Animehouse

Unless you’re a fan of a specific era of anime (no, not the 90s), or a fan of shoujo series, you’ll likely have not spent all that much time with HAL Film Maker, the studio behind Sketchbook: Full Color’s. In spite of that, the studio has an incredible degree of depth, and the 2000s has a lot to thank the studio for. Even still, with their semi-limited catalogue (less than 50 series), things tend to fall through the cracks. Years ago, I managed to catch Tamayura (which I’ll write about someday, I swear) but it’s taken me quite some time to get here, and even then I was only brought around because of a punishment for losing a bet in r/anime’s anime swap. It’s a frustrating little reminder of what lurks in the shadows of the greatest series of yore. Not necessarily diamonds in the rough, but little snapshots of beautiful moments in the industry that have been lost to time- pieces of it that can only exist in these series that have been outgrown by their peers. I love the discovery of these artifacts of anime, and Sketchbook: Full Color’s does plenty to play into those feelings.

As the name implies, Sketchbook: Full Color’s is about the equally mundane and odd art club at a certain high school. Though interestingly enough, art and sketching itself isn’t the core focus. Through our main character Sora, and a group of resident felines, we explore more about the surroundings of these characters and how they interact with them on a daily basis and almost frustratingly avoid creating a proper picture. Personally, I have zero qualms with the approach, and thanks to some of the final moments in the series I don’t think many will either, but it’s important to understand what to really expect when you step into the anime- a series that’s more about producing a faint smile or chuckle atop the comings and goings of high schoolers and cats.

At this point it feels like a lost art, that ability to create something that does nothing. So many slice of life and iyashikei series have very prominent development and direction- which isn’t bad-, but it feels as though you end up missing something when given such a noticeable nudge towards a goal. You can’t just have characters walking around town looking for cats or something to draw, you can’t have them try to fix a CD player or go on a club trip without something happening. That… threat, of progression lurks in so much these days to engage viewers that you forget about what that healing feeling can really be. A nice long sigh after having a sip of tea, sitting with an older lady out in the sun on a Sunday, even trying to guess what the name of a certain bug might be. Inconsequential narratives are the bane of the modern viewer, and Sketchbook: Full Color’s is a beautiful reminder of what exists outside of that contemporary framework.

Of course, that doesn’t meant that characters remain static, either. Though all of the cast has rather strong and identifiable personalities, they take their steps forward in their own ways. It’s hardly enough to call it a journey or anything close, but they’ve most certainly departed from where they originated in the series, and that’s more than enough for me. Similarly, though much of the cast exists from the starting line, we do get a (very small) handful of additions down the road, including the token foreign transfer student, of course. Sketchbook: Full Color’s certainly doesn’t hide its age very well in that sense, but that earnest presentation does a lot make for a more fond experience, surprisingly without being grating at all.

With the inclusion of a foreign transfer student (and their equally foreign cat), we’ve got a pretty good segue into the side of comedy that the series provides. While it’s not necessarily non-sequitur, I’d hardly say it appeals to modern anime audiences- especially those without a good understanding of Japanese language, literature, and history. Many of the jokes riff on the language and its presentation at a rather brisk pace, which I’m actually quite a fan of. While it doesn’t attempt to bury the viewer in humor, it equally attempts to keep away from sitcom-esque pauses for a laugh track. The result is that while you have room for a smile or a short laugh, you’re never doubling over from the humor but neither are you left deadpan as the group rifles off jokes. It’s a very saturated type of humor that’s aim seems more like consistency and appeal rather than sheer comedic effect. Interestingly enough, when searching for a way to compare Sketchbook: Full Color’s, Kouji Kumeta’s Joshiraku immediately came to mind. Though just barely close enough in terms of chronology, the pair of works share a great deal in terms of presentation and genre for their humor- something that screams Japan in a much more natural way than excessive slapstick or physical comedy.

Now, I’ve beat around the bush enough about the cats, I’d think. Though it’s hardly a 50/50 split, Sketchbook: Full Color’s spending time on the world of (talking) cats to shake things up was quite fun, and is a piece of absurdist humor that tends to be missing in contemporary anime’s pursuit of “natural” works- shedding things even like character gimmicks. In the modern day, Kusagano sensei wouldn’t have a pet chicken on her head most of the time, and neither would she be a big fan of grilled chicken, though I digress. The cats themselves do have their own sort of “story”, but it remains even more vague and purposefully inconsequential than the main plot with our human cast. It’s more about selling the ridiculous nature of these house pets as their own entities, and sending them through the ringer thanks to cats like Kuma- who is voiced by none other than Jouji Nakata (Kirei Kotomine & Naobito Zenin).

It is important to remember though, that the humor and B plot (and even the vague C plot of a comedic tag-team of art club senpai) are deliberate and secondary aspects to the warmth and comfort of this story. Expressing that feeling can be a little difficult at times, but Sketchbook: Full Color’s does a surprisingly impressive job of selling that on it’s somewhat limited resources. Storyboards and layouts are never something that fire on all cylinders, and truthfully if it did so you would lose some of the charm and purpose of the work. Saving those pieces to sprinkle about here and there, somehow, better fits the tone of the series as something that wanders around and has the potential to find itself in a handful of moments. It is not something that’s meant to be beautiful or poignant for every single frame, but something that’s focused on delivering normal and daily occurrences- with the odd meaningful and pretty piece here and there.

The two areas that remain delightfully consistent though have to be the art direction and color design- the latter provided by Izumi Sakamoto who is currently doing color design for No Longer Allowed In Another World. While Kenichi Taijiri’s recent works as an art director may not be stellar, their proven history with series like Sailor Moon and even some Dragon Ball Z movies helps put into perspective their quality, and why they work so well here. The most interesting piece is just how much Izumi’s color design elevates their work though. Making full use of the sun’s range, Izumi loves providing incredible sunsets and natural lighting to the series, and coupled with the much less saturated and vibrant colors present, makes for something almost indescribably and fleetingly beautiful. It’s work that feels barely tied to the cels it sits upon, and that you might just be able to put your hand right through it. Such a wonderful style that feels perfect for the series, and feels like a painful reminder of what’s been lost over time in color design as we move to vibrant and saturated colors as the norm.

There’s a lot to be said about Sketchbook: Full Color’s, and even more that I’ve not written out here. At the end of the day though, the series is simply wonderful. Entirely care-free about providing some greater depth or bigger picture, it’s a loving story about Sora getting used to the art club through their daily antics and humor- with a side of sketching, of course. There’s pieces like Girls Und Panzer character designer Isao Sugimoto providing a wonderful modernization of Kobako’s original designs, or Yoshimasa Hiraike’s great work of interpolating much of the original 4-Koma manga into this animated format.

But all of that can still be found in the idea of the series being simply wonderful. Nothing ever screams of greatness or perfection, but it absolutely screams of an era of anime that feels long forgotten in many hearts and minds- myself included. Never quite wacky or zany, but still very much “it”, Sketchbook: Full Color’s is part of a fleeting moment in anime that you just won’t find anywhere else anymore. It’s unfortunate, but in the same breath there’s always hope as many series like these lurk in the cracks of popular culture for anime. So while I love this series a great deal, it’s also a reminder to keep searching and trying new things, as you’ll never be sure what you might find when you turn that next page.