Kabuse Cel (Correction Layer)

Kabuse cels (also known as correction layers) are layers added to fix mistakes in the original cel painting. These mistakes can be anything from using the wrong color to messing up the painted cel itself. Depending on the scene, budget, and animation procedures, it can be more effective to add a corrected layer on top instead of completely repainting the cel. In this case, the tracing lines are Xerox'd onto a new cel and the relevant area is repainted.

Correction cels can be labeled in many different ways, even within the same series:

• Sometimes it is labeled with かぶせ, the Japanese writing for "kabuse"
• Sometimes it is labeled with the same frame information as the cel the it is correcting
• Even yet, sometimes it has no label at all

A correction cel (right) that is fixing a painting mistake (left). In this case, the kabuse cel is labeled with the same frame information as the original layer.

The final product that the audience sees.