Kara Dennison
July 6, 2021 
Have you seen the opening animation for Tales of Arise? If so, you know this new video game is getting nothing but the best. The beautiful sequence hails from Ufotable, the company behind some of the most gorgeous anime in recent years. And if you didn’t know them before, you definitely know them now.
Wondering what else they’ve done? Here are just a handful of titles… one of which you’re almost certain to have seen. And if not, you owe it to your eyes to take in this beauty.
The Garden of Sinners
Also known as Kara no Kyoukai, this series hails from the Type-Moon dream team of Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi. Ufotable adapted the light novels as a series of films, starring Maaya Sakamoto as the mysterious Shiki. With her “Mystic Eyes of Death Perception,” Shiki can see exactly where to stab anyone or anything to kill it instantly.
The fight scenes in these films are gorgeous, pitting Shiki against paranormal terrors. Her own paranormal abilities mean that the fights are action-packed and dynamic… and, of course, gorgeous to look at.
Today’s Menu for the Emiya Family
If you like the Nasuverse but want something a little less violent, try this Fate spinoff. Ufotable brought to life Today’s Menu for the Emiya Family, in which the heroes of the Holy Grail War just eat pretty food and have a nice time. The soft, comforting style of the series lets the studio exercise a different facet of its artistic abilities.
For one thing, the show renders familiar characters in a gentler style and color palette. It’s understated, but beautiful in its understatement. For another — and possibly most importantly — it has beautifully drawn food. Every recipe Emiya and friends cook up is lovingly rendered and designed to make you crave whatever’s onscreen. It’s cruel, but wonderful.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
This one goes without saying! Ufotable came to the attention of a whole new facet of anime fandom via Demon Slayer. As with The Garden of Sinners, the cinematic combat won fans over almost immediately, and goes above and beyond what many expected.
More than that, though, are the Breathing Styles. The artistic renderings of our heroes’ integrate really cleverly into the animation, mirroring their appearance on the manga page. With or without Tanjiro’s crashing waves or Zenitsu’s zippy lightning, though, Demon Slayer is a beauty. And it meant that viewers who weren’t necessarily Fate versed could get a good look at what the studio can do.
Tales of Arise drops this autumn, featuring Ufotable’s anime intro.
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