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/Educational_Fox_1048]

They are right unfortunately, even tho i hate talking about this topic

[u/ggggyyy211 → u/Educational_Fox_1048]

For me the animation style/quality is holding the show back from being good to great🤷‍♂️

[u/ProfffDog → u/ggggyyy211]

I actually have a very different nitpick i dont see coming up, but for me it’s the sound-matching to the animation. For a lot of the more action-transitory scenes the lines and momentum is 1-2-3; for instance Mark and Nolan talking is done as usual, high standards. Angstrom is no-dead-space

But a lot of the more simple scenes, like High School especially, there’s a weird pause between lines and there’s not a lot of animation happening on screen…so it’s like we’re observing Mark and Amber talk like Oblivion characters, where each soundclip needs to complete before we can move on. I thought Debbie and the GG’s widower had Sexual Tension until i realized, “nope, just awkward dead air in the scene…”

[u/MARATXXX → u/ProfffDog]

The pauses are a stylistic affectation of the comic. They are supposed to reflect the characters internal reflection.

[u/ProfffDog → u/MARATXXX]

Then ANIMATE IT. Like if Kirkman included a separate panel showing the character considering it, then animate a character thinking like 🥺 or 😳 or 🤔. What we got is

Mark: “I love you Amber, but my obligations are now literally going to another galaxy now. 😐”

Amber: “Boy, I really like Mark but he’s gone a lot. Dating a superhero is hard. 😐”

Eve: “Yeah I really hate my life and want to jump his bones, but Like The Stones say.. 😐”

In about 1 season, every journey is going to be PTSD inflicting on characters, and their inner-conflict panels are represented by “😐”

One example, bc I redid S1 with S2 us when Amber says she’s done with it, and Mark runs away to HIS CRUSH like a dumb teenager, she just goes 🤨, showing he just took the fucking L and doesn’t understand people, let alone women.

So in a couple seasons, way down the line, we will get: “Maybe we loved each other helping to escape, but I don’t recognize you. 😐” “Yeah, maybe 500 years of freedom, who you knew is long gone 😐”