@iron_megalith
I hadn't watched all of the "Sakuga" videos before, but now I have. The history recap was particularly interesting to me, with how the Japanese got to that "static" style and frame manipulation we see today. I was aware of Disney's influence on them, but not how close they got to emulate their style before finding their own way... Oh, and go Toei ! ^_^
That Asura's Wrath DLC is wild indeed... I agree with you. While I appreciate the talent and work that is shown there, it's not the style I would prefer. That surrealist way of portraying the characters, with those exaggerated close ups and amorphous designs... It can be great on small doses, but it's easy to get saturated with more. I guess you could say the same for the rest, but I think it's specially true for this one. I also got the feeling from the videos that the current trends seem to go that way more than anything... That explains things.
If you watched the previous vid I linked and watched the following parts, you would see the distinct style that a certain influential Japanese animator ushered in.
Kanada school I presume ? Seems to fit the over the top action style and contrast of light and dark shades. And he does seem to be the most popular of them all... Probably my favorite of these contributions too, followed by Iso and Itano.
By the way, I didn't know that trivia about Swat Kats either... I never paid much attention to it, but I could've noticed it before... I guess the character design was enough to prevent it.
