Why does modern anime look so washed out?
The other day when I was watching Bugonia I noticed how intense the closeups were. Parts of their faces were in extreme focus, while everything else around them was blurry. This gave everything kind a dreamlike state flavor that worked for the show but I couldn't shake how awkward it was to watch the entire time.
Whatever the director wants you to focus on or pay attention to is in crisp detailed focus, and everything else is mashed potatoes. I looked it up and apparently its due to the way films are made these days. Because typically the background is one solid color or one of those circular projection rooms they focus mainly on the character and what they are doing. Lighting is washed out so that everything can be glammed up in post.
This last bit got me thinking of how modern anime tends to look so washed out. I say modern anime but I noticed this shift in 2002. We were at an anime convention in Austin and one of the rooms was showing the debut of the Azumanga Daioh anime. The first thing I noticed was this abrupt difference in the way the characters were painted. Colors were muted, outlines were no longer black and were very thin. The faces were wider, rounder, softer. I figured it was just the style of that one show and went on with my life.
I was used to anime drawn in the 80's and 90's. Bright colors with hard bold lines that mimicked the lines of the manga they were derived from.
Compare this to modern anime where everything is muted and smooth.
Now not every anime is like this these days. Jojo and Demon Slayer are two that come to mind that still use bold linework and vibrant colors. Now, I am aware that older shows were manually painted and modern ones are digital. It does have a more natural look and feel to be washed out by light.
I also know that anime production is on a crazy schedule and they have to produce shows as fast as possible. I'm sure the color matching process on modern shows is down to a science. But so is modern film making. They can calibrate the world around two people in a green room. The computer will make it look as real as possible. But it still doesn't look "right".
Old movies are shot and printed on film. Everything in a wide shot is in focus. You can pause the film and look at everything going on behind the characters. Close ups show dirt on the actors face instead of removing it in post. Colors are vibrant and reflect on natural and staged physical light. The contrast created is a matter of knowing how to use a camera.
I feel like the old cell painted shows have that same feeling. Akira and Lawrence of Arabia both feel real, even though one is literally shot in the desert and another is painstakingly hand painted. Something about the grit of the linework mixed with the richness of photographed paint just gives it a warmth that make it so nice to look at.
It's that same bit of grit and intentional flourish you see when reading manga. You can see the brush strokes on the lines, the scratched down pen work. Looking at it feels the same as reading a hand written letter. It's far more personal.