I think this style could work really well for a Pun Pun anime.

It being different from the generic anime art style is exactly what drew me in. Using rotoscopy made it all feel so much more tangible and real.

im glad to find people actually like the rotoscope artstyle

I absolutely LOVED the ending theme of AnH... It definitely fit with the vibe or this psychological drama-esque anime

Now I kinda wanna see the full non rotoscoped live action cut.

Hiroshi Nagahama is making Uzumaki. I will wait for the day it is released. Nagahama standards must be high!

I watched this anime recently, and I honestly resent the fact that the rotoscoping was what turned people off. It's so uncanny, but that's part of what the anime so good. I'm half believing there's some kind of supernatural element to Nakamura for the first few episodes, almost. The artstyle fits the anime well. I don't think it would have been any better if it wasn't rotoscoped. Also, do people not realize that in order to rotoscope, you actually have to have people act out these scenes?? I would imagine they basically spent twice as much money rotoscoping the ENTIRE ANIME as they would have if they had simply made it a live action, or just animation. Someone had to act, and someone had to take that acting, and bring it into the aninated world. It's no small feat.

The art style isn’t for everyone but it’s for me. There’s something so awkward about it that mirrors the feeling of adolescence. Awkward when you first approach it but a certain fondness that grows as you spend more time with the characters and aetting

I love how I was already so tired of that saturated anime art style that when I saw Aku no Hana's art stile and soundtrack, I immediately fell in love with it and it became one of my favorite animes, it was nothing like anything I've ever seen before.

Thank you for delving into the making of this show and the people behind it! No matter the medium, I feel we tend to shy away from experimental, unconventional, uncomfortable things. But I would encourage anyone to give it a watch, because when I first went into it I'd never have expected it to be so interesting. It's not one of my favorites, but I ended up thinking about it a lot and even rewatching it.

As someone who doesn’t usually enjoy the aesthetic or potential laziness from rotoscoping, I personally love the use of it in this anime. Combining the uncanniness of the animation with the dark story and eerie random soundtrack makes a perfect atmosphere of unease. I adore it

Aku no Hana turned me onto the music of Asa Chang, which turned me onto the Tabla, which has since become my favorite party trick whenever there's a pair of differently-sized pots or pans nearby.

I actually disliked the animation so much I was like "I'm reading the Manga" and read it within one night, i was THAT hooked

So happy to see other people appreciated this show. I still need to get around to reading the manga, but I kept hoping maybe one day we'll get a continuation in the same unique style musically and visually. But remembering now how long it's been since I watched it when it was new... Yeah that's probably not going to happen. :( It's also so upsetting to see that this show effectively ended the career of the director as well. I looove DMC and you just don't get this kind of stylized avant-garde anime anymore. Thank you for covering this one. I'm hoping it'll get more people to watch it because it deserves it, despite its minor flaws.

“My mom always said life was like the videos from Ozzy. You never know what you're gonna get.”

I looooved the ANH manga, it was my favorite for a long long time, and admittedly I was disappointed when the anime was announced to be rotoscoped. I wanted a "regular" anime adaptation of the story I loved so much. I still watched it as it aired and generally enjoyed it though. Looking back, while I still would like a more traditional adaptation, I think the uniqueness of the rotoscoping is a great choice for a series like ANH and I absolutely respect the director taking a chance like that. It's creative and there's really very little like it. It's not for everybody, but that's a good thing imo. I think the uncomfortable uncanniness of the faces at times fits very well in the deeply uncomfortable content of the series, and I think that discomfort is very much what Oshimi Shuzo would want lol. His works are all so much about the innately human awkwardness that comes with growing up. Rotoscoping suits it well. Plus, the opening is a banger. All of this to say, I really loved this video and your takes on it! Lmao

The ending song gave me chills the first time I heard it. The first episode ended in silence with a long, still shot and then that terrifying song started playing 😭

Aku no Hana is by far on of my favorite animes, and i'm so sad tha we won't be able to watch a continuation, the impression the show gave me was so strong that I knew I needed some time to read the manga, so here I am after a year, I finally read the manga and it's great, but I really think for the part the anime covered the story, the anime does better.

i have no clue what people are saying when they say "shots don't work" they all looked completely fine to me. I loved the animation and art style throughout, it was a great choice

I've always loved this OST to such a degree that I was able to quickly get into the anime on a rewatch many years later, having forgotten every bit of it. I probably only paid half of my attention to it, mildly disgusted by the poor rotoscoping. But there is absolutely something to be said about what it does for the framing of each scene. It's fresh and unnerving in a way that really just hits the spot and matches the tone of the series perfectly.

My opinion: I like the artstyle of this anime because it gives the viewers this unnerving, uncanny valley atmosphere that goes well with its themes and genres.

I loved this anime and the music, especially. It hurts my soul to know this killed his career. People just don't appreciate... ugh I can't even get into it. Trying to describe how incredibly unique it was and how perfectly it touched on the void of being a despairing adolescent coupled with the twisted sexuality and obsession which can come with it. "A flower bloomed that shouldn't have." It's the only anime that got anywhere close to anything I've ever felt.

I can't see the appeal to the rotoscoping, even if they tried to go for something different. I think adding slightly more detail to the faces could've helped it feel less uncanny, for me at least.

Your video brings back so many fond memories... Saeki-san's "taisougi", Nakamura-sama's machinations and excesses, a barebum ride in a cop car(?!) near the end of S1. So many fond memories! This anime(?!) dared to flaunt its quality and artistry in ways that would surely have pleased Baudelaire. Cheers!!

I loved this anime when it was airing and was really sad when it ended. At the time i had never sat through something so moody. Thank you for showing the anime some love.

Man, this series is so underrated... I remember picking it up back when it was airing and immediately getting hooked because the visuals were so unique, like a breath of fresh air compared to all the other generic anime styles. It's a travesty that so many people were put off just because it deviated from the norm, and I wish more of them gave it a chance by going outside their comfort zone. The uncanny looks and slow atmosphere felt like they complimented the themes in the plot really well. Maybe it would have done better if the story was original to the anime, instead of a manga adaptation - the dramatic change in style for people who enjoyed the manga probably wasn't largely appreciated, which I can understand if the original style was appealing to them. It's just such a shame that it did so poorly. I hope the director's new projects get better reception.

I love this anime, thanks for paying attention to it.

The way they were able to animate fast movement looks so good. Easily the best enimated way for conveying force and movement

Doesn’t seem like his career was ruined. Decent vid but clickbait title

holy FUCK the guy who made mushishi made an anime abt metal music???

Loved this anime when it came out. I didn't know he did those other shows. But it does track. He is one of those directors where my ears perk up whenever he's attached to a show now. Like the loooooooong in production Uzumaki anime (first production stills and project announcement was way back in may 2019). I really hope he brings his odd atmosphere to that manga adaptation. The released clips seem to promise that we will finally see a good Junji Ito adaptation (though, I kind of enjoyed Gyo). And considering they have been working on those 4 episodes for... 4 years... and counting, as we have no new release date as the october 2023 released was postponed. I do hope it is worth the wait.

Show looks like my sleep paralysis demon.

I read the manga after finishing the anime. I'm a weirdo who thought the arstyle really lent itself to the feel of the atmosphere honestly. I'm glad I gave it a chance.

I think that the animation of Aku no hana is great. I hate that it got meme'd on so hard. It's a really good show with it's thematic shots.

Did anyone else just hear the "HEYYY HEYYYYEAAAA" music playing for the scene of her running on the sparkly background? 😅

7:17 Kingu Crimson

I forget what i felt about the aesthetic, but i certainly was compelled to watch it all the way through. I think the weird soundtrack was very memorable though. To this day, i adore mushishi, esp the first season, and cherish the time i got to meet director nagahama in person to get an autograph board signed.

hot take I like the style of anime because it was bizarre story and I like it

*Babe, wake up. It's a new Ozzy video* Nice defense. People should really watch this piece of excellent work!

2:35 wtf 😭 This attacked my god damn ears

"The most beautiful thing is always bizarre" I really love the music and animation tho

The rotoscope gave me headaches watching the anime

The people that see anime like this, or cgi, or a “weird” style and instantly put it off as bad, don’t deserve how good those anime are, and im glad they’re missing out. Every time i see someone saying a manhwa, or manga, has bad art, or “the art gets better!” I wish they never read them.

Malfiore, my flower of evil Maledicione, cursed yet beautiful Malfiore, priestess of evil Maledicione, enslaved to you I kneel

For those who're unaware, it's Aku no Hana & got itself a pretty wholesome live action.

This is a brilliant anime imo

I really love the anime, ngl. It was my first foray into Aku no Hana, and the rotoscope was a draw for me, due to how different it looked! It really fits Aku no Hana so incredibly well, much better than the actual style used in the manga. Speaking of, I actually didn't like the manga after the timeskip, it lost what drew me in.

>watch for 5 minutes >still no idea why "this anime ruined its director's career" >start to play at 2x speed, narrator is just flaunting how he knows what a foreground and background are or whatever >god, get to the fucking POINT >skip into the video >it's just manga spoilers okay bro I'm out

This was wild to stumble upon. I've read all of Shūzō Oshimi, with Blood on the Tracks being one of my favorite manga. I had no idea there was an anime adaptation of Aku no Hana. And I love Mushishi, so Hiroshi Nagahama's involvement makes my blind spot to it even more surprising.

this is such an experimental gem how have i never heard of this??

I read the manga two weeks ago, in just two days. It's one of those works that stick with you, and now I'm watching the anime and loving every second of its cinematic style. In setting a mood and displaying the town as an oppressive, decaying entity, I think it's superior to the manga, and even the author praised the director for taking his time setting the mood in the first episode.

Kino no Hana

Mr. Yappington right here, but glad you enjoy this!

Personally, I liked this anime. Mostly due to the pacing which as you said gave a good depth to it.

The OST of this anime made me messed up in a good way. It made me focused during my college exams and get almost perfect grades.

17:11 uh, actually, not till September 2024. 😳

This guy: " It totally got memed on! " Me: " What the.... I have never heard of this show in my whole life ! " ^^;

got an aku no hana flower tattoo when I turned 18 bc I just loved the manga

i like the manga cause i could relate to it as a kid

I originally found this anime a few years ago cause I typoed the name of another anime and this one was what showed up. I absolutely love it. To me, it's ugly in a good way. It's almost like watching a Joel Haver animation. I was really bummed when I tried searching for any talk of a season 2 and learned that it was from 2013 and people hated it, so there's no way a season 2 is happening. I watched it at a very interesting time in my life and even though I'm a bit too old to directly relate to the character's situation's the emotions behind it really resonated with me and I think about this anime much more regularly than I do most peices of media out there. I haven't read the manga yet. I almost worry that the atmosphere and pacing of the anime may be too different for me to enjoy it as much. Plus the dramatic change in art style is a bit jarring, even going in the other direction. But maybe I'll get around to it eventually cause this story did mean a lot to me and it'd be nice to see how it ends.

Just finished the anime. The characters are frustrating but I really enjoyed it. Kinda reminds me of the end of the fucking world series. And the trio reminds me of Hana x Kiyoshi x Chiyo from prison school 🤣🤣

i thought it got cancelled due to the season 2 rape scene? i dont think anyone would want to see or act that out especially teens

I actually enjoyed the bold adaptation. It wasn’t perfect but it really knocked it out of the park with the atmosphere. The classroom destruction scene alone shows the strengths of the rotoscoping.

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who likes the style lmao

I remember reading this manga its had a happy ending from what i remembered.

This one of my favorite mangas too. Glad you seen the source material

Honestly I wonder if it would've done better with today's audience. Because today's audience has evolved to enjoy more experimental styles. It looks interesting though I'll definitely have to check it out.

"Uzumaki anime adaptation later this year." -Posted 2 years ago. lmao

Aku no Hana was honestly ahead of its time, I saw this anime earlier this year while randomly browsing crunchy roll and thought I'd just check it out. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. The rotoscope while jarring at first, you very quickly adjust to it and I think its really strong to establish the psychological tone the anime will get into. One thing not mentioned but I personally loved about this are the environments and background details, from the shots of alleyways with potted plants to even the way the street signs looks worn and rusted. Just the details in the background are what I really like seeing in this anime. The semi realism really works well. Honestly I dont see why people had a hard time accepting the rotoscope stye when its by far the most unique and detailed. Such a shame this will never get a season 2. I could read the manga but it wouldnt feel the same as watching the anime in that style

What made it unwatchable for me was low framerate count. It makes it uncomfortable for my eyes to focus. I also believe one of the major point of animation is to be not restricted by limitations of real world and actors and rotoscoping kind of defeats that purpose. I believe with the enhancement of AI, rotoscoping lost it artistic value as well in my opinion.

Well, he's animating Uzumaki (junji ito)

I collect anime on a hard drive with custom folder icons. Only 4 times have i been unable to find a premade folder for a series, and this was one i had to make myself, so i thought it must be really obscure, but i guess a character study about adolescence and deviance isn't as popular as something like hero aca go figute 🤷

Love oshimi shuzou work and know these info really make me happy.

i've not really watched much in the last few years, but if more anime had this kind of tonal weight and depth - and yes, even the art style, i LOVE the art style and i love rotoscoping - i would never have stopped being a weeb

You know, the shot of a sentient bread ripping its head apart that you applied before any footage of the actual subject of the video probably piqued at least *one* viewer's interest. What was its name again? _Humanity Has Crestfallen?_

the pros of rotoscoping: makes the characters look real, and feel real the cons of rotoscoping: looks like shit

No matter the type of propaganda you’ll never get me to like the rotoscope art style. There are some anime’s that use it for fight scenes and things which is pretty cool but otherwise it’s awful.

Detroit Metal city got adapted to a Yakuza Substory in reverse.

I was heartbroken hearing that the person who brought us mushi-shi killed his career on this anime.(Untrue check comment below for why)

I loved this anime so much... I was so heartbroken at the cancelling

I've decided I will read Aku No Hana if it doesn't have a season two in ten years. The first season was just too good to not wait

Commenting to boost your engagement.

That outro was a banger tho 🎉

A New Years' festival? In April?

something feels like it was all really intentionally unsettling and off putting. im into it

i love this show. i watched it during a time when i was getting constantly bullied.

I never got around to reading the manga but I watched this as it aired and loved it, especially the ending theme to be honest. I never got why people bitched about it being "ugly" or "weird" so much. It seemed to fit the awkward uncomfortable tone of the characters and story perfectly to me. Definitely felt more like a weird artsy movie than an anime, but I found that refreshing. I was always sad we didn't get the second season.

You really get used to the rotoscoping after a while

Im so confused how it ruined this guys career. Its so good and I love love LOOOOVE the animation. I would love to see more of this style used. People are just too picky.

Anime fans couldn't comprehend Trve Kino.

i liked the animation and direction stuff itself. but i cannot just get how unimaginably weak the main characters is and how it affects his stupid decisions every time. i kinda get it when i red some chapters in manga, but the overall experience from the story is dissapointing.

The ed became one of my fav songs of all time when I heard it ngl

Yoooo I remember this from a decade ago

While this series was dark and psychologically unsettling to some extent, I actually really liked it! Appreciate your opinions and video. 😊

Considering the themes and events that occur in Aku no Hana, it was directed incredibly well. The music and rotoscoped animation adds a tremendous amount of unease and disjointedness to the tone of the show. If chosen to tell this story with a typical animation style while playing typical j-pop/j-rock anime music, it would make the audience feel comfortable, which would heavily neglect and tone-down the psychotic actions done by Kasuga and Nakamura. The real question is, can someone actually enjoy a show that constantly makes the viewer uncomfortable? That's what distinguishes the people that liked how this show was directed/produced and those who didn't. Personally, I'm in the latter.

Smh blud mentioned rotoscoping and not Faith the Unholy Trinity

Thanks for the crumbs. It feels nice to see other people appreciating this wacky anime I saw ages ago. HAHAHA

It's to see that the anime adaptation did not take too much of toll on Hiroshi.

I can't go past the uncanny valley watching it and have to stop after just 3 episodes

What I liked most about aku no hana, besides everything you said which, by the way, is absolutely accurate, is the incredible animation (or acting, considering the rotoscoping) of Nakamura. Her facial expression and especially, her smile, conveyed a sense of discomfort and unease that I loved.