The past
decade has seen a real surge in independent animation in Japan, thanks in a
large part to the efforts of art schools like the undergraduate programmes at Tama Art University (Tamabi), Musashino Art University, among many
others, and the graduate programme at Tokyo
University of the Arts (Geidai).
Thus it was a shock to many that no
Japanese films made the cut at for the official competition at this year’s
Hiroshima International Animation Festival.
After watching the official competition, and speaking to several jury
members on the selection committee, it became clear to me that the lack of
Japanese films reflected the sheer high number of films submitted this year –
the selection committee had to trawl through a record-breaking 2,200 entries –
and the high quality of the films selected.
The style and themes of the selected films was quite diverse, and I
think it reflects well on the fairness of the jury that they did not consider
throwing in some token local entries in a nod to their hosts.
Japanese animated shorts did show as
part of the best of the student animation screenings, and a whole room next to
the main entrance was dedicated to showcasing animations schools and works by
their students. There were also many
past winners of festival prizes screened during retrospectives in honour of the
festival’s 30th birthday. At
the first such screening, Macoto Tezka
presented Legend
of the Forest, Part 2 (森の伝説 第二楽章/Mori no
Densetsu, Daini Gakushō, 2014) – the first phase of completing his late father Osamu Tezuka’s unfinished masterpiece Legend
of the Forest.
On the final day of the festival, a
screening called Japanese
Animation Today (現代日本のアニメーション) presented a cross-section of works representative
of independent animation from Japan.
The works ranged from “stars of the students” such as Ryōji Yamada, whose film Waiter won an Award for Excellence at Image Forum Festival
this year, to more established indie artists such as CALF members Atsushi Wada, with his Channel 4
sponsored Anomolies, and Mirai Mizue with his crowd-funded
international festival favourite Wonder.
Heart of Tap / タップのゆめ
Masako Ahn /
アン・マサコ, 2013, 22’43”
A puppet
animation set in mid-20th century Europe about a pair of used tap
shoes. The puppets and sets are
beautifully done, unfortunately the script needed to be tightened quite a
lot. The story and images from the
animation have also been published
as a storybook.
Red Colored Bridge
Keiichi Tanaami
/ 田名網敬一, 2013, 5’40”
The latest
psychedelic sensation from Japan’s leading pop artist. Excellent as always.
Anomalies
Atsushi Wada
/ 和田淳, 2013, 3’03”
Wada’s
contribution to the Channel 4 Animate Projects online exhibition space. Drawn with his characteristic thin lines, Anomalies is a meditation on belief.
Waiter
Ryōji Yamada
/ 山田遼志, 2013, 8’50”
The surreal
journey of a hardworking waiter as he goes out and gets drunk after work. Winner of an Award for Excellence at Image Forum Festival 2014. Watch it on vimeo.
Let Out / レット・アウト
Kōtaro Satō
/ 佐藤皇太郎, 2012, 0’34”
A short
short about the link between nuclear energy and home use of electricity.
Small Garden / 小さな庭園
Shunsuke Saitō / 斎藤俊介, 2014, 12’22”
A dreamlike
3D animation set in a floating Castle-in-the-Sky-esque universe. The film will be in the official competition
at the Pia Film Festival,
which will be held September 13-25 at the National Film Center. Clips from the film appear from about 1:33 in
Saitō’s Showreel.
Fireworks * Beads
Masamu
Hashimoto / はしもと・まさむ, 2013, 3’09”
This clever
stop motion film could be described as a cross between Ishu Patel’s classic NFB animated short Bead Game and a documentary on how
to make a stop motion using beads. The
film first shows pixillated documentary footage of Masamu Hashimoto shooting
the beads with tweezers and hands encased in plastic gloves, followed by the completed stop
motion of those beads. He then combines
the various footage digitally, creating a wondrous display of stop motion
fireworks made entirely of small beads.
Watch it yourself on YouTube.
Rhizome /リゾーム
Masahiro
Ohsuka / 大須賀政裕, 2013, 5’54”
An
experimental montage of hand-drawn images, Rhizome
was inspired by the philosophy of Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari. In his Berlinale
2014 profile, Ohsuke’s oeuvre is described as addressing “the relationship
between nature and machine, the abstract and the concrete, the local and the
global.” Watch the official trailer.
Makiko Sukikara
and Kōhei Matsumura / 鋤柄真希子、松村康平, 2013, 7’41”
The Osaka-based
animation team of Makiko Sukikara (director/animator) and Kōhei Matsumura
(screenwriter/producer) are young artists to watch. Filmed on a multi-plane animation table, this
beautifully painted film depicts the natural world in all its beauty and
savageness. Keep an eye out for my full
review of his film in the near future.
For now, check out the official trailer. The
film won a New Face Award for animation at the Japan
Media Arts Festival 2013.
Firewood, Kanta, and Grandpa / 薪とカンタとじいじいと。
Takeshi
Yashiro / 八代健志, 2013, 16’06”
Kanta lives
alone with his grandpa in the remote countryside. One day, his grandpa gets sick and Kanta must
face his fears of the woodshed in order to get the firewood they need to survive
the cold winter days. The puppets, sets,
and stop motion are beautifully done in this film. Like Heart
of Tap, the other stop motion in this screening, the film suffered from a
lack of editing. It would have worked a
lot better at a 10 minute max. The film
won Best Short in the Save the Earth! competition at the Short Shorts Film Festival and Asia.
Eggs
Tomofumi Inoue / 井上智文, 6’32”
A 3D computer
animation with an egg motif. I didn’t really get the point of this one and have
been unable to find any information about the animator online due to the fact
that he has a very common name and no web presence as an animator.
Rinkaku / 輪郭
Keita Kurosaka / 黒坂圭太, 2012, 6’44”
Rinkaku
(Silhouette) is a music video for the popular Japanese metal band Dir En
Grey. The animation artist Keita
Kurosaka and the band had previously collaborated on the cover art and music
video for their 2006 single Agitated
Screams of Maggots. As you can see
in the official trailer
for the music video, Kurosaka employs his trademark grotesque sketch style to
the band, transforming their faces into unrecognizable slime.
Wonderful Circus / 不思議サーカス
Hiroyuki
Okui / 奥井宏幸, 2012, 2’55”
http://nmaj.co.jp/
A 3DCG animation - Okui's first original project (as opposed to commissioned) in more than a decade.
A 3DCG animation - Okui's first original project (as opposed to commissioned) in more than a decade.
Wonder
Mirai Mizue
/ 水江未来, 2014, 8’08”
The result
of a project that saw Mizue challenge himself to make 1 second (24 frames) of
animation every day over the course of 365.
Backed by crowd-funding, the resulting film is a visual delight. Read my full
review here. This film can be found
on the CaRTe bLaNChe DVD/Bluray L’Animation
Indépendente Japonaise, Volume 2 (FR/EN).
Land / ランド
Masanobu
Hiraoka / 平岡政展, 2013, 3’30”
Masanobu
Hiraoka’s animated shorts play with
colour-blocking and metamorphosis.
Watching his films is like peering into a kaleidoscope. His short, Land, with music and sound
design by Aimar Molero, was a Vimeo
Staff Pick.
The Sexual Fish – The Fish that Forgot to
Breed /性的な魚－繁殖を忘れた魚達
Dino Satō / サトウ・ダイノ, 2014, 2’00”
Six amusing
animated vignettes speculating on the sexuality of fish. Each scene is placed in a row of what look
like a cross between stained glass windows and test tubes. They can be found
online as gifs.
Snow Hut / かまくら
Yoriko
Mizushiri / 水尻自子, 2013, 5’20”
A minimalist
animation inspired by the kamakura
snow huts of Aomori Prefecture. Read my full
review here. This film can be found
on the CaRTe bLaNChe DVD/Bluray L’Animation
Indépendente Japonaise, Volume 2 (FR/EN).
The Portrait Studio / 写真館
Takashi
Nakamura / なかむら・たかし, 2013, 16’40”
A tender
depiction of the modernization of Japan, one of the country’s most turbulent
eras, told through the relationship between a photographer and one of his
subjects. Read
my full review here.
Catherine
Munroe Hotes 2014
