014

3778

LunarProxy said:
Another didn't do nearly as well as it should have in the second half. Angel Beats is just overrated..

I think most people think of Another as a self-aware joke, at least the people who rate it high - for what it is - which is comedy. As for Angel Beats, you're right. Haven't seen Canaan or True Tears but Hanasaku Iroha went straight to the top of my favourites when I saw it, which was after passing 100 shows completed. So I can't agree that they are average, because they have produced the best anime I have seen.

From what I can tell from other shows though, PA Works have never done as well in character development or design than they did with Hanasaku Iroha, I'm starting to wonder if they had some short-lived very central person up and leave the company at some point. Even if traces of the same style exists in their newer anime, it's extremely watered down and lower production-value wise.

Mar 17, 2015 12:39 PM

#82

BadMediaKarma

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Jun 2012

243

PA Works is cool, but kind of all over the place. It's not one of those studios where everything looks and feels the same, so I think it's easy to like some of their works and not others.
Angel Beats, Canaan, and Another are all among my favorite shows, so I'd say I'm a fan. On the other hand, Tari Tari was the first airing anime that I ever gave a 5 to, so...

"I'm gonna make you bleed like me!"
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Mar 17, 2015 12:44 PM

#83

Aeonic

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Apr 2008

1137

LunarProxy said:
Of what I've seen:
Angel Beats! = 5/10
Another = 6/10
Canaan = 4/10
True Tears = 6/10

I can hardly care. They're sitting at about average, and Canaan and True Tears aren't very memorable. Another didn't do nearly as well as it should have in the second half. Angel Beats is just overrated.

Kreion said:
Sorry, buts it is perfectly fine to judge an animation studio on their ability to create an interesting story an pace it well. Most of the time they get a fair amount of autonomy over these things, plus the story is part of the animation. You can't just ignore it if you actually want to judge the series properly. My biggest criticism of PA works is how they pace series, which is often a bit slow and in the worst cases nothing happens.

Animation wise they're very good, though better at art and bgs than complex animation from most of what I've seen.

...Since when was story a part of animation? They're factors in rating an anime, but animation is a separate factor. Anyhow, story is more important than animation, imo. Which is why I'll never watch SAO, I don't trust the recommendations I've heard.

Yep, they're a mediocre study that has made no memorable titles. Even gonzo despite being a pathetic shell of its former self has memorable titles of the past. Bones, Madhouse, Kyoani, Key, regardless of whether you like these shows or not, these studios have at least produced one title that is memorable for the majority of anime fans.

Mar 17, 2015 2:46 PM

#84

Hahalollawl

Offline

May 2013

760

Aeonic said:

LunarProxy said:
Of what I've seen:
Angel Beats! = 5/10
Another = 6/10
Canaan = 4/10
True Tears = 6/10

I can hardly care. They're sitting at about average, and Canaan and True Tears aren't very memorable. Another didn't do nearly as well as it should have in the second half. Angel Beats is just overrated.

...Since when was story a part of animation? They're factors in rating an anime, but animation is a separate factor. Anyhow, story is more important than animation, imo. Which is why I'll never watch SAO, I don't trust the recommendations I've heard.

Yep, they're a mediocre study that has made no memorable titles. Even gonzo despite being a pathetic shell of its former self has memorable titles of the past. Bones, Madhouse, Kyoani, Key, regardless of whether you like these shows or not, these studios have at least produced one title that is memorable for the majority of anime fans.

I'm not even sure if this post is worth responding to, but how much do you actually know about P.A. Works? Just because you may not know much about them doesn't mean nobody else knows about them. Angel Beats averaged over 30,000 copies per volume. That is a LOT. Shirobako also appears to be selling quite well.

And why would you compare a studio that was founded in 2000 to studios that are so much older? How does that make any sense? Sure, Madhouse has done a lot more shows. They were also founded almost 30 years before P.A. Works, but who's counting?

Come on, can't the critics do better than this? Sheesh. If you don't like P.A. Works fine, but can't people at least come up with reasonable criticism?

Mar 17, 2015 3:22 PM

#85

xbobx

Offline

Jun 2010

2561

Aeonic said:
Yep, they're a mediocre study that has made no memorable titles. Even gonzo despite being a pathetic shell of its former self has memorable titles of the past. Bones, Madhouse, Kyoani, Key, regardless of whether you like these shows or not, these studios have at least produced one title that is memorable for the majority of anime fans.

>they're a mediocre study that has made no memorable titles.
Subjective. Biased.
>Even gonzo despite being a pathetic shell of its former self has memorable titles of the past.
Subjective. Biased.
> these studios have at least produced one title that is memorable for the majority of anime fans.
Subjective. Biased.

What you see as "memorable" is deeply personal, and, sorry, I can't help but laugh at your attempted-reasoning based on the "majority of anime fans".
Not to mention P.A.Works is a new studio on this medium (given the age of the ones you compared it to) so they got plenty of time to prove their value and do their "memorable" things.

http://fakemorisummer.wordpress.com/

Mar 17, 2015 3:29 PM

#86

Lollo36

Offline

Nov 2013

9208

Aeonic said:

LunarProxy said:
Of what I've seen:
Angel Beats! = 5/10
Another = 6/10
Canaan = 4/10
True Tears = 6/10

I can hardly care. They're sitting at about average, and Canaan and True Tears aren't very memorable. Another didn't do nearly as well as it should have in the second half. Angel Beats is just overrated.

...Since when was story a part of animation? They're factors in rating an anime, but animation is a separate factor. Anyhow, story is more important than animation, imo. Which is why I'll never watch SAO, I don't trust the recommendations I've heard.

Yep, they're a mediocre study that has made no memorable titles. Even gonzo despite being a pathetic shell of its former self has memorable titles of the past. Bones, Madhouse, Kyoani, Key, regardless of whether you like these shows or not, these studios have at least produced one title that is memorable for the majority of anime fans.

The irony.
Also, 2 of their titles are in the top 30 most popular anime here on MAL.

Mar 17, 2015 3:39 PM

#87

Discrepancy

Offline

Mar 2014

548

I just checked MALgraph, only to find out that it's literally the last studio in my favourite studios listing, lol. Well, I suppose I'm not exactly a fan of their works at this point, though, granted, I haven't seen a lot of their shows, which is why I've gone for 'indifferent'.

Mar 17, 2015 3:47 PM

#88

Kreion

Offline

Mar 2012

654

LunarProxy said:
Of what I've seen:
Angel Beats! = 5/10
Another = 6/10
Canaan = 4/10
True Tears = 6/10

I can hardly care. They're sitting at about average, and Canaan and True Tears aren't very memorable. Another didn't do nearly as well as it should have in the second half. Angel Beats is just overrated.

Kreion said:
Sorry, buts it is perfectly fine to judge an animation studio on their ability to create an interesting story an pace it well. Most of the time they get a fair amount of autonomy over these things, plus the story is part of the animation. You can't just ignore it if you actually want to judge the series properly. My biggest criticism of PA works is how they pace series, which is often a bit slow and in the worst cases nothing happens.

Animation wise they're very good, though better at art and bgs than complex animation from most of what I've seen.

...Since when was story a part of animation? They're factors in rating an anime, but animation is a separate factor. Anyhow, story is more important than animation, imo. Which is why I'll never watch SAO, I don't trust the recommendations I've heard.

Since when is the plot part of a film - that's basically what you're saying.

An animation is a combination of voice actors, directors, animators, background artists, sounds artist and more - if you want to judge a series properly, and a studio properly, you must take ALL these things into consideration. It's fine to like one and dislike the other, or to dislike one so much that you dislike the entire show, but whilst you can judge them all separately they are all co-ordinated and under the responsibility of the main animation studio. Unless you want to go into specific directors and such then I see no problem with holding the entire studio accountable.

To reiterate, the animation quality, and the quality of the series a whole, can both come under the term animation. Since the term is used for the individual aspect and the completed package...hopefully that's cleared up any misunderstandings about my words.

Mar 17, 2015 6:26 PM

#89

F0RMATION

Offline

Nov 2013

1095

I like most of their works. I really loved Hanasaku Iroha and Nagi no Asukara, and Shirobako will probably end up in my favorites list after it ends cause I love it that much. I even enjoyed Angel Beats and Another, and they weren't that great. I think their only downfalls from what I've seen are Glasslip and Red Data Girl.

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