Atsuko Nakajima: An Eye for Character (Design)
Anime
Many are familiar with Akemi Takada's '80s-defining character designs for the adaptations of Rumiko Takahashi's manga (whom I have also covered in an interest stack dedicated to her), but there is another person that is credited for translating Takahashi's characters within the wider anime (and promotional material) context. Atsuko Nakajima is a prominent animator, animation director, and character designer whose name emerged during Studio DEEN's prime years in the late '80s up until the early '00s, serving one or two of the roles above across its multitude of productions.
There is an interesting progression in Nakajima's design output. While she already had a certain tendency for hair complexity in her designs (see the nuances of Ranma 1/2; it stands out to me how there's a lot more to Kasumi's hair than how it looks), the advent of the 2000s and the rise of digital animation saw her trying out more extravagant and detailed appearances. Sharp faces complement the hair which brings forth a stronger emphasis on individual hair strands which have a notable sheen, such as her work in Taiho Shichau Zo and her animation direction work on Rurouni Kenshin.
As the title suggests, though, the standout element of Nakajima's character designs are the detail and expressiveness of her eyes. Evolving past the Takada-and-Takahashi-fused characters of Ranma 1/2, Nakajima maintained the glass-like look of her characters' eyes, which can be seen even with characters of a serious nature (i.e. having slanted or thin eyes like in Hakuoki). There's a doll-like element to her design philosophy that reflects or at least bears resemblance to the flashy and hyper-stylized bishounen and bishoujo aesthetic of shoujo manga.
Frankly, finding similarities in Nakajima's style is a bit harder to pin down, since she seems to be more flexible with adapting to the original manga artist's style. If there's a way to encompass her overall style, it would be the aforementioned doll-like attributes of her characters, the sharp lines that accentuate their presence in the frames, and a subtle luster that gives off the impression of an aura amplifying their importance.
Atsuko Nakajima profile: https://www.furinkan.com/features/interviews/atsukonakajima.html
Some illustrations: https://danbooru.donmai.us/posts?tags=nakajima_atsuko
There is an interesting progression in Nakajima's design output. While she already had a certain tendency for hair complexity in her designs (see the nuances of Ranma 1/2; it stands out to me how there's a lot more to Kasumi's hair than how it looks), the advent of the 2000s and the rise of digital animation saw her trying out more extravagant and detailed appearances. Sharp faces complement the hair which brings forth a stronger emphasis on individual hair strands which have a notable sheen, such as her work in Taiho Shichau Zo and her animation direction work on Rurouni Kenshin.
As the title suggests, though, the standout element of Nakajima's character designs are the detail and expressiveness of her eyes. Evolving past the Takada-and-Takahashi-fused characters of Ranma 1/2, Nakajima maintained the glass-like look of her characters' eyes, which can be seen even with characters of a serious nature (i.e. having slanted or thin eyes like in Hakuoki). There's a doll-like element to her design philosophy that reflects or at least bears resemblance to the flashy and hyper-stylized bishounen and bishoujo aesthetic of shoujo manga.
Frankly, finding similarities in Nakajima's style is a bit harder to pin down, since she seems to be more flexible with adapting to the original manga artist's style. If there's a way to encompass her overall style, it would be the aforementioned doll-like attributes of her characters, the sharp lines that accentuate their presence in the frames, and a subtle luster that gives off the impression of an aura amplifying their importance.
Atsuko Nakajima profile: https://www.furinkan.com/features/interviews/atsukonakajima.html
Some illustrations: https://danbooru.donmai.us/posts?tags=nakajima_atsuko
