One of the best parts about a series being produced at Madhouse is their willingness to release a load of production material from whatever show they’re currently working on. This can include original key animation from shows like One-Punch Man, director interviews like with Atsuko Ishizuka from A Place Further Than the Universe, or designs like this extended list of costumes that appear in Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card. Or in the case of the currently airing Boogiepop and Others, a load of designs, animation, backgrounds, and storyboards. Madhouse really wants you to see all of the hard work that went into this show.
One of the main parts of this page is the character designs by Madhouse animator Hidehiko Sawada. There are twenty different characters represented, with illustrations showing how they wear their uniform, what sort of expressions and poses suit their personality and even smaller details like the designs on their shoes or bags.
Madhouse also uploaded a new set of costume designs by artist Mebachi. These add colour into the equation and work to make these characters feel like they’re people living in 2019, rather than the 90s when the light novel was first published. Designs like this also give characters a variety of clothing they can wear rather than fall into the stereotype of animated characters only having one outfit.
For those interested in backgrounds, there’s plenty of designs here to get an idea of how artists and designers create realistic spaces within the animation. These background designs show the size and shape of various places with character images to get an idea of how large shelves, doorways and other features should be relative. Overhead designs like the one below are essential when working out the lay of the land. For instance, if a character says they’re going to the pool, it would be strange if they turned and started walking in the direction of the road.
Once these designs have been created, this gave the team at background studio Atelier Musa the information they needed to develop artboards, showing what these areas would look like with lighting, texture, and color.
The page also features materials from the opening and ending sections. This includes animation of a cool action shot from Sejoon Kim’s opening sequence, animated by Arifumi Imai (Yeah, they remembered to credit everyone too!) and digital drawings from Keiichiro Sato’s ending sequence, which he key animated entirely by himself.
Madhouse will continue to upload material from Boogiepop and Others as well as any future series they work on, so make sure to keep on visiting the “Special” section of their website. It’s a treat for fans and aspiring artists alike. This article has just a portion of the materials available, so make sure to check out the full site.