When it comes to anime studios, everybody has their favorite, but not many fans would pick Studio DEEN as a favorite. While it's far from the worst animation studio out there, it has made some rather questionable decisions and put out series with less-than-stellar animation. Do Studio DEEN's mistakes deserve the level of hatred they receive among anime fans?
Arguably, Studio DEEN's biggest blunder has been its handling of The Seven Deadly Sins since taking over the series from A-1 Pictures in Season 3. Season 3 was heavily criticized for bad animation, and so far Season 4 hasn't shown any significant improvement. DEEN outsourced much of the animation work to another studio, Marvy Jack, and was light on the quality control. Though there are several moments where the bad animation stands out, the most disappointing was the fight between Meliodas and Escanor. What could have been an epic encounter ended up being plagued by choppy movement and excessive use of still frames.
This is far from Studio DEEN's only mistake. Its animation for the original Fate/stay night series has been widely regarded as the weakest in the series; a scene featuring an awful CG dragon has proven particularly infamous. DEEN took over Rurouni Kenshin's third season from Studio Gallop, and while DEEN's animation wasn't bad, it paled in comparison to the previous two seasons. Perhaps Studio DEEN's most hated anime series is Pupa, in which the main character lets his little sister eat him in every episode. The plot itself is enough to turn people away, but the muddy colors and uncomfortable visuals certainly don't help lure more viewers in.
Despite these high-profile screw-ups and the resulting negative reputation, Studio DEEN has had many success stories as well. The studio's catalog includes such stellar, well-received series as the hilarious fantasy series KonoSuba and the original run of the chilling horror/thriller Higurashi When They Cry. The studio made a positive name for itself early on with the martial arts comedy Ranma 1/2, and while the animation quality for the 2001 version of Fruits Basket hasn't aged exceptionally, the show itself is still considered a classic.
Overall, Studio DEEN's output has been mixed in quality over the company's 45-year history. Unfortunately, not everything that a studio puts out is going to be a hit, but DEEN's misses seem to hit anime fans pretty hard. That being said, DEEN has done some great work as well and that should also be recognized by fans. While DEEN may not be the best anime studio out there, it's also far from the worst. It's been around for a long time for a reason and there are no signs of the studio going away anytime soon.
