something
04-30-2009, 05:00 PM
There's been chatter in a few threads lately about anime that prominently feature main characters being members of visual arts clubs, schools, and in a slightly different dynamic, doujin circles. This shows seem without fail to be awesome, so I'm interested in seeing if there are more of them than I'm thinking there are.
Criteria - READ FIRST:
- More than one main character should be a member of the club/school.
- The activities of the club should be a prominent focus of the show.
- Art should be a major recurring theme.
- Visual arts includes not just painting, but also film making, sculpture, pottery, novel illustration, photography, and similar.
- Despite the focus on clubs/schools, shows about adults in careers may qualify if they fit the other criteria unusually well.
- Simply having one artistic character or a side character in an art club isn't the same thing. I'm looking for a specific kind of show here, and while that might limit the field a lot, I'd rather come up with a small number of good fits than a lot of real stretches.
The ideal example of each type, for example, would be Sketchbook ~full color'S~ for an art club, Honey & Clover for an art school (clubs and schools may overlap) and Doujin Work for a doujin circle. These shows are very particularly about being an artist, and/or the artistic process itself. Naturally they have other elements - H&C is above all an emotional romantic drama, but the characters struggles are poignantly expressed through their art. Lucky Star, on the other hand, would not qualify simply because Hiyori is an artist. The show is neither about her nor her art.
An * asterisk indicates I have not seen it myself, though it may be in my backlog or might not have aired yet. Correct me if I'm off on them - for example, I thought I'd read that Comic Party spends little time on actual production of comics.
Art clubs / art schools
GA: Geijutsuka Art Design Class *
Hidamari Sketch
Honey & Clover
Sketchbook ~full color'S~
Doujin circles
Doujin Work
Comic Party *
Genshiken (primarily S2, I guess)
If you want to list honorable mentions (which may be the only shows left), do them separately. For example:
Honorable mentions
Canvas 2 - I'll accept arguments that this could go in the full fledged clubs/schools category, as I remember art being a big deal. I just don't remember the show very well overall though, so I'm being cautious.
ef - a tale of memories/melodies - Hiro is a mangaka, multiple other characters do or used to paint, the show itself is very self-consciously artsy, at times to a fault. But the importance of art varies significantly by which characters are being focused on.
Kannagi - Crazy Shrine Maidens - Features a number of members of an art club, although I'd say that art is a rather minor element in the show.
Mahoraba ~Heartful Days~ - Ryuushi attends an art school and wants to illustrate children's books. We meet some of his art college friends, and his picture book is an important plot element. However he is the only main character to be seriously active in the visual arts from what I remember.
I'll accept that this might be a fairly boring thread in the sense that there might be little to add, but I refuse to believe I've seen all there is to see. Particularly when we go back to the early 90's and earlier, where I'm much less well versed in what was released.
Criteria - READ FIRST:
- More than one main character should be a member of the club/school.
- The activities of the club should be a prominent focus of the show.
- Art should be a major recurring theme.
- Visual arts includes not just painting, but also film making, sculpture, pottery, novel illustration, photography, and similar.
- Despite the focus on clubs/schools, shows about adults in careers may qualify if they fit the other criteria unusually well.
- Simply having one artistic character or a side character in an art club isn't the same thing. I'm looking for a specific kind of show here, and while that might limit the field a lot, I'd rather come up with a small number of good fits than a lot of real stretches.
The ideal example of each type, for example, would be Sketchbook ~full color'S~ for an art club, Honey & Clover for an art school (clubs and schools may overlap) and Doujin Work for a doujin circle. These shows are very particularly about being an artist, and/or the artistic process itself. Naturally they have other elements - H&C is above all an emotional romantic drama, but the characters struggles are poignantly expressed through their art. Lucky Star, on the other hand, would not qualify simply because Hiyori is an artist. The show is neither about her nor her art.
An * asterisk indicates I have not seen it myself, though it may be in my backlog or might not have aired yet. Correct me if I'm off on them - for example, I thought I'd read that Comic Party spends little time on actual production of comics.
Art clubs / art schools
GA: Geijutsuka Art Design Class *
Hidamari Sketch
Honey & Clover
Sketchbook ~full color'S~
Doujin circles
Doujin Work
Comic Party *
Genshiken (primarily S2, I guess)
If you want to list honorable mentions (which may be the only shows left), do them separately. For example:
Honorable mentions
Canvas 2 - I'll accept arguments that this could go in the full fledged clubs/schools category, as I remember art being a big deal. I just don't remember the show very well overall though, so I'm being cautious.
ef - a tale of memories/melodies - Hiro is a mangaka, multiple other characters do or used to paint, the show itself is very self-consciously artsy, at times to a fault. But the importance of art varies significantly by which characters are being focused on.
Kannagi - Crazy Shrine Maidens - Features a number of members of an art club, although I'd say that art is a rather minor element in the show.
Mahoraba ~Heartful Days~ - Ryuushi attends an art school and wants to illustrate children's books. We meet some of his art college friends, and his picture book is an important plot element. However he is the only main character to be seriously active in the visual arts from what I remember.
I'll accept that this might be a fairly boring thread in the sense that there might be little to add, but I refuse to believe I've seen all there is to see. Particularly when we go back to the early 90's and earlier, where I'm much less well versed in what was released.