Directors in anime are often animators themselves and animators can become synonymous with particular styles and genres the same way that filmmakers are. Some become associated with the highest-quality action while others are lauded for how they create effects or animate character acting, but among Hironori Tanaka’s versatile skillset, he excels in expressionism.Chainsaw Man’s third episode gained a lot of hypeand not just from manga fans excited to see how such an intense battle would be adapted. Early rumors got fans hyped to see how Tanaka, nicknamed TNK, would wow audiences, serving as Episode Director, storyboard artist, and Animation Director. It was only two years ago that TNK did storyboards, episode directing, animation directing, and key animation himself, onJujutsu Kaisen#13, a fan-favorite episode that concluded the first half of the season. For many, it was just another awe-inspiring episode from a series already going strong, but to those following TNK’s career, it was a long-time coming.RELATED:Chainsaw Man: The Dub Review
The Mainstream Master of Flash
Expressionism is defined as artwork that doesn’t necessarily show objective reality but instead tries to express emotions that objects and things elicit in people. Within animation, this can mean a number of things, but in particular, it can refer to the works ofsurrealist animators like Masaaki Yuasaor the larger-than-life elements of someone like Hiroyuki Imaishi.
Anime often depicts things that look detailed and real but in a heightened world where absurd things happen. It’s understood that they aren’t real, but the audience still processes the meaning. Even within a scene’s own context, visual metaphors show the audience something that isn’t really happening in the scene, but what those images say about the characters and their feelings is real.
TNK is interesting to analyze because while they might not have gottenthe same fanfare as Yutaka Nakamuraor Bahi JD, they’ve had a hand in a lot of mainstream anime. It’s arguably his most defining trait: spreading diverse, expressive, and high-quality animation across the industry. He doesn’t seem to be type-cast or tied down to a particular style. Looking at compilations of their work created by fans, they seem like a jack-of-all-trades.
In that sense, some might consider his work to be less impressive than other contemporary animators whose names have been tossed around a lot. On the contrary, the competency with which TNK has spread his style through the industry isn’t merely limited toa plethora of decent cuts. His involvement can elevate an episode in its entirety.
A Rise To Prominence
Around the late 2010s, specifically around 2018 and later, he noticeably started being credited more in a directing capacity. This is where you see occasional episodes where he is storyboarding, episode directing, and animation directing: the TNK trifecta. Episode 8 ofAzur Laneis a solid example of this.
He even brought his expressionist style toJojo’s Bizarre AdventurePart 5, andJojoisn’t a series normally praised for its sakuga, favoring a moving manga direction. Despite that reputation, TNK’s involvement inJojoresulted in some of Part 5’s most memorable and gorgeous scenes.
As stated at the beginning, he soon took onJujutsu Kaisen’s 13th episode with another trifecta, in addition to contributing his own animation throughout not only that episode, but three others across the first season. It was only natural that he’d be appointed asan Animation Director onJujutsu Kaisen 0only a year later.
The Styles of Hironori Tanaka
Avid followers of Tanaka’s work weren’t surprised at all by his involvement inChainsaw Man. His recent work, namely onJujutsu KaisenandJojo, has been particularly brutal and likes to focus on the human form in graphic detail. These episodes have lots of striking character expressions and violence so effectively framed that it’s weirdly pretty.
When talented directors dominate an episode, it can be easy to find little signatures of theirs throughout an episode. Sometimes the whole episode becomes so distinct it sticks out from every other episode. TNK once again pulled a trifecta inChainsaw Man#3, though it feels quite consistent with the rest of the episodes, likely because he was reined in.
Looking atChainsaw Man#3orJJK#13, it’s evident in the faces, be it the shading or the slightest characteristic asymmetry. TNK will forever be an iconic animator for their reluctance to create any shot that feels boring and without some expressionistic spectacle to it. In the end, their greatest gift to the industry may be their directing.
Everyone has their own ideas of what makes animation good or bad and when there are animators whose specialties and styles are well-defined, it can be easy to disregard those who don’t pop out. Tanaka’s work is varied and seen in countless mainstream anime, but it is also ripe with passion and seldom guilty of playing it safe.
Episode 3 ofChainsaw Manwas quite spectacularand bodes well for the series going further if the rotating showcase of talent ahead has anything like the passion Hironori Tanaka brought. Here’s hoping that this is just the beginning of more stellar episodes from this well-rounded director in the years to come.
