How many frames does 1 anime episode have?
The clear answer is that a standard 20-minute anime episode contains approximately 3000 hand-drawn frames. This averages to an effective framerate of around 12 frames per second (fps).
But why doesn‘t anime conform to the standard film rate of 24 fps? This article will analyze anime production in depth – from frame rates to drawing counts and timelines. As an animation fan, I‘ll compare TV anime to other mediums and discuss the balancing act between fluidity and feasible production. Grab some manga and let‘s dive in!
Anime Frame Rate Standards and Terminology
While 24 fps is considered the "standard" for the illusion of motion, like cinema, most television anime opts for lower frame rates to save on exorbitant production costs. Some key terms:
Animating On 1s: Each frame is drawn individually, allowing the full 24 fps fluidity where budget allows.
Animating On 2s: Each frame is duplicated to play at 12 fps, meaning only 12 unique drawings per second.
Animating On 3s: Each frame is tripled to play at 8 fps, further reducing unique drawings.
Let‘s explore typical frame rates across anime media:
Anime for TV Broadcast
Cost constraints mean most TV anime is animates on 2s at 12 fps. Some variances:
– Normal dialogue/scenes: 10-15 fps
– Action scenes: Animated on 1s at 24 fps
– Limited animation sections: as low as 8 fps
For example, popular series Demon Slayer uses 12 fps but animates fast-paced sword fights on 1s to deliver impact.
Original Video Animation (OVAs)
With higher budgets, OVAs intended for home video often have frame rates in the 15-24 fps range by combining 1s and 2s.
Anime Films
Theatrical anime movies often achieve much higher rates thanks to longer productions, aiming for a cinema-quality experience:
– Average of 16-20 fps
– Action scenes at 24 fps
– Exceptional films like Studio Ghibli works animate entire scenes on 1s
For example, the acclaimed movie A Silent Voice was animated between 16-24 fps, with important emotional moments done frame-by-frame for maximum fluidity.
| Animation Type | Typical Frame Rate Range |
|---|---|
| TV Series | 10 – 15 fps |
| OVA | 15 – 24 fps |
| Theatrical Movie | 16 – 24 fps |
Now that we‘ve covered terminology and typical rates across anime media, let‘s analyze the incredible amount of production effort that goes into each second of animation.
Anime Episode Production Timelines and Frame Counts
Given most TV anime uses 12 fps, how many drawings go into 20-minute episode?
At 12 fps over 20 minutes = 24,000 frames
Of course, through animating-on-2s to repeat drawings, the actual number of hand-drawn frames is halved to approximately 12,000.
Still, when considering anime legend Osamu Tezuka defined the average TV anime budget allowance per episode as under 3 million yen, and a single anime drawing takes over 1 hour for an experienced animator to create, we begin to appreciate the intense pressures of anime industry production.
Let‘s break down the numbers:
| 20 Minute Episode | # Frames (12 fps) | Actual Drawings (on 2s) | Animator Hours (at 1 hr/drawing) |
|---|---|---|---|
| TV Series | 24,000 | ~12,000 | ~12,000 |
In other words, under extreme schedule pressure, a 12-episode TV series requites over 140,000 drawings taking at least 140,000+ hours to animate by hand. And that‘s before accounting for storyboarding, backgrounds, CGI, voice acting and other workflows!
No wonder production crunches with overworked, underpaid animators are notoriously endemic to the anime industry. Passion often fuels artists to push through conditions Western creators would consider unreasonable. But times and technologies may be gradually changing…
Digital Anime and Higher Frame Rates
Tools like Toon Boom Harmony are allowing a subset of studios to transition episode animation and coloring to digital while increasing productivity. And higher budget productions have increasingly adopted digital techniques for enhanced fluidity.
For example, standout hand-drawn anime film Lupin The 3rd: The First shocked viewers by utilizing full 24 fps digital animation while chasing feature quality, a rare feat for TV series level budgets.
Higher fps digital anime remains a premium option though, with 2D masterpieces like Demon Slayer still produced using traditional techniques preferred by many Japanese animation directors. Yet as costs come down and techniques improve, more studios will benefit from the combination of digital efficiency and frame rate flexibility.
Indeed, the emergence of real-time 3D anime like Netflix’s upcoming Thermae Romae Novae visualizes a future where fluid fully 3D series become feasible for TV-level budgets. While likely supplementing rather than supplanting hand-drawn aesthetics, increased anime automation could let human artists focus less on raw drawing output and more on the craft’s creative challenges.
Closing Thoughts on Anime Fps and Production
In closing, while cinema set the standard of 24 fps long ago to simulate motion fluidly, anime economics have necessitated clever compromises like animating on 2s/3s to establish effective rates of 12-15 fps for television.
But depictions of speed, emotion and spectacle uniquely integral to anime storytelling spur creators to intensely hand-craft as many 24 fps frames as budgets and schedules can sustain. And digital advancements hint at easing production loads in the future while benefiting frames rates.
Next time you watch an anime sword slash or emotional cry seemingly freeze and then explode with fluid motion, appreciate that animators likely switched to hand-drawing on 1s to immerse you fully. That’s the obsessive level of artistic attention that makes anime so magical.
So support the human artists that love bringing manga worlds to life frame-by-painstaking-frame! Anime economics may mandate 12 fps compromises for now – but in our minds and hearts, anime will always animate freely at 24 frames per second.
