The frame by frame option is super usefull for this kind of insane animation to appreciate the amount of details and polish in evey drawings.

Spectacular work as always.

Little info too, Nagata StoryBoarded all the action parts in this episode

The viewer shouldn't have to dissect the video millisecond by millisecond in order to figure out what's happening.

He's not telling you to frame step to figure out what's happening, but to appreciate the details in the animation. I sympathize with being confused with action this highly detailed and fast paced but it has its appeal of its own with how much draftmanship and care is put into every second, as well as excitement that can be found watching something this well drawn. Simply offering a clear perspective of what seems to be a reoccurring discussion every time a Nagata scene gets posted.

I do agree with Adel. I think the animation is way too fast paced and doesn't give the viewer enough time to process the animation itself. Sure there might be good ideas, great drawings and some nice composition, but i honestly am not a big fan of they way it's paced and executed.
His efforts are surely tremendous, but those are lost if the viewer has troubles to follow up...

for example at 0:15-0:18 it switches back and forth between 2 characters within little amount of frames and it doesn't transition well at all since the eyes are not lead very well.
I also have troubles to understand the overall interactions since it's mostly face close ups/zooms. Are they like combining their weapons or something?
I think even if i do not know the overall context behind the show, the animation should still have some certain sense to it that might give an impression or idea.

I suppose nagata is just experimenting, so i do believe he might figure out some better pacing/transitioning in the future.
He probably just has fun doing this stuff.

Iluvatar said:
The Frame by Frame option is maybe the most usefull for this kind of insane animation.
Spectacular work as always.

Little info too, Nagata StoryBoarded all the action parts in this episode

unfortunetely not everyone is so deeply invested into sakuga and goes through this stuff frame by frame.
Personally speaking, as animator i'd prefer to keep the audience invested and give them a chance to follow up. so i feel like it would be essential to have a few cuts and angles that give a bigger overview over what's going on.... that time you give the people to breathe, gives them a stronger anticipation for the sequence that's following up.

Blademaster223 said:
unfortunetely not everyone is so deeply invested into sakuga and goes through this stuff frame by frame.
Personally speaking, as animator i'd prefer to keep the audience invested and give them a chance to follow up. so i feel like it would be essential to have a few cuts and angles that give a bigger overview over what's going on.... that time you give the people to breathe, gives them a stronger anticipation for the sequence that's following up.

I can totally understand and agree with you that this sequence is hard to follow in "x1 speed" and that it can pull off many viewers from enjoying the sequence.

Personnaly I still greatly like this kind of chaotic animation and enjoy frame stepping it to appreciate the insane amount of details and care Nagata put into every single one of his drawings.
This is the kind of animation that can be appreciated more on the booru where you can watch and rewatch and frame step as much as you like.

Overall in term of readability this sequence is not his best work for sure (His assault Lily work is more readable) but on a technical level the work Nagata is delivering on this second season of Magia record is unmatched.

As the proverb say "Don't think, feel" lol

Another based Nagata sequence. A little more chaotic compared to prior stuff but man was this fun to experience!

Nagata at the time of creation: "I will make it as detailed as possible, so that avid fans will have something to do after reviewing it".

Avid fans: "Oh Nagata is amazing, Goat etc".
Non-avid fans: "This is very confusing."

I did have to rewatch this part of the episode again to fully understand it so I understand people's frustrations. But I far prefer animators to be ambitious and maybe push too far than the alternative of playing it safe.

Nagata is giving us a lot to feast on this season. Truly a beast.

One of the most chaotic cuts I've ever experienced in anime.

BlackSakuga said:
Nagata at the time of creation: "I will make it as detailed as possible, so that avid fans will have something to do after reviewing it".

Avid fans: "Oh Nagata is amazing, Goat etc".
Non-avid fans: "This is very confusing."

This isn’t the argument at all. “Not wanting to go back and watch the scene frame by frame” isn’t the main reason that some ppl are (reasonably) criticizing this scene for. No one here is criticizing the highly detailed drawings, but rather the mildly confusing storyboarding and the incredibly dense movement. Detailed drawings does not always correlate with comprehensibility, and it by itself certainly doesnt seem to be the issue here.

Nagata Discourse™ sure seems like it's going to rapidly become the most exausting thing on the booru (at least until AoT comes back, of course)

theczar said:
Nagata Discourse™ sure seems like it's going to rapidly become the most exausting thing on the booru (at least until AoT comes back, of course)

I hope to god the planet explodes somehow before that next Aot season airs.

Overuse of smears and jumping in your face movements. I feel like this is impressive animation for the sake of impressive animation while not really caring to immerse the viewer or convey the action/story in a well paced way.

I don't think "good animation" and "poor direction" can coexist. This is not a style exercise or a twitter fan animation, this is a *narrative* fiction show, every viewer (even non sakuga fans) should follow the action on real time. Obviously, there are cases where you want the action to be messy or hard to follow for narrative purposes (like shaky cam, long lenses with fast pans, etc) but these few clips clearly show it was not meant that way. When you need sound and dialogue to read your images, they aren't really conveying much information

FacuuAF said:
Can "good animation" and "poor direction" coexist? I really don't think so.

I stopped reading after this line

I for one think this is fantastic.
This is a fight between super human characters and the way it's animated really makes it feel like that's the case.
The extreme close ups really puts the viewer into the action. We're not just watching the fight from afar, we're right in the middle of it.

it's good when the pictures zoom

I understand the confusing complain however I actually think nagato does it in away that holds my connection to the scene mostly (( tiny parts didn't flow well for me))

I feel like I'm being juggled in in a good way,like a POV thing

also there is delicate animation cuts in between all the craziness like the girl jumping on the rocks,the monster charging into the screen and THE ART

over all I LOVE IT

but very understandable the people who don't like it,different styles for different tastes

I hope this kind of fight sequence doesn't actually get normalized.

I barely understand what's going on here.

As contrast, this scene[1] by hiroyuki imaishi does similar hasty animation, except the action at a narrative "macro level" is clear when watching at normal speed, yet he still packs in a lot of micro details for sakuga fiends. Every 2nd frame is a new completely different pose, like the character is being electrocuted.

[1] Running down the corridor in https://www.sakugabooru.com/post/show/5984

I really like the Original Drawings since they are incredible, but it is very difficult for me to understand what is happening or to appreciate the sequence well at its normal speed.
I share Bahi JD's idea that animation is not designed to be viewed frame by frame

Ultimately what matters is how it feels in the context of the whole scene. After all, there was a sequence before this and a sequence after this. Parts like these are the impact frame equivalent of action sequencing, you're not necessarily meant to read them, just feel them.
I can't say I like this on its own, because it reads so poorly (and I'm a fan of animators being brave enough to animate things moving slowly,) but if this felt good while watching the entire thing then it's hard to be critical of something so energetic and beautifully drawn.

To me, it's a very good depiction of fast, chaotic action scene. If you were watching this fight happening in front of you, this is quite close to what you'll experience You won't understand anything. but it will look cool. Having watched this scene close to 100 times now, it's clear to me what's happening, but yeah, you won't get it the first time.