Studio Ghibli has been responsible for heartwarming movies in Japan since 1985. With legendary animator Hyao Miyzaki at the forefront, Studio Ghibli has produced movies such as “Princess Mononoke,” “My Neighbor Totoro,” “Spirited Away,” “Howl’s Moving Castle,” “Ponyo,” and most recently “The Secret World of Arrietty.” When they gave Disney their blessing in regards to releasing their movies in a dubbed format within the United States, their fan base grew even larger. So when gamers, Studio Ghibli fans, heard that they were partnering with developer Level-5 and Bandai Namco publishing to create a role-playing video game, it seemed like an obvious match made in heaven.

As a result, “Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch” has become a critical darling with critics and fans alike falling over themselves with the cute, innocent nature of the characters. But however lovable the characters may be, does this marriage of Studio Ghibli and video games work? Studio Ghibli’s stories usually have a theme that is heartwarming, with grown up sentiments tied together with amiable characters, together with fantastical landscapes and environments. No matter how well done a story and environment is, within the confines of a video game the game play has to be in the same league as the visuals to be concise and a success as an entire product.

Studio Ghibli’s contribution to the game is your typical Studio Ghibli fare. You have your hero, Oliver, the chosen one, with a buddy on the side, in this case a sassy fairy named Mr. Drippy. He learns and loves and gains some companions along the way just to even out the cast, as well as give the player different skill sets to fight battles with. The color palate is bright, optimistic pastels, with solid animation to back it up.

However, the player only sees the animation in very limited cut scenes. In the meantime, the game designers decided that cel shading would be the most complementary style to go along with Studio Ghibli’s art style. It was a logical choice but does not flow exactly with Studio Ghibli’s smooth and bright animation. Oftentimes the animation out-shines the cel-shaded gameplay and distracts one from enjoying the play.

It feels as though the designers wanted a “Grandia” type of feel, with both the gameplay and cut scenes coalescing into a whole, unified atmosphere. But cel shading does not marry well with Myzaki’s beloved art style and the result is a disjointed gaming experience. The cel shaded scenes and gameplay gave off an “Eternal Sonata” (also published by Bandai Namco) vibe and atmosphere, with darker tones which do not always match the animated contributions of Studio Ghibli.

An example of this disjointed experience: just before an animated sequence finishes, the scene fades to black a little too quickly and a mini load screen comes up before the cel shaded sequence pops up. It’s almost as though the game wants to speed through Studio Ghibli’s animation to get to the next sequence. This places the player in an uncomfortable place between wanting to be invested in Studio Ghibli’s story or wanting to play the game.

Cut Scenes should add to the experience and create an entire atmosphere in order to tell the gamer a whole story. Throughout the whole game, one continues to see more of the limited scenes Studio Ghibli contributed, which is probably not what the designers had in mind for their game as a whole. In addition, the game does not take full advantage of Studio Ghibli’s talent. A majority of the scenes are that of the cel shaded variety, which would anger a Myizaki fan who bought the game not only to play a role playing game but to play one that featured the talent of a beloved animation studio.

In the end, what the gamer gets is a role-playing game with a few Studio Ghibli scenes thrown in, which is fine for a casual gamer but not for one who truly loves Studio Ghibli and their art style.

The article “Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch” Needs More Studio Ghibli Animation appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Gosport, England – Choosing a name for your baby can be one of the hardest tasks a parent faces, but a new survey from a leading personalised baby gift supplier may be able to help you on your way.

The study by Born Gifted, which surveyed almost 3000 baby names during the first half of 2012, revealed that the number one spot for girls was Amelia (7.2%) and the top boy’s name was Thomas (7.7%).

Interestingly the study found that Olivia and Oliver were the tenth most popular names which is in stark contrast to official figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) which disclosed that Oliver and Olivia were the most popular names in 2010 (most recent data).

The shift in naming trends has continued and whereas Sophie was the second most popular name two years ago, it is now in ninth position, with many parents choosing the slightly adapted versions Sophia or Sofia.

Names that were popular in the 2010 ONS survey such as Jessica, Ruby, Chloe and Grace have been replaced by Isla, Eva and Phoebe. Further names that have proved popular in the first half of 2012 were Charlotte/Lottie (5.6%), Isabella/Bella (5.2%), Lily/Lilly (4.7%) and Emily, Holly and Olivia (3.4%).

In terms of boy’s names, the recent study found many contrasting name choices compared to previous results compiled. The popular names this year (after Thomas) included Sam/Samuel (5%), Freddie (4.8%), Liam (4%), and Henry (4%); with classic names such as Jack, William and George not even making the list.

The top ten lists for 2012 revealed by the Born Gifted study are as follows (showing the most popular first)

Girls: Amelia (7.2%); Charlotte/Lottie (5.6%); Isabella/Bella (5.2%); Lily/Lilly (4.7%); Isla (4.3%); Eva (4.3%); Phoebe (3.9%); Sophia/Sofia (3.6%); Emily, Holly & Olivia (3.4%)

Boys: Thomas (7.7%); Harry (6.2%); Joshua (5.3%); Sam/Samuel (5%); Freddie (4.8%); Charlie (4.4%); James (4.2%); Liam & Henry (4%); Alfie & Oliver (3.5%).

The study also produced a few slightly unusual names including Rudy Blue, Wynter, Huxley, August, Bleu, Dixon, Jaxon, Tulip and Westly!

If you are struggling to find an appropriate name for your child, why not use one of the names highlighted in the study. Remember that naming a child is an important task because they will live with it for the rest of their lifetimes.

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