Following suspicions of generative AI usage for some background art in Ascendance of a Bookworm: Adopted Daughter of an Archduke‘s opening animation, WIT STUDIO has issued a statement on the matter.
According to the animation production studio, its investigation led to the confirmation that a portion of the opening made use of generative AI for the backgrounds. The relevant sections will be redrawn and replaced starting from Episode 2.
The statement also says that the usage of generative AI is not allowed in the creation of video content for WIT STUDIO’s productions, and that neither the background art director nor the background art studio for Ascendance of a Bookworm: Adopted Daughter of an Archduke, the Vietnam-based NAM HAI ART, are involved in the current issue.
NAM HAI ART’s other credits include background assistance on Witch Hat Atelier, The Summer Hikaru Died, and Hell Teacher Nube, and Attack on Titan Final Season. One of its earliest background assistance appearance was on 2018’s A Place Further than the Universe. The studio, which was founded in 2011, also showed up in the credits of Weathering With You.
Background art in anime is often outsourced to specialist studios, due to many animation production studios lacking their own internal background art department. Examples of Japanese background art studios include Studio Pablo, Kusanagi, Deho Gallery, Studio Easter, Aoshashin, and Bihou. The latter’s website says it began collaborating with Vietnamese and Thai background art studios in 2005.
Ascendance of a Bookworm: Adopted Daughter of an Archduke began airing on April 4. It adapts the third part of the Ascendance of a Bookworm light novel series written by Miya Kazuki and illustrated by You Shiina. J-Novel Club’s synopsis for the first Adopted Daughter of an Archduke volume reads:
Following a disastrous encounter with a noble, Myne finally resolves to say goodbye to her family and friends in the lower city, changing her name to Rozemyne and beginning her new life as the adopted daughter of Ehrenfest’s archduke. However, her days as an archnoble in noble society are brutal, as she is put through rigorous etiquette and magic training on top of her duties as High Bishop and forewoman. It all proves too much for a weak little seven-year-old girl… Or it would have, had the High Priest not offered her the keys to the temple’s book room as a reward. If she could get her hands on those, she’d be able to read all sorts of precious books! Her name may have changed, but Rozemyne’s passion for books remains the same as she charges into awhole new world! The detailed setting expands as the printing industry grows in size. Here begins Part 3 of this biblio-fantasy for book lovers everywhere!”
Source: WIT STUDIO website
