Gekidan Inu Curry

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Gekidan Inu Curry is an animation duo that consists of Ayumi Shiraishi and Yousuke Anai. Shiraishi, also known as 2White Dog (2白犬), graduated from Yoani and joined Studio Gainax in the early '00s. She worked on less celebrated franchises but by 2006-07 received many high profile requests and directorial opportunities in the industry due to the promise she showed. Anai, also known as Doroinu (泥犬), held a position as digital painter at subcontracting studio TANTO, struggling to find opportunities to advance his career. Anai would eventually turn back to his old colleague Shiraishi, as TANTO shut down in 2007, to pair up for Gekidan Inu Curry.

Gekidan Inu Curry broke through when voice actress Maaya Sakamoto saw some of their drawings she fancied so much she requested a music video production.

Their trademark aesthetic had been on showcase since day one: cute fairy tale concepts that turn out to be more twisted on closer inspection, a combination of standard 2D animation using paper with all sorts of stop-motion techniques, and collages that similarly mix not just art styles but different materials together. The duo often chooses to have their work credited as a "(public) performance"; which elegantly summarizes the Gekidan Inu Curry experience. Their craft is very physical, going as far as to make plushies, making it feel as if you're watching an exhibition.

Gekidan Inu Curry strongly wear their influences on their sleeves, often citing a deep appreciation for Russian and Czech animation, with more emphasis on the latter. The influence of Czech puppet animation is very thick and reminiscent of filmmakers such as Jiří Trnka and Jan Švankmajer. Observing their works more closely we can see parallels, such as grotesque, unsettling takes on fairy tale concepts without compromising the childlike wonder they're supposed to evoke.

Although Gekidan Inu Curry have worked for many studios, such as Gainax and Production I.G., their most prominent works are on Studio SHAFT shows, with mega-hit Madoka Magica propelling them into stardom. The duo was approached at an early stage of pre-production and given much freedom to create something genuinely otherworldly, which led to them leaving a strong impression. The multi-talented duo received the artistic freedom to handle all of the backstories for the witches, allowing them to further expand the Madoka universe and inextricably tying themselves to the identity of the franchise, which eventually led to their work as chief director on the spin-off Magia Record: Mahou Shoujo Madoka☆Magica Gaiden

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