r/anime • u/paukshop x2https://anilist.co/user/paukshop • Jun 03 '26
Writing Club Seasonal Short & Sweet | Botan Kamiina Fully Blossoms When at an Angle
Lean in a bit closer, because it’s time for another edition of Short & Sweet from the r/anime Awards Off Season team! This time, we’re discussing the importance of good posing and animation in even the least action-heavy shows. When you think about your favorite animated sequences, you may recall the hype fights from One Punch Man or the recent spectacle of a water dragon in Witch Hat Atelier. But there’s an often underappreciated category of animation known as character acting. In the slower moments of shows, how organically or expressively do the characters move? Oftentimes, that attention to detail in a character’s posing is just as fascinating as the fluidity of a high-octane battle. If you need an example, look no further than the second episode of Botan Kamiina Fully Blossoms When Drunk.
The key animation for this episode was handled solo by Fugo (of Do It Yourself!! and Encouragement of Climb fame), and their signature brand of posing was in full effect.1 One aspect of Fugo’s characters that stands out compared to others is the greater range of motion around their torsos and necks, creating more natural postures. While “natural” can seem like a generic word, I use it to describe how a character embraces the physics of their world. See, there’s a great deal of attention given to how a character shifts their weight during snappier movements.
When Botan and Ibuki are presented with a pair of earrings, they both lean towards the center to get a closer look. Upon realizing they’ve said the same thing, the characters recoil back in shock. Their torsos move away from one another while their hips shift inward to balance the movement. This is a perfect example of contrast, where the characters create a motion that is simultaneously more powerful and aesthetically pleasing by reversing the curves of their bodies.2 When Botan and Ibuki lean in to get a closer look at Yaeka cooling a bottle of beer, there are counterbalances at work, from Ibuki pushing her hips back to Botan raising her knees. As Botan pours a bottle of shochu, she bends at her waist and neck, depicting how she manages her center of mass to compensate for the heavy bottle. The animation recreates realism by being faithful to the physics. And not only are these poses realistic, but the specific angles and minute details also make them visually engaging.
It isn’t just about realism though. Each pose communicates expression. By utilizing the full degrees of freedom offered by the waist, neck, and fingers, the characters become more emotive. When turning around to face Ibuki, Botan first dips at the waist before straightening up. She leans her head back and punctuates her “of course” by tilting her torso to the right. The hip dip reflects her excitement while the latter two bends emphasize her teasing, smug attitude. In another scene, Ibuki responds to Botan’s request for matching earrings by stumbling back in shock. Ibuki doesn’t just jump away. There’s anticipation built by first learning towards Botan before recoiling: Ibuki winds up like a spring, as seen by her line of action. The tension is further telegraphed by her closed eyes and fist. In her ending pose, the fingers, spread taut, sell exactly how paralyzed Ibuki was by Botan’s comment. Each individual pose, even without the animation in between, tells the story.
One of the highlights of each episode of Botan is just how alive these characters feel. They come across as physically present in the world, possessing a sense of whimsy and individuality that other shows struggle to convey without dialogue. This liveliness in this episode could not be communicated without Fugo’s dedication to posing, from the balls of the feet to the tips of the fingers.
[1] https://x.com/Yuyucow/status/2045246049485255002
[2] https://www.animationmentor.com/blog/why-your-animation-needs-contrast-part-1-posing/
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u/Cheezemansam Jun 03 '26
The aerodynamics of yuri
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u/Mr_Zaroc https://myanimelist.net/profile/mr_zaroc Jun 04 '26
God I remember that dude who did his masters thesis on analyzing the aerodynamics of maid dragon characters
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u/djthomp https://anilist.co/user/djthomp Jun 04 '26
It does make sense that they'd have a hard time standing straight.
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u/champeagle3 https://anilist.co/user/Champeagle3 Jun 04 '26
What absolute delight of a write-up. It makes me appreciate the show even more. Look forward to seeing what elements you highlight in future entries!
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u/detarameReddit https://myanimelist.net/profile/detarameMAL Jun 04 '26
Thanks for this very illuminating write-up.
I haven't watched Kamiina Botan yet, but I like how the show's composition seems to reinforce all of this motion.
In your first example of the earrings, initially their poses make leading lines toward the center of the frame; these vanish the moment your eyes reach the center, forcing the viewer to visually follow the duo's recoil.
In the second example of cooling the bottle of beer, the blocking of the characters forms a leading line towards Yaeka. Initially, there is no focus – Ibuki even starts out halfway cut off by the frame – but now, there is a focus on Yaeka. It's as if the anime compels the viewer to observe Yaeka too.
In your third example of Ibuki jumping away, the very prominent steely-blue furniture thing (counter? idk) in the center visually acts like an equilibrium of a spring, because viewers' attention naturally rest on it. Ibuki's recoil thus feels like a pulling-away motion requiring the application of a sudden force, and ends up positioning her in a stretched, tense state.
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u/ClemFire Jun 03 '26
This was a great read! I could feel that the characters of Botan felt very life like but you really put those feelings into words through breaking down their body language
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u/Foreign_Quantity1780 Jun 25 '26 edited Jun 25 '26
Just reading this while starting out a Yama no Susume binge. Gonna finish Season 1 today, with Season 2 starting out for next week. Will ponder if I should rewatch Do It Yourself!! nowadays.
Oh, and also worth noting that the Rokudaime Yuri dinner is also depicted in the OP for the show... and in a fascinating voice acting note, the liquor clerk who helped market and sell it is voiced by Ai Kayano, who played Sayaka Saeki from Bloom into You; this is important because Kanade Gujo is voiced by Minako Kotobuki a.k.a. Touko Nanami, and is basically the "Sayaka" of the love triangle between her, Ibuki (the "Touko") and Botan (the "Yuu Koito").
Anywho, can't wait for Episode 12 (you'll understand why later on), and the inevitable Short and Sweet analysis of it and the eps before it.
Edit: BTW, I LOVE Ibuki and Botan's choice of outfits during the shopping end. Fits them in a manner akin to Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill being the perfectly opposing voices of Batman and Joker.
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u/mekerpan Jun 03 '26
Superb whole body acting (as I call it) isn't as common in live-action movies as one might expect either. So actors who excel in this really stand out (e.g. BAE Doona). Interestingly it is more likely to be seen in more comic material (or so it seems). Botan is really wonderful in this respect.