'Blame!' Movie Netflix Original: Awesome Animation Attracts Fans, Will CGI Use Be Problematic? [VIDEO]
Tsutomu Nihei's Blame! Manga has had its share of pretty substandard adaptations in the past, but its latest feature-length film, produced by streaming giant Netflix, seems to hold much promise. Despite an impressive trailer, however, some fans are a bit apprehensive about the upcoming title due to its use of CGI.
Blame! tells the story of Killy, a man living in a world that is chaotically, endlessly expanding. Tasked with finding humans with Net Terminal Genes, people who have the potential to stop the expansion of the world's Megastructure.
From what the trailer has shown thus far, the Blame! movie would be covering one of the most character-driven arcs in the manga. The trailer that has been released was pretty brief, but it did seem to show with the Electrofishers, a group of humans that have been stranded outside Toha Heavy Industries for so long that they have forgotten why they were there in the first place.
What is particularly notable about the Electrofishers arc in the manga is the fact that it is one of the most character-driven parts of the plot. Thus, it would be pretty interesting to see just how the upcoming anime movie would transpose the manga's contents into the film.
One thing that stood out in the trailer was the evident use of CGI in the upcoming anime film. The anime fandom has been pretty apprehensive about the use of computer-generated imagery in general, with the use of CGI in high-profile titles like Sailor Moon Crystal and the 2016 adaptation of Berserk being bashed due to their art style.
In fact, even Ajin: Demi-Human, which was also produced by Netflix, was noted as one of the most notable examples of anime where CGI animation was not used pretty well. During the course of Ajin, a number of the characters almost ended up falling into the Uncanny Valley, which was, of course, not appreciated by the franchise's fans.
Nevertheless, Nihei is actively involved in the project, with the prominent manga artist making an appearance in the recently-held Comic-Con International, which was held last Saturday in San Diego. Thus, if there's anything that the upcoming anime film would definitely have, it is the approval of the franchise's creator.
Even CGI, when used very well, enhances the look and feel of an anime film. It has been done before, after all.
