Photos
Storyline
Featured review
Well animated short with a heart of quiet simplicity
A young boy is isolated from others and feels very much like he always will be. Sketching a city on a wall alone, he is joined by another boy who starts to do the same.
This short student animation from Tokyo School of Arts opens with words that capture the loneliness of the central child, before we then see him alone drawing on the wall. From here he makes a connection with another boy where it is fuelled by their shared imagination. This is shown to the viewer in the way that the city being created becomes a real model rather than a chalk drawing on the wall; the two do a sort of imagination battle with their sketches and it makes for an engaging and fast-moving animation to watch. In the end it seems that the isolation that the two boys are used to means that they still end this connection in a bad way, however in anime style the film plays out under the end credits, showing that there is hope for the relationship to grow and for the two boys to be friends.
As a plot it is a simple one but it struck a chord with me and my own memories of childhood. The animation is very much inspired by Japanese anime, with the look, the style, and even the structure of the film being very much of its place. This is not a criticism though because the animation is nicely rough around the edges, so while it is very easy to watch, the whole piece has a sketchy look to it that fits well with the boys' own drawings and creations. The use of music is subtle and effective, and I found the quiet simplicity of this childish game to be telling and engaging throughout.
This short student animation from Tokyo School of Arts opens with words that capture the loneliness of the central child, before we then see him alone drawing on the wall. From here he makes a connection with another boy where it is fuelled by their shared imagination. This is shown to the viewer in the way that the city being created becomes a real model rather than a chalk drawing on the wall; the two do a sort of imagination battle with their sketches and it makes for an engaging and fast-moving animation to watch. In the end it seems that the isolation that the two boys are used to means that they still end this connection in a bad way, however in anime style the film plays out under the end credits, showing that there is hope for the relationship to grow and for the two boys to be friends.
As a plot it is a simple one but it struck a chord with me and my own memories of childhood. The animation is very much inspired by Japanese anime, with the look, the style, and even the structure of the film being very much of its place. This is not a criticism though because the animation is nicely rough around the edges, so while it is very easy to watch, the whole piece has a sketchy look to it that fits well with the boys' own drawings and creations. The use of music is subtle and effective, and I found the quiet simplicity of this childish game to be telling and engaging throughout.
helpful•10
- bob the moo
- Feb 15, 2015
Details
- Runtime5 minutes
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content