Someone’s probably already made the pun already about feel bringing the feels…
Studio feel’s been gaining some popularity in recent years, so now’s a better time than ever to talk about them.
Sidenote: I am not kidding with that title, by the way – the studio’s logo and name is stylised “feel.” (Anime News Network n.d.)…which is a proofreading nightmare. As a bit of a compromise, I’ve had to cut the full stop to ensure this post is grammatically correct but I’ve still capitalised the word “Studio”.
Studio feel was established in 2002 and only has about 40 people in its employ (Feel n.d.), so it’s no wonder it doesn’t have much infamy behind its name at present in comparison to other studios. They do TV, game and PV work (Feel n.d.), which may also be a factor in that. Most of their credentials are school slice of life shows, such as This Art Club Has a Problem!, but they do have the occasional fanservice show that stands in contrast to that – take a look at this list on their website…Ketsuekigata-kun and Bikini Warriors really stand out, but Outbreak Company also does to some degree. Otherwise, most of their works have been adaptions from another format as well.
In recent years, this studio’s gotten a lot of talk due to Hinamatsuri and Tsukigakirei, which were mostly competent aside from the latter’s CGI background characters and crowds. Both had distinctive visual identities – Hinamatsuri’s are arguably best embodied in the reaction faces, which can only be partially attributed to the studio, and the comedic timing, which is attributable to the staff and source material. However, if you’re talking about the studio, you can’t pass up discussion of the occasional sakuga used in that show, such as the Hina vs. Anzu “fight” in episode 2. Furthermore, in Tsukigakirei’s case, it was the watercolour look for the 2D animation.
However, Studio feel also made Island, which was pretty but a tropefest, so…uh, at least you can trust the studio with something that looks visually impressive, regardless of the length of the episode or subject matter…?
So, over to you. The question this time is: should a studio specialise in one particular genre of anime, or is diversity in the genre of what gets adapted the way to go, from a studio’s point of view? Or is it really just a case-by-case basis, depending on the studio, its affiliates and its strengths?
References
Anime News Network n.d. feel. Available from: https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/company.php?id=8883
Feel n.d. About. Available from: http://www.feel-ing.com/about/
Feel n.d. Works. Available from: http://www.feel-ing.com/works/
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