Appreciation post: When a fight scene actually respects the laws of physics

I keep seeing people praise those flashy anime fights where characters fly around for 10 minutes without touching the ground. It drives me crazy. Just watched an episode from last year where a guy literally hovered in midair to kick someone 6 times. No gravity, no momentum, nothing. Compare that to something like the sword duel in the 2018 OVA where every swing had weight behind it. The animators actually showed the character's feet sliding on the ground when he took a hit. Why do viewers ignore basic stuff like inertia and reaction force? Has anyone else noticed how much better action scenes feel when the animation bothers to show impact and recoil?

3 comments

3 Comments

parker_webb22d ago

Used to think the flying stuff was cool until I watched that OVA duel. Now I can't unsee how much better grounded fights look. The sliding feet thing sticks with me every time I see someone float in the air now.

wade_anderson22d ago

Honestly, my buddy watched it and now he won't shut up about how dumb flying looks.

taylor_wells22d ago

Right? @parker_webb you've cursed me now too. Every time someone hovers midair in the newer shows I just imagine them trying to keep their socks clean or something. Makes the whole thing feel like a bad choreographed dance number. The grounded OVA fights actually look like people who know how to throw a real punch, not just float around waiting for their turn. Honestly feels like the animators had way more fun drawing those sloppy, scraping foot slides than any of the fancy flying bits.