Studio Ghibli Animation Software Going "Open Source"; Details Pending (toonzpremium.com)

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Studio Ghibli Animation Software Going "Open Source"; Details Pending (toonzpremium.com)

Posted by timothy on Sunday March 20, 2016 @02:20AM from the that's-quite-an-announcement dept.

Michael Tiemann writes: Digital Video, the makers of TOONZ, and DWANGO, a Japanese publisher, announced today they have signed an agreement for the acquisition by Dwango of Toonz, an animation software which was independently developed by Digital Video (Rome, Italy). Digital Video and Dwango have agreed to close the deal under the condition Dwango will publish and develop an Open Source platform based on Toonz (OpenToonz). Effective Saturday March 26, the TOONZ Studio Ghibli Version will be made available to the animation community as a free download. Not yet clear is which existing open source license will be used for the software, if any. If it is properly licensed as open source software, then we should all celebrate this event by drawing unicorns and rainbows. If not, many will be dis-spirited away. Animation World Network also reports this news, and adds a few more details, but is similarly vague about the license terms. I hope the terms are such that we'll soon see Toonz in media-centric Linux distros, and in widespread classroom use.

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About time by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 02:23 · Score: 0

Somebody tells us what this is.
1. Re:About time by rossdee · 2016-03-20 02:33 · Score: 1
  
  I think Ghibli is a model of Maserati (Italian sports car) from the 70's
2. Re:About time by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 02:34 · Score: 1
  
  What it means is that I downloaded (torrent) all the Studio Ghibli movies for nothing...
3. Re:About time by RobertMaefs · 2016-03-20 02:45 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  Multi-award winning animated movies from east Asia. Studio Ghibli is basically Disney with fewer lines of merchandise and theme parks.
4. Re:About time by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 03:27 · Score: 0
  
  They're not from "East Asia," they are from Japan. I have been noticing recently that many people are very reluctant to say that something is from Japan, and use some roundabout expression instead.
  And Ghibli is not basically Disney, their movies are completely different.
5. Re:About time by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 03:31 · Score: 0
  
  Ghibli doesn't have anything to do with homosexuality or masturbation. Don't project so much.
6. Re:About time by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 03:54 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  You must be very proud. Thanks to people like you Ghibli are going to stop making movies entirely:
  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/11001081/Studio-Ghibli-may-stop-making-films.html
  Of course, Ghibli were one of the more fortunate studios and other people in the industry are in far worse a state. The animators work absurdly long hours for low pay and the studios are permanently on the verge of going out of business. Scum like you always come up with an excuse like, "all the money goes to the rich executives", but the reality is there is no money to go to the "rich executives". AnimeNewsNetwork post the anime Blu-ray sales each week and the sales are generally terrible:
  http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2015-11-24/japan-animation-blu-ray-disc-ranking-november-16-22/.95738
  Bear in mind that those are the Blu-rays that sold well, and many releases sell in the hundreds. Four thousand Blu-rays is considered a success, and titles can get a sequel even with sales as little as 3200 per volume. Blu-rays sales are the main source of income for the anime industry and the only reason it can stay in business is because of the occasional hit title that sells 20K-40K per volume.
  Ultimately the reason animators are working 16 hour days six days per week is become of scum like you who enjoy the product they offer but refuse to pay for it. As if you couldn't sink any lower you then post on forums boasting that you pirate anime.
  Please just kill yourself. The world would be a better place without people like you who just want to take and refuse to contribute, even when an industry is in desperate need of money.
7. Re:About time by ArmoredDragon · 2016-03-20 04:01 · Score: 1
  
  I think it's more likely that most people just don't particularly care for anime.
8. Re:About time by ihtoit · 2016-03-20 04:12 · Score: 1
  
  Grave Of The Fireflies, Arietty, Laputa, Nausicaa, Princess Mononoke and Tales From Earthsea aren't "gay" or "fap crap", they are actually astoundingly great movies.
  
  --
  Political debates have me rolling my eyes so much I think I got optical whiplash. I should sue. - Foamy The Squirrel
9. Re:About time by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 04:34 · Score: 0
  
  Sure, anime is a niche market, but the fact still remains that only a tiny proportion of people who watch anime actually pay for it. The earlier poster is an illustration of this - he watched all the Ghibli films but didn't pay for any of them. If he's watching the movies then clearly he's interested in them, but out of greed he simply won't pay for them. This is very common with anime, and people will watch twenty episodes per week, but despite enjoying anime they simply refuse to pay for it.
  If the people who enjoy anime actually paid for it the animators could work reasonable hours and get paid enough to live so they don't have to crowd-source dormitories:
  https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/animator-dormitories-for-start-ups#/
10. Re:About time by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 05:07 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  Ghibli might stop producing feature films, but I don't think they've yet confirmed that. The reason why they've been on hiatus has nothing to do with piracy or sales. It's because they've lost Hayao Miyazaki. He retired from feature films in 2013, and he was Ghibli's breadwinner and most famous filmmaker, almost being synonymous with Ghibli itself (Isao Takahata is the other famous filmmaker at Ghibli, and he will probably not make another film either). Pricess Mononoke became the highest grossing film of all time in Japan until it was bested by Titanic, but then Miyazaki came back with Spirited Away which became the new highest grossing film of all time and still remains so (both films also won the Picture of the Year Oscar-equivalent in Japan, i.e. won against even live action films, until animated films were shoved into their own award category). His last film The Wind Rises was the highest grossing of 2014.
  Ghibli has apparently had trouble developing new talent, and they've been too invested in Miyazaki. On the other hand, Ghibli was founded by Miyazaki and Takahata (and producer Toshio Suzuki) so they could make the films they wanted to. They probably just don't know where Ghibli should go from here, or if it should go anywhere (as an animation studio).
  You're conflating two very different things here: Ghibli and the television anime industry. Ghibli is a mega successful household name with their own museum that brings in a lot of revenue, they own their productions (not always the case for anime studios), and as a film producer they make most of their money at the box office. In terms of home video sales they're in a very different league than TV anime. Late night TV anime relies a lot on disc sales (there's no ad revenue), but there's relatively few people who buy them since they're expensive, there's too many shows on the air, and most people just don't watch late night anime at all. Daytime anime is watched by many more people, but disc sales are not important.
  Low wages in the anime industry (at least in the early stages of one's career) go back all the way to the beginning of anime and have nothing to do with piracy. People don't even have to buy anime in Japan as they can just watch it for free on TV. But for the relatively small number of serious fans that isn't enough, so they buy Blu-rays and merchandise. A show can also profit by making people go buy the source material it's based on (e.g. sales for the KonoSuba series of light novels tripled thanks to the recent anime adaptation).
11. Re: About time by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 05:14 · Score: 0
  
  Ghibli doesn't make cartoons, and while many of their movies are aimed at children/families it doesn't mean the same thing in Japan. Spirited Away was made with ~10 year old girls in mind according to its director, but it won Picture of the Year in Japan and shared first place at the Berlin Internatiojnal Film Festival with another film (Bloody Sunday).
  Other studios can only wish their productions were as successful as Ghibli's. Spirited Away remains the highest grossing film of all time in Japan.
12. Re: About time by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 06:06 · Score: 0
  
  Spirited away is the one that made me change my mind about ghibli. I loved them until that hyped flick.
  The part until the parents turn into pigs is amazing, the rest is pure nonsense.
13. Re: About time by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 06:30 · Score: 0
  
  You don't have to like every Ghibli film, and not all of them are made equal. I think Ponyo is bad, at least by their standards, and there are a couple films I haven't even been interested in watching.
  I don't see how Spirited Away is nonsense though.
14. Re: About time by Type44Q · 2016-03-20 06:38 · Score: 1
  
  They're not from "East Asia," they are from Japan.
  We'll be sure to make a note of that...
15. Re:About time by Jamu · 2016-03-20 06:38 · Score: 1
  
  Just note that Grave Of The Fireflies is unrelentingly depressing. It's still a great film, it's just very depressing in comparison to any other Ghibli films. Don't expect more of the same if you've only seen My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, etc...
  
  --
  Who ordered that?
16. Re: About time by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 06:42 · Score: 0
  
  Ghibli does not do anime, they do pretentious but ultimately kiddy cartoons.
  Grave of the Fireflies.
17. Re:About time by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 06:52 · Score: 0
  
  Correction: The Wind Rises was the highest grossing in 2013.
18. Re: About time by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 07:29 · Score: 0
  
  You mean the dime-a-dozen moeblob vehicles to sell models and merchandise with BEST GRIL slapped on them are doing fine?
19. Re: About time by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 07:49 · Score: 0
  
  "Moeblobs" don't exist, "best girl" is a meme invented by Western viewers, in most cases so-called moe shows are based on pre-existing manga, light novels and games, and anime isn't made to sell merchandise the way you think it is.
20. Re:About time by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 11:09 · Score: 0
  
  It's not "anime", it's a cartoon.
  Do you give special names to American cartoons or Peruvian cartoons or Lithuanian cartoons? Why is it that weaboos feel the need to try to obscure the fact that they watch cartoons?
  I watch cartoons sometimes and I call them what they are. No shame in that.
21. Re: About time by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 11:15 · Score: 0
  
  Grave of the Fireflies ( Hotaru no haka?) is a 1988 Japanese animated war drama film
  Animated, hence cartoon.
  What, you think because animated characters die in it that it's somehow "adult"? Lots of children's cartoons and comics have violence and death.
22. Re:About time by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 11:52 · Score: 0
  
  It means desert wind and there was a WWII airplane that carried that same nickname as well as the automobile. There are probably a few other things that use that as a name but it just means desert wind. I think it might be a specific type of desert wind but I do not remember.
23. Re:About time by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 12:42 · Score: 0
  
  Cartoons are a certain kind of animation. Anime is another kind of animation. They are in fact diametrically opposed kinds of animations with completely different philosophies, goals and animation techniques.
  Furthermore, "cartoon" has very negative connotations, and you even allude to that (even if you don't realize it) by insisting there's no shame in watching cartoons. And whenever people want to attack anime, they always make very sure to call them cartoons, never animation. Sometimes they'll innocently insist that cartoon and animation are merely synonymous, so where's the harm? But keep prodding them and they'll eventually say something like: "You just don't want to admit you watch cartoons, and you want people to think of anime as something more sophisticated than it really is!"
  So to be clear, this is what cartoons are like:
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wM1DgihKHVI
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y881yjtFluQ
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MUuDFeoyvM
  And this is what anime is like:
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhHoCnRg1Yw
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARTLckN9e7I
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rR1cMPnMcaY
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dG7Rg_WiXYI
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DflP5mBsivA
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVi_fs2oz3E
24. Re:About time by Tough+Love · 2016-03-20 13:23 · Score: 1
  
  Also with deeper stories, better character development and more message. Arguably better imagery too. Oh, and better music.
  
  --
  When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
25. Re: About time by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 13:41 · Score: 0
  
  Cartoons and anime, as I explain above in another comment (CTRL+F youtube), are two very different things.
  I think Grave of the Fireflies was actually intended for children (it originally ran as a double feature with the considerably more upbeat My Neighbor Totoro), but children's animation in Japan and children's animation in America are also two very different things. Grave of the Fireflies is a realistically done war-time drama where the two protagonists die of starvation. And it's based on the personal experiences of the novel's author. We're not talking about some kind of cartoon violence here.
  And more broadly speaking, anime covers a very wide range of genres and themes that you would otherwise only see in live action cinema. For example, this year there's going to be a TV anime adaptation of the novel The Great Passage, which is about two men... writing a dictionary. The live action film adaptation of the novel won Picture of the Year in Japan and was submitted to the Oscars.
  You can read the description yourself and imagine how riveting it must be for children:
  http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2016/03/17-1/noitamina-anime-to-adapt-novel-the-great-passage
26. Re: About time by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 13:50 · Score: 0
  
  Cartoons and anime, as I explain above in another comment (CTRL+F youtube), are two very different things.
  Nope, they are the exact same thing. There is zero difference other than trying to sound like a twat by saying "anime". It's a cartoon, get over yourself.
27. Re:About time by Khyber · 2016-03-20 14:25 · Score: 1
  
  Blu-rays sales suck BECAUSE BLU RAY FUCKING SUCKS, moron. Digital distribution and on-demand is fucking king now days.
  >2016
  >using spinning shit slow fragile as fuck optical media
  >ISHYGDDT
  
  --
  Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
28. Re: About time by wait_a_little · 2016-03-20 15:10 · Score: 1
  
  Anime is the abbreviated form of the Japanese pronunciation/spelling of animation. The word was coined in Japan, where it often (but not always) is just a synonym for animation.
  In the West it's used to mean either all Japanese animation, or the certain kind of TV animation that started being developed in the 60s and now represents virtually all commercial Japanese animation.
  Referring to it as anime is justified because anime is a very particular form of animation. It has an instantly recognizable appearance; it has its own visual language and iconography; it has its own genres, story conventions and character archetypes; it has its own animation techniques, and it's part of a larger and tightly connected industry that encompasses manga, light novels, games and music. And so on.
  And as I JUST explained and illustrated, anime and cartoons are two different things. Unless you have some legitimate problem with your brain there's no way you can't immediately notice the differences.
29. Re: About time by wait_a_little · 2016-03-20 16:55 · Score: 1
  
  I meant to post this in response to another, nearly identical comment just above, but got them mixed up while battling against Slashdot's inane commenting system. But since they are almost identical my response fits here too.
30. Re: About time by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 17:52 · Score: 0
  
  No, it isn't justified at all. There isn't just Japanese animation and other animation. There are tons of different styles of animation. Why don't you give each individual style its own special little name?
  "Anime" is a term that is only used by people who are trying to pretend they aren't watching cartoons.
31. Re: About time by wait_a_little · 2016-03-20 18:42 · Score: 1
  
  As I just explained, anime has many unique qualities to it and is a very expansive artform and industry. There isn't anything else like anime in the world of animation. Anime is very different and very distinct from all other animation. If you think animations from other countries need their own names then go ahead and start campaigning for them. I don't care. If French animation has a term of its own like anime, then so what? It's not going to have any effect on me or anime. Whatever.
  And as I've also already explained, anime and cartoons are two different, distinct forms of animation. You have no rebuttal to this except to robotically insist that they are the same thing just because you said so.
  You seem really upset, and should consider talking to a psychiatrist about why anime makes you so angry.
32. Re: About time by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 19:26 · Score: 0
  
  You didn't explain anything. You act as though Japanese cartoons have some kind of quality that makes them solely unique from "the rest", which is just patently absurd. There isn't anything else like French animation or American animation or Russian animation either, yet there aren't pretentious names applied to those.
  Why are you so ashamed to say you like cartoons? A lot of people do. Are you a teen/young adult who thinks cartoons don't sound hip and edgy enough so you have to give it a special label?
  Seriously, get over yourself, they are just cartoons.
33. Re: About time by wait_a_little · 2016-03-20 20:37 · Score: 1
  
  I did explain. Right here: "Referring to it as anime is justified because anime is a very particular form of animation. It has an instantly recognizable appearance; it has its own visual language and iconography; it has its own genres, story conventions and character archetypes; it has its own animation techniques, and it's part of a larger and tightly connected industry that encompasses manga, light novels, games and music. And so on." The differences between anime and American animation (which is what almost everyone is used to and consider the definitive representation of animation) are so extensive that they have nearly nothing in common. Even the most basic assumptions about what animation is and how it should be made are radically different. You might as well claim that early silent cinema is no different from, say, Inception (which, incidentally, likely took inspiration from Satoshi Kon's film Paprika).
  I also provided YouTube videos contrasting cartoons and anime. Again, unless you really have some kind of issue with your brain you cannot fail to notice the differences. There is no way Silly Symphonies is anything like Ghost in the Shell (which, incidentally, was the principal inspiration behind The Matrix).
  Here's a simple assigment for you: explain in detail why you think the following two clips are exactly the same.
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
34. Re:About time by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 20:51 · Score: 0
  
  The japanese are almost as enthusiastic about Italy as the britons. Hayao Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli was named after a WWI italian warplane. In fact he made an italian aviation pirates themed feature film titled Porco Rosso. (JAL tasked him to create a 5 minute in-flight entertainment cartoon and he came back with ~ 90 minutes of immensely funny floatplane Casablanca.)
  As for OpenToonz's release, one must wonder what this will mean for the future of MMD? Pig vs leek that will be an interesting duel.
35. Re:About time by wait_a_little · 2016-03-21 01:01 · Score: 1
  
  Blu-rays, DVD and CDs are still very popular in Japan.
36. Re:About time by Bengie · 2016-03-21 02:08 · Score: 1
  
  Words have meaning based on their usage. Anime is used to mean something different than "cartoons". Yes, anime is a type of cartoon, but definitely not the same thing. Remember, words only have any meaning because of how they're used. If you ignore how they're used, they're just a bunch of meaningless sounds.
37. Re:About time by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-21 08:25 · Score: 0
  
  Technically, you are correct, in a sense:
  The Japanese word, "anime" refers, (from the Japanese perspective,) simply to *animation*. That is to say animation of any type, and any nation of origin.
  However, in the rest of the world, (and especially in the USA, to my knowledge,) it refers specifically to *Japanese* animation, and at times to the general style of Japanese animation. In this sense, the previous poster is correct.
38. Re:About time by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-21 10:29 · Score: 0
  
  No, "anime" is the Japanese term for *all* animation, not just theirs. It's a stupid core of non-Japanese people who have twisted it into meaning "not a cartoon". Of course they are cartoons. Where they are from and what topics that cover are completely irrelevant. You can find children's and adult cartoons from any country in the world that cover any number of topics. There is nothing that warrants a special name for Japanese cartoons other than people either trying to deny that they like cartoons or people trying to ascribe some kind of superior status to the cartoons that they watch.
39. Re:About time by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-21 10:31 · Score: 0
  
  The culture of origin for the term "anime" disagrees with you, by your own admission even. They are cartoons, that is the proper western name for animation.
40. Re: About time by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-21 10:38 · Score: 0
  
  I have watched Japanese cartoons, probably before you were even born and nobody started calling them "anime" outside of Japan until maybe the mid to late 90s. They were either referred to as cartoons or Japanimation.
  Many cartoons from many different places have their own unique animation, character and story styles, yet they aren't given ridiculous names in an attempt to mask what they are.
  You really ought to expand your horizons. It's clear the only cartoons you've seen are Japanese and maybe a few by Disney. There is a whole world of others out there. Nothing makes Japanese cartoons stand out to the point where it needs a special label.
41. Re:About time by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-21 10:44 · Score: 0
  
  But not nearly as great as western animated films.
42. Re: About time by wait_a_little · 2016-03-21 13:04 · Score: 1
  
  Anime is a juggernaut of the animation world, putting out 40-50 shows every three months (plus movies, direct-to-video releases, and video game animations) sourced from manga, light novels and video games that all together form an aesthetically and narratively coherent and highly interconnected media ecosystem (and no, Marvel et al are nowhere near equivalent to it). American animation is small-time compared to this, and much less coherent. The animation industries of other countries are smaller and less coherent still. The entire anime ecosystem is so vast that it can completely replace everything else in your life.
  Anime has its own distinct and instantly recognizable appearance, its own animation techniques, its own genres, story conventions and character archetypes, its own visual language, its own very expansive fan culture (that's practically a smaller scale duplication of the professsional industries that spawned it), and many other defining characteristics that set it apart from other animation. Its high production values and cinematic approach to animation are also unique.
  I asked you to explain how those two clips are the same, and you completely ignored me. That's because you know very well that it's impossible to argue that they're the same. Just like it's impossible to argue that the videos I posted earlier are the same. You have zero arguments to support your position. You are just a mentally ill fanatic.
43. Re:About time by wait_a_little · 2016-03-21 13:15 · Score: 1
  
  Anime and cartoons are not the same thing. Anime is extremely distinct from other forms of animation. Calling anime anime is completely justified. I've already conclusively proven these facts in this thread, and you have been unable to offer any counter-arguments.
  Hey, here's another one little task for you. Explain how these clips are exactly the same:
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
  No problem, right?
44. Re:About time by wait_a_little · 2016-03-21 13:26 · Score: 1
  
  Anime and cartoons are not the same thing. Anime is extremely distinct from other forms of animation. Calling anime anime is completely justified. I've already conclusively proven these facts in this thread, and you have been unable to offer any counter-arguments.
  By the way, remind me how this cartoon:
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
  Is exactly the same as this anime:
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
45. Re:About time by wait_a_little · 2016-03-21 15:28 · Score: 1
  
  American animated movies are very basic. They have simple stories and story-telling, and are almost devoid of the cinematic sensibilities that are taken for granted in both live action and anime. Their animation is very smooth and expensive-looking, but it's also very limited in scope because almost all of it revolves around exaggerated character acting and is shot in a very flat way.
License is key by bobo_1968 · 2016-03-20 02:32 · Score: 2

Hope it's GPL, there's some interesting goodies in here, and a stated focus on research.

In addition, OpenToonz will also include effects developed by Dwango that utilize its artificial intelligence technology, and a plug-in feature that enables anybody to add original effects to OpenToonz. ... With the aim of building an environment where research labs and the animated film industry actively cooperate with each other, Dwango hopes to develop a platform via OpenToonz to help the animation industry instantly apply various animation production-related research results acquired in the field.

If it's BSD we'll see animation houses suck up any research output and not contribute much of anything back.
1. Re: License is key by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 03:16 · Score: 1
  
  Even gpl doesn't require you to disclose your changes if you are not redistributing the changes.
2. Re:License is key by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 05:16 · Score: 0
  
  Heaven forbid people don't give away all their research for free. Why would they want to be compensated for what they invested their time and soul into?
  Also,
  
  If it's BSD we'll see animation houses suck up any research output and not contribute much of anything back.
  Yeah... unless they decide to do the same thing the software creators did. And that's their decision to make, isn't it?
3. Re:License is key by Tough+Love · 2016-03-20 13:26 · Score: 1
  
  If it's BSD we'll see animation houses suck up any research output and not contribute much of anything back.
  If it's BSD then anyone who wants to can re-license it as GPL if they want to.
  
  --
  When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
4. Re:License is key by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 21:54 · Score: 0
  
  If it's BSD we'll see animation houses suck up any research output and not contribute much of anything back.
  If it's BSD then anyone who wants to can re-license it as GPL if they want to.
  No they can't. Only the original copyright owners can dual license GPL + BSD.
5. Re:License is key by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 23:48 · Score: 0
  
  It's exciting!
6. Re:License is key by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-21 02:09 · Score: 0
  
  You cannot relicense anything unless you are the copyright owner. The BSD license permits redistribution with or without modification, but does not allow you to change the license terms. The only license I am aware of which permits you to change the license would be works licensed as "GPLv2 or later," and arguably that is not actually a substantiative change.
7. Re:License is key by Tough+Love · 2016-03-21 09:58 · Score: 1
  
  You cannot relicense anything unless you are the copyright owner.
  With the BSD license, that's immaterial. You start your GPL project and import the BSD code. The BSD license for the imported code must be retained, however you may license the work as a whole under the GPL. Relicensing by any other name...
  
  --
  When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
Clear as a mud. by westlake · 2016-03-20 02:32 · Score: 1

Dwango will publish and develop an Open Source platform based on Toonz (OpenToonz).
So what are the differences between Toonz and the open source derivative?
1. Re:Clear as a mud. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 13:29 · Score: 0
  
  They're not developing Toonz any more. They just released it as open source as a final Fuck You to their competitor. The Toonz developers have moved on to other things already.
  And this will be the final nail in the coffin to that competitor, who has been through two changes of CEO in the past two years and has lost all of the staff that actually knew what they were doing.
Blah by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 02:44 · Score: 0

Bitch hoe, bitch hoe
"an animation software" --? by jabberw0k · 2016-03-20 02:57 · Score: 1

No, it is "a piece of animation software" or "an animation software package." Would you say "a hardware" or "a clothing"? Do you have "an information" ? Check your grammar.
1. Re:"an animation software" --? by ihtoit · 2016-03-20 04:13 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  you would put a freeform criminal claim in to a magistrate as "an information".
  (source: I'm a lawyer).
  
  --
  Political debates have me rolling my eyes so much I think I got optical whiplash. I should sue. - Foamy The Squirrel
2. Re:"an animation software" --? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 04:43 · Score: 0
  
  What the hell is a magistrate?
3. Re:"an animation software" --? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 05:07 · Score: 0
  
  It's what they call a judge in the part of Europe that speaks a weird variety of American.
4. Re:"an animation software" --? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 06:23 · Score: 0
  
  In many languages, you do actually have "an information" so my guess is that this is a translation error or a summary written by a foreign writer.
5. Re:"an animation software" --? by Hognoxious · 2016-03-20 06:43 · Score: 1
  
  Probably some froggy berk. They do indeed refer to "un software"and shit like that.
  
  --
  Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
All I can say is... by Type44Q · 2016-03-20 03:17 · Score: 3, Insightful

...if you like Japanese culture and haven't seen Totoro (or is it "My Neighbor Totoro"), do so - you won't regret it.
1. Re:All I can say is... by bmo · 2016-03-20 03:32 · Score: 1
  
  And then watch "Grave of the Fireflies"
  --
  BMO
2. Re:All I can say is... by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 04:05 · Score: 0
  
  Then "Spirited Away"
3. Re:All I can say is... by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 04:14 · Score: 0
  
  Then watch "The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya"
4. Re:All I can say is... by ihtoit · 2016-03-20 04:14 · Score: 1
  
  GOTF is one of the saddest movies I've ever seen. Which makes it great.
  
  --
  Political debates have me rolling my eyes so much I think I got optical whiplash. I should sue. - Foamy The Squirrel
5. Re: All I can say is... by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 04:26 · Score: 0
  
  Do not.
6. Re:All I can say is... by bmo · 2016-03-20 04:31 · Score: 2
  
  The director has repeatedly claimed that it's not an anti-war film.
  The artist isn't allowed to decide what the viewer learns/experiences from the artwork.
  It my opinion GOTF is one of the best anti-war films ever because the director didn't intend to make an anti-war film. The film isn't preachy, as a result, as too many anti-war films are.
  --
  BMO
7. Re: All I can say is... by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 05:10 · Score: 0
  
  Shut up Yuki, you lost, eat it.
8. Re: All I can say is... by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 06:10 · Score: 0
  
  Spirited away is crap
9. Re:All I can say is... by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 09:06 · Score: 0
  
  That's silly. The artists can do / say whatever they want. You attempt at some sort of divinity or purity of perception here is really just 'retention and ignorance, and I'm allowed to tell you that too.
10. Re: All I can say is... by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 10:24 · Score: 0
  
  It must have been over your IQ then.
11. Re:All I can say is... by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 12:06 · Score: 0
  
  Yeah sure, while Japanese had invaded many neighbouring countries and murder/inslave many people and rape many women. They are trying to cover up
12. Re:All I can say is... by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 12:07 · Score: 0
  
  Until you realize that both the girls in Totoro are dead at the end.
13. Re:All I can say is... by treethought · 2016-03-21 13:11 · Score: 1
  
  If you've never heard of Japanese culture and haven't seen "My Neighbor Totoro", do so - you won't regret it.
Poll: what was your first exposure to a Ghibli? by ihtoit · 2016-03-20 04:21 · Score: 1

Mine was this: http://www.onlineghibli.com/on... (Chage & Aska - On Your Mark)

--
Political debates have me rolling my eyes so much I think I got optical whiplash. I should sue. - Foamy The Squirrel
1. Re:Poll: what was your first exposure to a Ghibli? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 04:42 · Score: 0
  
  Well, it predates Ghibli, but Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, was by Miyazaki, and that was the first in my book.
2. Re:Poll: what was your first exposure to a Ghibli? by ciascu · 2016-03-20 09:02 · Score: 1
  
  First was Howl's moving castle: http://www.onlineghibli.com/howls_castle/. Finding out later that Howl was from Wales was a bit of a surprise, but I guess they have the world's most castles per capita, so if there's a moving one anywhere...
  Although Spirited Away had the edge, for me.
3. Re:Poll: what was your first exposure to a Ghibli? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 11:33 · Score: 0
  
  I have memories of watching a dubbed version of Castle in the Sky when I was a kid on British TV were talking 25+ years ago.
Confusing reality with fiction by Taco+Cowboy · 2016-03-20 08:47 · Score: 1

... if you like Japanese culture and haven't seen Totoro (or is it "My Neighbor Totoro"), do so - you won't regret it ...

I've been a Japanese anime fan, and I used to think that the philosophy, the background storyline of Japanese anime represents the Japanese culture
I couldn't be more wrong
While anti-war theme does make rounds within the Japanese anime the Japanese society is far from anti-war
Anyone ever stayed in Japan can tell you how war like those rabid right wing Japanese are - and they are the ones which have been controlling the Japanese government 80% of the time since the ending of World War 2
In Japan, the educators have been the ones leading the anti-war movement, but their efforts have been undermined by the powerful Japanese right wing pro-military gangs as well
School textbooks have been changed, history revisionism has become the elephant in the room
All references to the atrocities they have carried out during the World War 2 (such as the issue of comfort women) have been purposely 'forgotten' and 'fairy tales' have been inserted in school texts teaching the young Japanese students that their forefathers were in Korea / China / Siberia not as invaders, but they were there because 'the locals invited them there'

--
Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
1. Re:Confusing reality with fiction by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 09:01 · Score: 0
  
  Are you some Korean astroturfer or just making things up to pass the time?
2. Re: Confusing reality with fiction by Type44Q · 2016-03-20 10:08 · Score: 1
  
  Anyone ever stayed in Japan can tell you how war like those rabid right wing Japanese are
  You are entirely spot-on; I remember how the ultra-nationalists would drive back and forth in front of the Soviet embassy (Ropongi, late 70's), blaring Japanese martial music at top decibel...
  For what it's worth, I believe Totoro offers an interesting interpretation of Japanese - particularly Shinto - cultural practices such as belief in tree spirits, etc...
3. Re: Confusing reality with fiction by Type44Q · 2016-03-20 10:10 · Score: 1
  
  You are either ignorant or dishonest; which is it?
4. Re: Confusing reality with fiction by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 10:27 · Score: 0
  
  No, you are either ignorant or dishonest.
5. Re: Confusing reality with fiction by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 10:46 · Score: 0
  
  So Japan is a warmongering right wing dystopia because 40 years ago you saw some nationalists in Tokyo?
  Yeah, ok.
6. Re: Confusing reality with fiction by KGIII · 2016-03-20 12:49 · Score: 2
  
  Sorry to bug you but I can't help but notice the replies you've received. I'd speculate that it is ignorance, perhaps willful ignorance, but premised on very Western views. Were I a more paranoid person, I'd speculate that they'd based their beliefs on propaganda.
  Japan's culture and history is largely based on a feudal caste system with inherent bias, prejudice, and inherited status. There's speculation about the changes but, at the same time, they've still got people *actively* engaging in ancestral worship with regards to war criminals. They were forced, at gunpoint, to open up their society.
  As an outsider looking in, and doing so objectively (I think), it appears that there are still a number of people, people with power, who resent that. That, coupled with a society that appears to be rather conformational and largely disinterested in externalities and you have a volatile situation that could make drastic changes in less than a generation.
  Before people guess, I've *been* to Japan more than once and have enjoyed the time and the people. I did lose relatives in WWII to the Japanese and had others who barely survived their capture by the Japanese. However, I was not there and I'd like to think that I can still be objective as I do not hold any particular grudges with this. In fact, if I did then I'd say nothing and hope that their society imploded or turned aggressive and was annihilated. I wish that on nobody.
  If I could make any changes, it would be to get their average citizen interested in both politics and things that go on outside of their borders. They might also wish to look internally and see what they can do about those people who still deny, or minimize, things like Unit 731, prisoner abuses to numerous to mention, the Rape of Nanking, sexual slavery of Koreans, chemical warfare tests on living Chinese, and treachery. Then, they may wish to just be open about the way their history played out. No, life was not good for the average person and that lasted well into the 20th century. *sighs*
  It's not hard, as an individual, to get past that sort of stuff. I've no idea how to do it en masse... I do wish them luck but, as an outsider, it really does look largely dysfunctional and based on false premises. Seriously, worshiping war criminals? In the 1970s the people doing so were old. I see it today, when it does make the media, and I've noticed that they're not a bunch of old veterans any more. It's a mix of a few old people and a whole lot of young people.* It was sort of understandable when it was just a bunch of old vets. I can understand and accept that. I know what it's like to carry a firearm and (sort of) fight for your country.
  * How does that even happen? Seriously, I don't get it. What did they tell those kids to get them to engage in that ancestor worship and laying wreaths on war criminal's tombs? These aren't speculated criminals. These are accused and tried criminals who are responsible for atrocities, by any definition of the word, and were sentenced to death in some instances. It was understandable, if regrettable, when it was the old and dying who still kept them in their memory. How the hell did they get kids to keep this tradition up? Do the kids not know? Do they not understand? Have they been told the truth?
  Yes, those are questions. I have no idea what the answers are. Your opinion is, of course, valued and you may well know what I do not. I could go on but I'm lazy tonight. ;-)
  
  --
  "So long and thanks for all the fish."
7. Re: Confusing reality with fiction by Type44Q · 2016-03-20 15:22 · Score: 1
  
  They were forced, at gunpoint, to open up their society.
  
  Funny you should mention that; my dad has one of Commodore Perry's original nautical charts of Sagami Bay (where the U.S. Fleet made the Tokugawa shogunate their bitch)...
8. Re: Confusing reality with fiction by KGIII · 2016-03-20 17:48 · Score: 1
  
  That is AWESOME! Is it marked up? That may actually belong in a museum. That's a chunk of history, right there.
  I do wonder how many folks have actually figured out your username and the potential association with Japan? *chuckles* It's kind of like the guy running around with (Base 64 I think) "slashdot sucks" as a username. I don't think anyone's ever noticed. I read usernames way too often. *sighs*
  At any rate, that's awesome. I kind of want a pic. ;-) Signed? Any authenticity to actually *prove* it was originally Perry's? How the hell did he end up with it in his possession?
  My mother's side was Prescott and McDonnell. So, you can put those together and guess I've a bunch of Navy history in my family. My father's side were all Marines which is, technically, a Department of the Navy. I did my eight and ravaged the GI Bill for all it was worth.
  As a *very* odd aside - but I'm reminded of it when I mention this (something to do with work ethic) - I've been pondering going back to work for a while if things are different this autumn. I don't need money but I've been doing very little for a while. A few years back I spent a summer building houses for Habitat for Humanity. That was kind of fun but I'm thinking something in the tech sector. It probably does seem like an odd aside but, really... They're strangely related. I don't really know what to think, I guess. Maybe I'll start *and* run a business of my own - besides those I've already got my fingers in.
  I keep going back to the idea of a consulting business where Graybeards are given their due and are called in as emergency personnel (more or less) and are recognized experts in their field and thus able to put the terms *they* want into their contracts. Yes, that includes being able to put their right to wear their underwear outside of their pants into their contracts if they so desire. They can even stipulate that they're allowed to wear a mask and a cape and that everyone has to refer to them as Super Henry or whatever they want. After all, they're the best of the best and it is a crisis, are they going to argue or not? Also, the pay rate will be what the contractor insists they're worth.
  So, not just you but anyone who might be interested should keep poking me to make sure that I keep pondering how to go about achieving that. I've got ample starting capital. I can even run the damned thing as a non-profit if I wanted. But, I've gotta do something - and soon.
  Ah well, that's really off-topic but I'm strangely reminded of it. :/ Maybe my head is broken. I dunno... They tell me I'm sane.
  
  --
  "So long and thanks for all the fish."
9. Re: Confusing reality with fiction by Type44Q · 2016-03-21 02:08 · Score: 1
  
  My apologies; in answer to your earlier question, this is the kind of "Type44q" that my username is a reference to... :)
10. Re: Confusing reality with fiction by KGIII · 2016-03-21 02:34 · Score: 1
  
  You'd think, with my affection for automotive means, I'd have known that. However, I completely was thinking Type 44 which is a rifle used by Japan during WWII.
  
  --
  "So long and thanks for all the fish."
11. Re:Confusing reality with fiction by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-24 02:17 · Score: 0
  
  Actually, Miyazaki and Takahata are doing movies about Japanese culture in order to give it a chance to strive against its right-wing perversion...
  It's definitely a political action, but it doesn't prevent it from being based on traditional Japanese culture.
Unicorn's and rainbows? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 10:04 · Score: 0

Everyone knows that it's Pegasi that deal with the rainbows, not unicorns. Gosh get with the program.
Try github, release date 26 of march by olafura · 2016-03-20 16:12 · Score: 1

https://opentoonz.github.io/
Calm the fuck down by Anonymous Coward · 2016-03-20 23:00 · Score: 0

They are shutting down because their supreme talent is getting old and especially without Miyazaki, they are a shadow of their former selves. They did try and do some non-Miyazaki efforts with young staff but they ran ridiculously over budget. They also tried his son Goro who didn't have his father's magic. So rather than churn out mediocre offerings they called it a day. Their staff will move to other studios or better yet start their own.

So next time you link an article read it first because in it Miyazaki said “We have no future plans. We just want to take some time off.”