Aoi Nishimata: Perfection or Stagnation?
- Categories: Games, News
- Date: Oct 22, 2009 13:15 JST
- Tags: Aoi Nishimata, Artists, Character Design, Comparison, Illustration, Moe, Shuffle
Prominent illustrator Aoi Nishimata is well known for a wide variety of high profile character design, including a wide array of ridiculous moe products, but amongst such artists she has an uncommonly large number of detractors, for reasons which are plain from looking at the comparisons reproduced here.
The extreme similiarity of her character designs has led to cruel Internet memes mocking her as being an artist who uses a stamp to create all her works; much like another esteemed artist, she seems to be constantly redrawing the same face ad nauseum:
Presented with these, it does indeed appear she actually retired in 2000 after “perfecting” her craft and has merely been palette swapping a single design ever since…
She may be safe from accusations of innovation, but she is not safe from doubts over her grasp of perspective and anatomy:
Even so, this has not stopped her being selected by none other than George Lucas as a representative illustrator for Japan. Possibly he does not know any better.
To Love-Ru Darkness Totally Tentacular
Ano Hana Naruko Anjo Anal Dress Figure
Top 10 Most Followed Seiyuu
Wonder Festival 2012 Winter Wondrous As Ever
Ciel nosurge: “Your Date With Ion = $170″
Nisemonogatari – “Where Did All The Ero Go!?”
Police Hunt Ushijima for “Public Indecency”
Cops Bust Cop in Nude BDSM Club Raid
K-ON! “Causes Keionbu Girl Band Boom”
Vippers vs Vankers: 2ch Targets “Korean Propaganda”
Overflow Delays “Final” Game: “We Are Not Going Bankrupt!”
Ritsu Topless Manga Time – “She Has Boobs After All!”
Top 10 Most Boring Anime of Winter 2012
Behold: The ONACOUNTER
Future Diary Unveils Eye-Popping Scenes of Sex & Guro
K-ON! Pilgrims Invade London
Top 10 Essential Anime Elements
Lolicon Teacher Rapes Pupils 37 Times, Faces 30 Years
Strike Witches Movie Trailer Unveiled
China Menaced by Exploding Coins
Wonder Festival 2012 Winter Cosplay
“Post The Highest Level Cosplay Ever!”
“Share The Cutest Cosplay Ever”
“Dolls vs Figures – Which is Best?”
“Why Do Girls Always Have Such Cute Rooms!?”
Ranka Lee Wedding Dress Cosplay by Tomia
Shoko-tan’s Madoka & Ika-chan Cosplay “Excessively Cute”
Guilty Crown Yuzuriha Inori Cosplay by Sasa
IdolMaster G4U: “Who Needs 3D Idols Now?”
Anegasaki Nene Cosplay by Rinami
For a second there, I thought Atashi had come back and written an article about her dislike for Aoi's work.
Well she has miss couple of Jun article, never knew she was Aoi hater
Off topic but, Project Navel's website is now blocked to foreign IPs.
http://www.project-navel.com/navel/
Damn feminazi cunts.
Ironic considering they are releasing uncensored games through MangaGamers.
Well, ya. Its a global 403 Forbidden Error. The only way to access it is via a proxy. Site check through website monitoring service, HostTracker: http://host-tracker.com/check_res_ajx/3569910-0/share/
I'll not include a proxy link to Navel's page here.
And yes, it is ironic that they are restricting foreign access as what Artefact has said.
This feminazi crap about how kids could view these games and it could brainwash them is bullshit, considering that kids shouldn't be viewing it in the first place.
Kids aren't the intended audience. The adults are. If they're worried about games being influential on adults too, then they should go fix their education system so as to properly educate their freaking citizens not to be retards.
Clearly, they're overstepping their bounds when they can decide what I can and cannot inside my head ALONE.
Oh my goodness that's hilarious.
At least it's not like the real CG would have the same eyes as well...Just the normal "sprites".
That gif is just awesome. Just the thought of her drawing the characters and then stamping there faces is hilarious.
By the way, no "Top Clannad artist" or "The artist who did Clannad" this time..?
Itaru Hinoue
Oh well, Mayumi Thyme will still always be mai waifu..
Good thing Itou-sama still keep on improving every year at the same time still manage to keep her trademark moeness in her works.
its great that she found her perfect template face for easy use again and again, while people still like her work
Glad to know I wasn't the only one who noticed while browsing some of her works recently.
Remember. Suzuhira Hiro designed the awesomer characters in Shuffle! (e.g. Asa)
While Nishimata Aoi designed the shittier ones. (e.g. Kaede)
I have disagree; Mayumi Thyme >>>> Almost every characters in Shuffle.
*have to disagree
I've always though Nishimata's style was bland and uninteresting and that Suzuhira was the more capable artist of the two, though she also falls into the same trap of repeating facial expressions with little variety.
She is overrated. Suzuhira Hiro > Nishimata Aoi.
- Simon Cowell of Eroge
So she's Japan's B^Uckley, eh?
Screw Aoi Nishimata, I have Noizi Ito!
I <3 Mayumi, Primula and Sia anyway :P
yes, screw aoi and choose other great artists ...
Hiro Suzuhira is more better than Aoi Nishimata.
that's pretty normal, why reinvent the wheel?
If it ain't broken don't fix it.
You people need to shut the hell up. Her artwork is already perfect the way it is. Why change it? I dont see you narutards drawing anything better on Deviant Art. Get lost, weeaboos!
I like Souls
hmm Isn't anime / manga like that in general?
I've seen different series by different artist, where the characters look EXACTLY alike.
When it comes to anime / manga, characters may have different hair color, but overall they look too similar.
hahaha...that's why I hate Navel
That gif can't be for real...
Unfortunately, it is for real.
Gif very moe
i personally really like her style the way it is. it might not be as good if she were to change it.
the anatomy artwork is kinda fucked up tho xD
I actually kind of like her style to be honest. I can immediately tell her style apart from the others and I think she colours the hair pretty well.
That gif is hilarious though, and she really should design her characters with more than just one or two different faces.
This bitch is nothing to TONY! <3
Tony~
how I love your work~
i can't stand those dead eyes...
Yeah, it was especially bad in 'Lovely Idol'. Not only that the anime itself was shits, it was also full of clones... creepy Oo
kaedeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Mayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuummmmmmmmmmmmmiiiiiiiiiiiiii
You know, I just looked over all of those faces and yes, they're fairly similar. You know what else? Her artwork is still quite fapable regardless. That's all I care about, and I doubt if anyone else here *really* feels differently. Sure, I'm positive we'll get some hardcore weeaboo discussions going about how artist X is soooo much better and such but, at the end of the day, we'll all still be fapping to Nishimata's stuff.
Reminds me of my first try on Eroges.
Even though she has a cookie cutter style, I still enjoy her work.
+1
+65535
+1/0
Primula initially won me over, but Nishimata buggered my enjoyment of her works after too many perspective and anatomy botches, especially after the release of a Dengeki body pillow of Primula that I still have issues looking at without wincing. Suzuhira seems to have her concepts of anatomy down well, and is sadly shadowed by Nishimata more often then not...
Joker Type -1
Heartwork +1
(and I guess it's a preference of eye-types too when comparing the two peers, either Nishimata down-turned or Suzuhira more upturned... err... there's better official terms for the two but my brain isn't spitting out those data bits currently >_<; )
Yep, repetitive design but it one moelicious (<3 Nerine <3).
But actually I like suzuhira_hiro more than aoi_nishimata among 's character designers.
I honestly don't think its a significant problem though. I mean, the main features of any anime character is the hair, eyes, and figure (and maybe clothing). As long as you can tell one character from another and the personality manages to stick, I don't see a problem.
The problem is.....they all look the same. Every one of them, no exception. It's just changing clothes and hair.
All MOE characters look a little the same on anime nowadays. It's a damn shame that anime is getting less unique.
Wow... that last pic is serious fail :x
severely brocken spinal column for teh lulz!
Wtf I didn't realize that until I read your comment lulz
I'm sure either Aoi did the last pic for the lulz or it is shopped.
Not if you cut out the bottom 25% off.
reminds me of the paris hilton gif
CALL ON MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
CALL ON ME
CALL ON MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
CALL ON ME
I already saved the picture as "Aoi Nishimata does not change facial expressions.gif".
I'm the same boy I used to be.
somebody beat you to it
http://animegirlsexpression.ytmnd.com/
never change face o.o
lolwut?
L2EricPrydz kthx
That needs to be added to the meme list on ytmnd.
The moment I realized there was an animated gif in my head, I could hear this song in the back of my mind.
... An animated gif in this post, I mean. gg, self - way to be coherent.
because Aoi Nishimata makes sure her character designs never change facial expressions O_______o
its called templating
The GIF! lulz
Well, but seriously, all chara designers do the same to some extent.
How can you forgot Obama...?
http://mrbadak.com/2009/09/28/obama-is-a-robot/
I'm surprised nobody is putting anymore scutiny on Tony Taka.
Well with that gif there, it looks to me like she's just lazy on the CG recycling like that one other person who does Sagara Family and Amorous Professor Cherry. But I don't mind.
I don't really see what's wrong with the last picture. I think people are assuming the jacket is connected to the skirt. I think it's just a big jacket with several inches of clearance at the waist. As for how much the spine can twist, I think we need an unclothed version to be sure.
I thought it was because of the hands >_>
Yeah I see it; the skirt should not be in line with the thigh since it's at the waist.
And it's no more than 90.
I take that back, it's 120 degrees. Holy shit.
It's the fact that everything above her waist is about 80 degrees in difference with her skirt, underwear and legs. It is possible to turn that much, but not so uniformly, and certainly not with a twitch of concern. It's like the hourglass figures that women used to force upon themselves that literally squeezed their lower torso to that of tube. That women wouldn't be smiling....
Why fix something that isn't broken?
Exactly, perfection has already been reached changing anything would just make it worse.
Anon proved Sturgeon's Law.
Also Essence+ FTW.
It gets boring to see the same thing over and over again, and a little amount of changes between character's faces would be nice to see. It's like going outside and seeing everyone's face being that of your mom's, and then going to a mirror and your face being that of your mom's too.
Freud? Is that you?
I agree that it'd be nice if she changed up her style sometimes, even if only to revert back for the bulk of her work.
I agree. She should change it up a bit for stuff that matters to her, then the stuff that she's only doing for money and not care so much can get the stamp style.
Indeed. And I doubt anyone mind having another Navel game, or just remake of remake of SHUFFLE! (Essence+ comes in a week, you hear me?)
Kaede clones for the masses!
Yes we can!
no clannad this time?
Lucas...
All those girls look like they are suffering from insomnia.
the face of pretty much every anime related character is identical with typical only changed hairstyle, eyes and clothes to make them distinct
Hm...I've never really been a fan of Aoi Nishimatas works since there always was some details that I didn't like (i.e. couldn't ignore after I spotted the) but looking at this chart, I actually think I like her older artworks, in a retro-kinda way.
Too bad she stopped in her tracks, I mean, even I seems to have progressed more in my art than her in the last few years :s (by that I do not mean that I'm at her level - just in case of rabid fanboys)
link us anon!
then we can laugh and or encourage you.
I know I'm going to regret this but taking risks is also part of life: http://shaw-exe.deviantart.com/
(Been using the same account since 2004, dig around too much and it will become all too apparent - both through QUALITY and language used D: )
She's not stupid - she knows what the fans want and it makes her a living.
each and every single design of her is so lame and boring and dull. And she even clones them...
Blab all you want, guys. But her art is a WIN quality.
at least she make kaede
She's making bank! I think she owns like 20+ cats and dogs from looking at her blog. Who needs men (and children) when you can have furry (and luxurious handbags)!
speaking of nishimata, is it just me or navel's site just gives out 403s to gaijin ips now.
I got a forbidden too...
And no, I'm not in Japan.
omg that last pic is a fuckin optical illusion