Sender: Castellio (percyshelley|Right to Heresy), Forum: ANSI_Train02 Title: 4. Must-Know Classic Works and a Brief History of ANSI Station: Sun Moon Light (March 13, 2011, 20:51:20 Sunday), Internal Mail The title of this article was omitted; it should be about classic animated/comic works. Let’s start by showing everyone the infinite charm of ANSIART! The so-called must-watch classics are those where if you haven't seen them, you're considered out; if you say you've seen them, you're called too old. Ah, these two sentences are nonsense, but there are still quite a few works that deserve this evaluation. To explain, what we call ANSI (space) animation is made up of frames of ANSI patterns linked together, and by continuously pressing the space bar, page down key, or right arrow key, the animation plays. 1. Star Wars and Single Byte Animation Has everyone seen the Star Wars series directed by George Lucas? Can you imagine, someone awesome enough to reenact this long movie with ASCIIART animation? Yes, this is Simon Jansen, and this is Star Wars Asciimation, I really recommend everyone click the link below to watch this animation. As an ansier and an earthling, it’s a must-watch: http://www.asciimation.co.nz/ (This animation was updated until 2008, and a 1999 version is backed up in the elite area of this edition) ASCIIART, this thing was initially an imported product. Long before we played BBS, groups of foreigners were creating with single-byte symbols on their keyboards. Although their works seem rough by today’s standards, some classics remain unsurpassed. Star Wars is one, another most classic one is Andreas Freise’s Knight, as follows: | | + \ \\.G_.*=. `(H'/.\| .>' (_--. _=/d ,^\ ~~ \)-' ' / | ' ' a:f In this image, what is most astounding is the author's compositional skills. The knight and the horse are each positioned perfectly. Later, the great master flubber from the mainland first enhanced it with two-tone characters, making this classic work shine even brighter: ╱ ╱ ╱ ↙╮ ╱\ _G_.～， ~﹨彡ぐ︳ .ㄣ (~︵ ╭/ ｄ,-ㄅ ' ~^ )/-╯ ! ㄑ This represents the process of ASCIIART spreading from the West to the East (well, the modern history of ASCIIART). Through the development and research by people like flubber, who introduced double-byte characters (as seen in our ansieditor software), a unique form of folk art with Chinese characteristics—ANSIART—was finally born. During this period, there were also numerous single-byte and double-byte animations, such as "Beating Pig Head" and "Abusing chine", to name just a few. 2. The Heart of the Sword and Taiwan's Block Color Animation After the birth of ANSIART, it faced its first shock during exchanges with the other side of the strait. Mainland ascii art has traditionally focused on lines. Simply put, it uses lines and characters to outline objects. In contrast, Taiwan's asciiart uses completely different block colors, filling space with large areas of color to shape forms. These are two completely different drawing philosophies, like sketching versus oil painting. Therefore, during the first cross-strait exchange in 2003, not only were mainland ansiers greatly impressed, but Taiwanese artists were also baffled by how ANSI outlined contours. Among Taiwanese block color artists, three are universally recognized as the highest level: Gatchaman, missher, and wut, each representing a different height. Gatchaman excels in depicting delicate changes in light and shadows and the shapes of objects, missher excels in mixing complex lines within large blocks of color to demonstrate the impact of block color drawings; wut excels in depicting small objects, even using simple blocks of color to represent cartoon characters in a very small space. Among them, Gatchaman's "The Heart of the Sword" animation is undoubtedly the most impactful, not only because of its exquisite patterns but also because it masters the rhythm of the animation— as the battle of Kenshin begins, the actions become faster, much like the editing effect of a movie. Following this, the block color creation in Mainland China took a leap forward, with artists like sylow, starmoonh, zycw, and yahoo emerging prominently. 3. Turn Left, Turn Right, and the Pinnacle of ASCIIART If one were to recommend the pinnacle of ASCIIART, "Turn Left, Turn Right" would undoubtedly be it, unmatched in its length, intricacy, and influence. Its creators include the aforementioned wut, as well as exlen and others. However, it must be said that the refinement mainly pertains to the parts created by wut; exlen's contributions are somewhat rougher. The work depicts a story from the comics of Jimmy Liao. More than just scene transitions, it features meticulous details: the wind ruffling hair, leaves falling, the setting sun, etc. A closer look reveals many small objects and the lingering traces of lines left by moving figures, all of which are truly astonishing. This animation was a tribute to the graphic artists at the mad years youth (whshs.cs.nccu.edu.tw). The mentioned "He's Enterprise" refers to a playful group formed by IDE (He Yiqian), wut (He Erhou), missher (He Sanfeng), and ommegama (He Sifei), all nicknames. With the talents of wut and missher, they are certainly noteworthy. Gatchaman, wengee, and later orangeyu were also active on this site, making it, alongside Xiaoyu's Purple Garden, another ANSI stronghold in Taiwan at the time. 4. Seasons and the Emergence of the Virtual Connection School After a period of development, Mainland line-based ANSI art saw the emergence of a distinction between the "soft" virtual connection school and the "hard" real connection school. Flubber once compared his own style with those of Iamppkl and wumi, and proposed a "continuous differentiability theory." He explained that some works emphasize seamless line connections and the effects of brush strokes, like wumi's works, which convey a strong and forceful sensation. On the other hand, artists like Iamppkl leave spaces between lines or use dots and commas to create a light, bouncy feel. Initiated by Iamppkl, the virtual connection school came to prominence in Mainland China. Among these artists, Iamppkl, parr, and yac are females, representing an ethereal and gentle aspect. Among them, parr is undoubtedly a pivotal figure, skilled in using dots and spaces in her compositions. Despite self-identifying as "lazy," her work conveys a beauty that suggests the silence speaks louder than sound. Thus, the animation "Seasons" was born. I remember flubber commenting upon seeing this animation: after "Turn Left, Turn Right," he thought it was impossible for any work to surpass it. However, "Seasons" represents another peak. Indeed, its delicate changes and the stunning transitions of seasonal landscapes demonstrate another approach to the intricacy in ASCIIART, distinct from the Taiwanese block color style. In fact, the subsequent development of ASCIIART in Mainland China has predominantly followed the direction of the virtual connection school, with artists from the real connection school becoming increasingly rare. 5. The Story of the Western Chamber and the Formation of the Real Connection School As mentioned earlier, wumi is undoubtedly a representative of the real connection school. His seminal work, "The Complete Story of the Western Chamber," was created by replicating the comic strips of "The Story of the Western Chamber." His style is characterized by the use of numerous special symbols and even complex text to produce a unique brushstroke effect. Kieslowski and onlyone once rated artists, and if the scale from soft to hard styles is divided into ten levels, wumi’s lines are undoubtedly at level ten. Other artists, such as cdiablo, nebulae, and Lifesuuucks, tend to use a softer style, employing 45-degree and 60-degree diagonal lines, horizontal, and vertical lines with fewer complex characters. 6. ONE PIECE and the New Developments in Mainland Block Color As previously discussed, line art in Mainland China has its trajectory. Meanwhile, block color art in Mainland China also thrived under the influence of Taiwanese artists. It began with people like zycw and evolved further with sylow, reaching a pinnacle in block color artworks. Artists like sylow have fully embraced the principles of shaping and lighting from Taiwanese block color art. Furthermore, with the aid of software like bmp2ansi, they have made significant strides in overall composition and proportion control. The work "ONE PIECE" is astonishing in its intricacy and the sheer volume of work it represents. Mainland ANSI has always emphasized the refinement of characters, and this is evident in sylow's work. Even in block color drawings, the selection of block characters is given considerable attention. One can observe in "ONE PIECE" how some of the minor details and small scenes are handled, with a clever use of characters that is quite sophisticated. 7. Gone with the Wind and the Transformation of ANSIART By 2008, ASCIIART in Mainland China had matured, with the styles of the virtual and real connection schools well-established. Achieving breakthroughs in technique, especially innovative techniques like those flubber pioneered, became increasingly difficult. The emergence of soulfox undoubtedly brought a fresh breeze to the ANSI community: the transformation of ANSIART was not about technique but rather about the ideas behind the creations. As demonstrated by the animation "Gone with the Wind," each scene's pattern may not dazzle with technique, but what "Gone with the Wind" shows is a form of expression akin to an internal monologue, entirely original to the author. This was absolutely revolutionary in an ANSI community accustomed to depicting tangible objects and conveying a sense of fun and realism. As onlyone and Kieslowski noted, such works truly elevate ANSIART to the status of art, rather than just a technique for character manipulation or a pastime. 8. Azure Phoenix and the Future of ANSIART When the animation "Azure Phoenix" was created in 2009, Mainland ANSIART had hit a developmental bottleneck. The style established by artists like kieslowski seemed to have reached an unsurpassable peak in line art, combining the rigidity of the real connection school with the fluidity of the virtual connection school, and establishing a followable painting method for characters and landscapes. However, making further breakthroughs proved increasingly difficult. Additionally, the decline of Mainland BBS in the Web 2.0 era and the complications brought by the promotion of the Vista system to ANSI drawing added to the challenges faced by Mainland ANSIART. "Azure Phoenix," with its unprecedented length and expressiveness, seemed to summarize the state of Mainland ANSIART at that time. What future development could follow? Would it merely become an auxiliary tool for entertainment and comics, or could it elevate to a form of art expressing ideas, or would it simply fade away? No one knows. -- over --