Whenever it comes to animation, there’s something so fascinating about it. It’s much different from the real world, and animation allows people to do things that you couldn’t do in reality. And I kinda need to love animation, since I to wish to work in animation. Now, I can’t draw to save my life. All I can do is write, and that’s about it. But I still love the animation of cartoons and animes, and even video games. So, today, I want to share with you all animation styles by creators that I love the most. Some you may like, and some I may get you to like. So, let’s start with the animation that I love.

Jamie Hewlett (Gorillaz, Tank Girl)



When my mom did nothing but watch music videos on MTV constantly, I remember spotting a video of one of the Gorillaz music videos (I believe it was 19-2000). Ever since then, I have loved the art style of Jamie Hewlett. Sure, the Gorillaz music too is amazing to listen to, but to me, nothing beats that art style. Looking at the thick outlines of the characters makes it great to look at. Not to mention, with all of Jamie Hewlett’s art, it always looks very colorful to look, with there being lots of effort being put into the character designs. But I think the best thing about The Gorillaz is that they are treated like an animated band, really adding to the animation. And they aren’t afraid to try different artstyle, even using some CGI, like in the videos of Stylo. But I always love Jamie Hewlett’s classic art style a lot more. Very colorful and nice to look at. Tank Girl was also a very wonderful comic series to look at just for the animation… The movie sucked though.



Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball, Chrono Trigger, Blue Dragon)



Sure, some people say that anime always looks the same in some ways, but no matter what, Akira Toriyama’s work is always recognizable by anyone. The characters always manage to move so fluently during fight scenes as if they are moving fast to hit their opponent, and they are always moving fast, with fast lines in the background or around the characters to really show the style of the movement. The characters also look pretty nice too, with their facial expressions and designs being so much different from most anime that are out around the time. It definitely manages to have some style to it. The same goes for the games, Chrono Trigger and Blue Dragon. They all look so amazing and the characters can easily be defined as a Toriyama design. His work is just so easy to spot. I guess Toriyama’s use of a different kind of art for his characters are what I like about it so much. But, what do you expect with someone as beloved in the anime community as Akira Toriyama?



Hiroyuki Imaishi (Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt, Kill la Kill)



Surprise, this is an anime. It may look like an American cartoon, but that’s the beauty of Hiroyuki Imaishi. When I first saw Panty and Stocking, I thought the comedy sounded stupid. It was a show filled with sex jokes and obvious penis innuendos. But what pulled me into watching the show and loving it was that art style. I loved it so much. The rugged and western-style animation mixed with a Japanese style was so amazing, I wanted more of Imaishi’s work. Thankfully, he made just as talented shows with just as impressive animation. Gurren Lagann has very insane animation, with characters moving in such strange ways that I just love, with Kill la Kill having an amazing plot… No, like, literally. Awesome plot, mixed in with impressive fight scenes and colorful animation. I still love all these shows, but if I had to choose which had my favorite animation, than definitely Panty and Stocking, but they are all awesome, as Imaishi is just great with his art.



LeSean Thomas (The Boondocks, Black Dynamite, Legend of Korra)



Wait, the guy who worked on the offensive and adult cartoon of The Boondocks worked on Legend of Korra. Crazy, I know, but also pretty cool. LeSean Thomas's work is very amazing, since it manages to have the art style of an anime, yet not at all be an anime. The characters manage to have the right lip sinking, but also be very detailed at the same time, and don’t forget the incredible fight scenes. For a show that was meant to be satire, The Boondocks managed to have some of the most awesome fight scenes I’ve ever seen. Black Dynamite, a cartoon based on one of the best action films of the past decade, just added to the insanely amazing action scenes. And while Legend of Korra wasn’t as violent or as crude, it still managed to have some impressive backgrounds and character designs, so for that, I can at least say that all of LeSean’s work is amazing, even if the demographic changes sometimes.



Arlene Klasky and Gabor Csupo (Rugrats, Wild Thornberrys, Ahh! Real Monsters, etc.)



Hell, what didn’t they make. Sure their art style may look a bit crude at times, and sometimes, it can just look disgusting, but I kinda like it. It’s not the best with it’s character designs, but it looks amazing with it’s backgrounds and the color shading. I always liked some of the designs of the locations and the settings. They all look so bizarre and creative with each different setting. Whenever Klasky Csupo wants to try something weird, but also unique and creative looking, they can do it, and it always works (Most of the time). If they want to make talking babies good, they can. If they want to make a cynical duck good, they can. If they want to make a man with bad luck good….. Eh, better luck next time with that one. Still, the shading and colors are what I like most about their work. Not the best with the character designs, but damn if the rest isn’t some of the best work out there.



One (One Punch Man)



I’m sure, looking at this art, most of you are thinking “What in god’s name is this”? Well, as it turns out, One Punch Man started as a webcomic by a creator by the name of One. His parents didn’t want him to be a manga artist, so he did it in secrecy, and, even though he couldn’t draw, he still did it no matter what. He was then met with a professional manga artist, who said to him “I can help make this a bit easier on the eyes”. And so, they created the manga of One Punch Man, which eventually was made into one of the best anime of all time, and for good reason. Sure, the art may not be good, but I like One’s art for it’s backstory. It’s as amazing as the anime Bakuman. It manages to inspire many people to do what they want, even if they can’t do it, they just need to try. I respect One for those very things, and that’s why I love this art. Because One’s determination is what I love. But seriously, this art is not the best.



Hirohiko Araki (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure)



When I say Hirohiko’s art, I don’t mean the first three parts. While their good, I much prefer the art style to parts four through eight. Sure, you may not like it as much as the original, but I think it’s pretty cool. The change in the artstyle changed the characters from giant muscular macho men into very flamboyant individuals, with a lot more color and bizarre movements. The Stands in this series were always amazing to look at, but I really like them here. So much color and designs, and their abilities shown on the manga are also pretty cool. Sure, the lipstick may look a bit… odd, but you get used to it after a while. It’s just a thing we’ve all come to accept. The poses in the manga and anime are in some strange fashion. Some look awesome, some are okay, and some look so damn impossible. Like, did the characters break their bones just to do those poses? Still, they look pretty cool. The anime has some pretty good animation as well from the manga. I really can’t wait to see Steel Ball Run, my favorite arc, put into an anime. Until then, we still have Part 4, which I really like. I just wish I could get more from this art style instead of waiting for the next manga issue or the next episode of Diamond is Unbreakable. Guess you could say I still can’t get enough of the style.



Masahiro Ito (Silent Hill)



Finally, an artist who creates horror. I’ve always loved all of Masahiro’s art. Silent Hill 1’s monsters were always these strange demonic creatures. They were creepy, but they were even better in Silent Hill 2. They all had a design and look that were actually important to James’s character. Silent Hill 3 also had some amazing monsters in them. They all look so dark, scary, and are just so unimaginable by any other human. That is what I like about Masahiro’s art. It’s all so creepy (Of course it is. It’s a horror game). All the monsters are just so creepy to look at. All are something you wouldn’t except. What makes a monster so creepy is the design. If the design is creepy, than the person who sees the monster is expected to be creepy. That is what makes Masahiro’s monsters and creations great. I can say he’s like the H.R. Geiger of Japan… Maybe a bit much? I don’t care. It’s great.