Certain anime studios — and even certain creators — have signature moves. Hallmarks or calling cards, if you will. Let’s have a look!
Recently, on Twitter (via Togetter), people have been talking about famous poses in anime (and manga).
“Gainax Stance”
Picture: minkara
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In Japanese, this is “Gaina Dachi” (ガイナ立ち), and it refers to a pose that often appears in Gainax anime. In the Gainax Stance, the character stands with folded arms. It first appeared in Gainax’s 1988 anime Gunbuster, which was Hideaki Anno’s directorial debut. Anno would go on to create Neon Genesis Evangelion and predict the death of anime.
“Shaft Angle”
Picture: arumika_n
In Japanese, this is “Shafuto Kakudo” (シャフト角度), which literally means “Shaft Angle.” But it’s also called other names like this is “Shafu do” (シャフ度) or “Shaf degree” (as in the degree of an angle). Many of the anime created by the studio Shaft feature characters tilting their heads in a similar angle.
“Dezaki Direction Style”
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Osamu Dezaki made his name directing the boxing anime Ashita no Joe. His signature style was using washed-out frames with light often streaming in he called “postcard memories.” Newer anime continue to pay homage with this technique.
“The Minagawa Fade”
Pictures: Mercury-C
This is a stylistic technique of manga artist Ryoji Minagawa, that uses a film-style double processing shot (or multiple exposure). It’s very common in movies, and Minagawa’s use of it in manga is famous. Because of that, some fans even refer to its use in anime as a “Minagawa Fade”.
“Itano Circus”
Anime director Ichiro Itano is famous for his elaborate battle sequences, which unload a massive number of missiles in what fans call an “Itano Circus.”
“Yamada Mask”
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Kyoto Animation director Naoko Yamada often features characters covering their mouths.
“Yamada Hands”
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This is another common visual trope Yamada uses in her anime. In Japanese, this is now being called “Yamada paa” (山田パー), with “paa” referring to “open hands.” In Rock-paper-scissors, “paa” (パー) is the gesture for “paper.”
“Sunrise Stance”
Picture: Netatama
Sunrise, of course, is famous for the Mobile Suit Gundam anime. The “Sunrise Stand” might be one of anime’s most famous trademark poses and has been copied (or parodied) by many other anime studios. Click on the corner of the above image to expand to full size.
“Seed Pose”
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In Japanese, this is called “tane pose” (種ポーズ or tane poozu), with “tane” literally meaning “seed”. Many of the poses in Gundam have names (some are named after mecha designers, for example). This one is popular among Gundam model fans and figure collectors.
Feel free to add more in the comments below!
Comments
8 responses to “Some Of Anime’s Most Famous Poses And Techniques”
The Shaft Pose us not just a tilted head, it’s a backward and left tilt looking back over the shoulder. Several of the example images for that entry aren’t actually doing the shaft pose.
Another one you see fairly often especially in Yoh Yoshinari’s key animation work starting with Gunbuster 2 IIRC is the Inazuma Kick. It’s like the ‘sunrise stance’, with extremely exaggerated perspective, but instead of a sword going from bottom right toward the top left corner, it’s a flying, descending kick with one leg outstretched so that the foot is in the bottom left corner.
What do you call that pose when the male protagonist gets uppercut by a tsundere and they go flying through the ceiling, twirling in the air like a flung cat, before twinkling out of existance like a distant star.
Also, if they happen to come back down to the ground, they often land in said pose.
You mean the one where their arms and legs are kind of splayed out with almost right-angle bends at elbows and knees, like a frog, often with head flung right back?
That’s the one!
The itano circus is also known as the macross missile massacre
The Gainax Pose was actually done first in manga by the Getter Dragon. (This is one of those tiny tidbits I know and will never forget). Gunbuster’s just more famous for it.
You missed the sky-pan, which is usually found in opening credits. Camera view shows the foreground, which rapidly tilts upwards into the sky, usually taking in the sun (and lens flare into the bargain.)
My favourite pose is the bloody nose explosion pose.
http://esreality.com/files/inlineimages/2014/100809-20130327044306!Nosebleed.gif
Even Yugioh does the Sunrise pose!
http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/yugioh/images/f/fd/SuperQuantumMechaOverswordMagnaslayer-SPWR-JP-C.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/300?cb=20151113100159
What about that technique used a lot in Kiss Him Not Me, where with some shots, they repeat the camera move twice, once at a high speed, and again at a slower speed? I wonder what they call that?