ANIMATION DISCOURSE S2

[u/CryptographerLost825]

So it seems like since the last episode dropped, there’s been a lot of discourse around the animation for Season 2 overall. I’m going to try to give my most level-headed thoughts on this. As a passionate fan of the comic, after seeing how they adapted the fight on Thraxa, in my opinion the fight lacked and underdelivered on the sheer visceral gore and ferocity in the comic. This is one of the first few times I think that the show paled in comparison to the comic in terms of the scale, spectacle and amount of detail that was put into the comic. The issue is less about the blood and gore being shown in the episode, it’s more about the level of detail of the gore, battle damage and destruction. I think there’s nothing wrong in constructively levying criticism to a property I’ve immensely loved and only want to see thrive and constantly improve. In season 1 a lot of the focal moments like Guardians massacre, Machine head fight, Omni Man/Invincible showdown and by extension the Atom Eve special episode were massively improved and the elevated in grandiosity, scope and brutality, which is what I was expecting for the Thraxa fight but unfortunately its came off a bit weaker for me than the source material. Now overall I do think that S2 has stepped up the animation in terms of the character models, lighting and lack of CG models in the background, but it hasn’t made the animation really count where it matters most like in S1.

I think a lot of the fans that have concerns about how certain moments will be adapted in terms of the animation are valid. The comics only get crazier in blood, gore and spectacle from the Thraxa arc and if this animation we got for Thraxa is emblematic of how future moments will get translated, I think it’s alright to be mildly concerned. Now is it possible that they repurposed most of the budget towards the second half and namely the finale, where we’ll see the animation shine and pop off, sure. Until then I can only judge off of what we have so far. What do you guys think?

[u/Nikolite]

Aw come on that has to be pure hyperbole. Artistically with the music and ambience it was great sure, but the best? Not even close. I 'm not an anime guy but watch this 5 minutes from Attack on Titan and tell me this doesn't blow out the water anything Invincible has put out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQFDAhxJX2Q

[u/Interesting-Bet-6629 → u/Nikolite]

Lol aot is mid as fuck

[u/[deleted] → u/Nikolite]

I haven't watched any anime in around 20 years, but I watched that scene out of curiosity. The animation is good, but the direction is not great. There are so many super-close shots that make the whole scene feel claustrophobic, which actually makes the action feel less significant.

Of course, it's impossible to compare the scene you linked to with the Flaxan planet destruction scene because they're different in virtually every way.

[u/Etonet → u/[deleted]]

There are so many super-close shots that make the whole scene feel claustrophobic

As someone who also really dislikes the "super-close shots" style, I feel like that AoT scene above has gotta be the exception, like it actually conveys the feeling of tightness flying through those close corridors between buildings

[u/[deleted] → u/Etonet]

That's definitely a valid interpretation! I might feel differently if I watched the scene in the context of the full episode. So not only is it a matter of opinion, but my opinion is ignorant since I'm seeing a five-minute clip out of context.

[u/Nikolite → u/[deleted]]

Not meant to be a stylistic comparison, but just from a pure quality perspective it's incredibly smooth and how the characters move really drives the action. Not to mention hair/clothing physics, shadowing, etc. really brings it to life for me, which I see should be the purpose of an animated adaptation. Invincible does so many things well, the voice acting is absolutely phenomenal and captures human emotion so well, I just feel like the animation is holding it back.

Also to comment on the claustrophobia, I think that is intended actually, to show the panic and how trapped/running out of options the character running away is feeling. But hey if it's not your thing then it's not your thing, I think just in terms of pure detail though I do believe it is objectively better animation and when people complain about Invincible's animation they are comparing it to things like this.

[u/[deleted] → u/Nikolite]

Yeah, someone else mentoned the claustrophobia is intentional. I'd have to see the scene in the context of the episode to really form an opinion. I believe you and the other person that it works well in context.

I definitely agree that the animation quality is not a strength of Invincible, but I think the character design (obviously borrowed from the comics) and direction are fantastic and matter a lot more than animation. For instance, the framing in just about every shot in Invincible is perfect.

Of course, it's really subjective. Animation is probably less important to me than to a lot of people. I tend to not really notice unless the animation is incredible or really bad (and Invincible's isn't either one). I loved the animation in both Spider-Verse movies, for example.

[u/Alexo_Alexa → u/Nikolite]

Did you really just spoil a big plot point for the show just to act like a kid saying "my stuff is way better than your stuff, look!" ?

Man some of you people are something else

[u/Nikolite → u/Alexo_Alexa]

That episode has been out for literal years, secondly not on the subreddit for the show, and third if you're trying to avoid spoilers for the show why would you click on a link when I told you explicitly what show it is from? Some critical thinking please.

[u/Grazzt_is_my_bae → u/Alexo_Alexa]

Did you really just complain about someone posting a video (of something non-Invincible related, released over 5 years ago mind you) that very clearly proves his point, and then added a useless "kid" comment while literally adding nothing else to the discussion?

Man some of you people are something else

[u/Da_reason_Macron_won → u/Alexo_Alexa]

My man, that episode has been out for years.