Anime and manga

For the game's anime opening and ending movies, see Intro and Outro.

Apart from the intro and outro sequences, there has been no anime about Oni. The anime directly mentioned by the game's developers as influences on Oni include Ghost in the Shell (project lead), Bubblegum Crisis (concept artist) and Neon Genesis Evangelion (design lead), and these are all very much worth watching.

There has been a Russian hoax called Oni 2: Next Generation. It's supposed to be a feature-length anime/CGI sequel to Oni, but is actually a Russian fandub of the Appleseed movie. Not a very recommendable fandub, too: obscenities all over the place, and little respect for the original. The excerpts that used to be featured on the hoax pages are now gone, but if you're interested in the whole dub it's apparently still available.

There is no official manga about Oni either. There is art by Lorraine though, and the Dark Horse comic series.

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See the "Anime and Manga" portal on Wikipedia for general information about manga and anime. The following introduction was adapted from that portal.

Anime refers to the animation style originated in Japan. It is characterized by distinctive characters and backgrounds (hand-drawn or computer-generated) that visually set it apart from other forms of animation. Storylines may include a variety of fictional or historical characters, events, and settings. Anime is aimed at a broad range of audiences and consequently, a given series may have aspects of a range of genres. Anime is most frequently broadcast on television or sold on DVDs either after their broadcast run or directly as original video animation. Console and computer games sometimes also feature segments or scenes that can be considered anime. Manga is Japanese for "comics" or "whimsical images". Manga developed from a mixture of ukiyo-e and Western styles of drawing, and took its current form shortly after World War II. Manga, apart from covers, is usually published in black and white (but it is common to find introductions to chapters to be in color) and is read from right to left. Financially, manga represented in 2005 a market of ¥24 billion in Japan and one of $180 million in the United States. Manga was the fastest growing segment of books in the United States in 2005. Anime and manga share many characteristics, including "exaggerated physical features such as large eyes, big hair and elongated limbs... and dramatically shaped speech bubbles, speed lines and onomatopoeic, exclamatory typography" (typography, however, is much less present in anime). Some manga, a small amount of the total output, is adapted into anime, often with the collaboration of the original author. Computer games can also give rise to anime. In such cases, the stories are often compressed and modified to fit the format and appeal to a wider market. Popular anime franchises sometimes include full-length feature films, and some have been adapted into live action films and television programs.

Konoko drawn by Lorraine in the styles of three different manga artists (???, Kenichi Sonoda, Masamune Shirow).

The characteristic visual style shared by anime and manga can be called "anime" or "manga" depending on the context. Apart from the general characteristic, there is a variety of styles highly characteristic of "schools" or individual artists. There are also categories based on the targeted audience, and general archetypes (e.g., Shina-chan up there is a generic example of the chibi style).

The main influence for Oni was the manga/anime franchise Ghost in the Shell, and so the characteristic manga/anime style is noticeable in Oni (for a game that was made in the U.S.). Alex Okita came up with some character/environment design, more or less anime- and GITS-inspired. The intro and outro sequences were drawn from Okita's storyboards by an actual anime studio called AIC.

Later on, Lorraine Reyes McLees joined the team, contributing art in the form of splashscreens, promotional art, etc. and essentially setting a canonical style for Oni's 2D art. The Dark Horse "Oni" comics also borrow heavily (and clumsily) from the style of manga, but Lorraine's work is more skilled, and more authoritative among Oni's fan artists. Of course, these artists typically diverge from Lorraine's legacy using their own imagination and style.

On another note, Oni's 3D content (character models) is not particularly close to anime/manga guidelines; this is never an easy thing because of how anime and especially manga use "cheats" for depicting characters from different angles which don't align to a single 3-dimensional "truth".

Similar works to Oni

These works can be considered as added value for Oni's universe, and possible influences for an Oni 2 (whatever that is).

Character faces from various anime, used as examples in Lorraine's "How to draw Konoko". Click image to see identifications.

• Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (many aspects)
• Ergo Proxy (many aspects)
• Ghost in the Shell (duh)
• Appleseed
• GUNNM a.k.a. Battle Angel Alita
• Knives from Trigun (sorta Muro)
• Kill Bill (killing philosophy)
• Full Metal Panic! (Melissa Mao)

See also

• Female fronted
• Purple hair etc