E-Frontier is a leading name in computer animation software, showcasing great programs like Poser and Manga Studio, among many others.  For people looking at better than entry level software that does not have some of the design headaches that come with industry heavy hitters like Maya, Poser has been a wonder for many, with pre-designed characters that can be morphed and animated with relative ease.  Featuring an extensive range of support materials at E-Frontier’s on-line store, Content Paradise, from body morphs to create new characters using existing base models, to costumes, hair, pose sets, props and settings, this one program alone has much in it designed to enhance the user’s animation experience without expending huge amounts of time in designing everything from scratch.  Poser has made a good name for itself in the industry over the years.  With the addition of Anime Studio to the ranks at E-Frontier, the good name of this company can only get better.

Anime Studio 5 is a program for the creation of 2D animations, either in the style of classic western cartoons, anime or SOUTH PARK style cutout films.  With Anime Studio, length is no problem, with the program being flexible enough to handle short scenes or longer feature style films.  It can output in a range of formats, supporting video and online applications. 

Two versions of Anime Studio exist.  The first version, Anime Studio 5, is targeted primarily for novice users, digital animators, and hobbyists, allowing them to quickly create satisfying animation sequences with little trouble, adding titles to complete the picture, and enabling users to use original art or digital pictures to support the creative process.  Then there is Anime Studio 5 Pro. It contains all the features of the basic version, but is tailored for more advanced users, with more tools to speed the animation process, like additional content, pre-rigged characters and effects.
 
INSTALLATION AND SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Anime Studio will run on a surprising number of platforms and operating systems. However, it is optimized for Windows 98 Second Edition, Windows ME, 2000 (Service Pack 2 or higher), Windows XP Home/Professional/Tablet PC Edition for the basic version.  In the advanced configuration, it is much the same, which is good news.  How it works in the world of Vista is not noted in the guide that came with this version.  In terms of actual hardware, Anime Studio needs a 500 MHz Intel Pentium or equivalent Processor as a minimum requirement.  It also needs 256 MB RAM minimum on the machine, at least 50 MB free hard disk space, a 16 bit color (65,536 colors) display or above 1024x768 resolution, and a CD-ROM (for physical version of application). 

For Mac users, Mac OS X v10.3.9+ (Universal Binary), PowerPC G5/G4 Processor 500MHz or above (Intel Processor recommended) is needed.  The Mac version also needs 256 MB RAM minimum, 50 MB free hard disk space minimum, and like the Windows version, 16 bit color (65,536 colors) display or above 1024x768 resolution and a CD-ROM (for physical version of the application).  So the good news is Anime Studio will not exactly eat up your hard drive, which is great considering how hungry some animation programs can be.  It is a consumer end package designed to run comfortably on ‘off the shelf’ systems.  

CREATING ANIME
You should consult the tutorials when animating for the first time in this program, if only to familiarize yourself with the layout of the screens- yes, I said screens- plural.  This has a busy interface, with a lot of point and click functions for quick reference.  It tries to flip between some screens when certain functions are activated to keep the desktop less cluttered, but you should run through some tutorials to see how this works and learn where the major keys are to help you do what you want to do in this program. 
 
Some may scoff at this, but the truth is tutorials are always helpful, and Anime Studio is not weak in that area.  To advanced users, making circles squash and spin may seem like childsplay, but tutorials of this nature are helpful in making new users familiar with the platform and what each icon represents on the various toolbars.  It does help to double check as one works through the tutorials.  I found on one that to apply a gradient fill in a landscape, a couple of commands in the gradient box had to be activated in order to create the desired effect, and these were not mentioned in the tutorial.  Back tracing my steps helped me isolate the error I made, and learn what to do in future.  However, it took a little button pushing to do it.  To fully learn from the tutorials, though, one needs to stick with the program, and work the controls over and over again.  Learning any software is not like riding a bicycle.  You don’t always remember, and each program has its own little quirks.

You may notice the program opens with a generic figure on the screen and it has what looks like bones in the limbs and body structure.  These are in fact bones, and can be used of the manipulation of the character.  From this walk or other action cycles can be created using key frames- start, end or mid points in the cycle used as anchors, through which the computer interpolates the ‘tween’ frames to smooth the motion.  It is important to note many of the characters supplied with the program, including this one, come as multiple flat layers which interact to create one fluid 2D image.  For those of you who are used to 3D modeling, this might take some adjustment, as you try to move the figure without dismembering it.  To provide more precise control, you can highlight each layer and remove or modify it as you wish, through using one of the many pop up screens that appear in this interface.     
 
You can also add shadows to your characters, create motion blur to help smooth the animation, and use stock eye or mouth positions to create emotions.  Note that to see these changes, you have to first make the changes using the pop up menus, then jump into another menu to see the changes in the final animation.  Camera adjustment is possible, as is your ability to preview the final product in various modes.  You can import images for backgrounds and create your own credits using fonts supported in your computer.  In short, this program, with perseverance, will act as a complete studio in a box, enabling you to output quality animation in widely supported formats.  But this is not PHD (Push Here Dummy) animation.  It takes time to learn the software, and develop skills with it.  With limited Undo functions, you need to be on your toes.  This is not a knock against Anime Studio.  It is a fact of life with any animation software.
 
3D MODEL SUPPORT
The program does come with a number of stock models- many of which look more at home in the world of FAMILY GUY than they would in NARUTO.  Babies, stock male characters, backgrounds, and some animals make up the canon of models available to you.  But perhaps the generic models are not enough, and you don’t have time to build your own characters.  Help is at hand.  Content Paradise is a great way to get extra models ready made for Anime Studio.  The cost is reasonable, and many will come ready for lights, camera, and action.    
 
TECH SUPPORT AND FINAL DETAILS 
With any software, support for technical problems is always an issue.  E-Frontier is great in that area.  The manuals that come with this program is easier to understand than some of the others issued with software.  However, it is still pretty basic.  For harder stuff, it may be necessary to contact the company directly.  Past experience has shown this to be straightforward.  When contacted, E-Frontier responds quickly, and thoroughly.  Just remember you will get even better service if you register with the company when you activate the software.  Also click on getting mail from Content Paradise, which, as noted,  will have sales on peripherals for the software all the time.  Tutorials, models, and other materials are readily available this way.  It will make using, modifying and exploiting the full potential of Anime Studio much easier.

IN SUMMARY:
Anime Studio is animation in a box.  Everything you need to produce your own cartoons or quality anime films is here within easy reach for the serious learner or his pocket book.  Anime Studio is available with the Debut version marketing at $49.99 USD and the PRO version retailing at $199.99 USD.