Does this shot from Dungeon Meshi episode 16 remind you of anything?
...Maybe this shot from episode 11?
Well it should, because it was Animated by the same guy, Atsushi Yoneda! (米田 温) (Probably. He was credited for a key frame a few seconds later, and it looks very similar, so I'm fairly confident it's his work.)
While breaking down the animation in Dungeon Meshi, I naturally tend to focus a lot on key animators Kai Iakarashi and Ichigo Kanno because of their highly recognizable and stylized motion that has defined the series,
But while Yoneda's work is less immediately recognizable (and less ubiquitous), I also appreciate his penchant for realism. Laios's face, which just a second ago was approachably cartoony, is now uncomfortably detailed - his nose and eyes become real, human and volumetric instead of simplified indications, and his teeth suddenly become individual teeth instead of just a line.
Just as the snappy, exaggerated movements and simplified shapes work well to heighten the energy in the most frantic moments, this more straightforward movement and grounded, realistic detail often brings it all back down to earth and contextualizes whatever crazy decision was just made in the real human experience that comes as a consequence of it: diving through a goop wall (with your mouth open for some reason), launching yourself off a cooking pot towards the face of an angry dragon, or even getting voluntarily engulfed in tentacles. (He also seems to be the go-to tentacle guy for the series so far) Yoneda is always there to show the reality right after the split-second decision.
And that contrast between realism and stylization is sort of a theme throughout this episode, from the Ushi-Oni depicted in a different style to the rest of the world, to this scene where Shuro's realistic stare of disbelief clashes with the cartoonish reverse-shot of Laios cheerfully explaining why he was eating a brick. I get into all that in more detail in this video where I broke down the entire episode, so if you found this interesting, consider checking it out!
Thanks for reading.
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Anime and Manga
Week Ending April 22nd, 2024
Dungeon Meshi
Yuri!!! on Ice
Jujutsu Kaisen -1
One Piece -1
Bungou Stray Dogs -1
Boku no Hero Academia
Kuroshitsuji -2
Tian Guan Ci Fu -1
Naruto -1
The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System -1
Mob Psycho 100 +4
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure -1
Mo Dao Zu Shi -3
Attack on Titan -2
Haikyuu!! -2
Puella Magi Madoka Magica +1
Trigun Maximum
SPY x FAMILY
19 Days
Death Note -6
The number in italics indicates how many spots a title moved up or down from the previous week. Bolded titles weren’t on the list last week.
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