Residents of the city known by all as the “Big Apple” will be having a chance to see different artistic talents of Japanese animators as the Asia Society announces that at the upcoming CineFest event to be held on June 2, there will be a screening eight Japanese animated short films.
Titled “Pigtails”, “Complex x Complex”, “Vita Lakayama”, “Double Eyes”, “Little Shimajiro”, “1001001.”, “Nothing You Need to See” (“Nanimo-minakuteii”) and “In the clock" (“Tokei no Hanashi”)”, the listed films will be making their premiere at from 6:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.
Details on the production and stories of each film were also released with the announcement. For “Pigtails”, it was based on the manga series titled “Machiko Kyō’s Mitsuami no Kami-sama” a.k.a. “Braided Pig-Tail Deity.”
The story tells of a pigtailed girl who lives alone in a solitary house by the sea in the aftermath of disaster that is never specified. It is a 28-minute animated short under the Production I.G company and was a part of a mixed-media stage production that ran in Tokyo in October 2015. Helmed by Yoshimi Itazu as his directorial debut, the film won many awards including the Diamond Award in the Animated Film category at the 2016 California Film Awards.
“Complex x Complex” is the story puberty, love and awkward conversations focused of an eighth grader named Yui. She longs to be a grown-up and believes that having armpit hair is the symbol and goal towards her dream. Amongst her classmates, Takeo holds the thickest underarm hair in class and thus he has become a model figure for Yui. The question is, does it become more?
Not much has been given in regards to the what spawned this story but it is noted that this is a 25-minute short film and is directed by Miyuki Fukuda.
The third film in the list, “"Vita Lakayama" is an eight-minute film directed by Akihito Izuhara. It tells of a story set within the woods and the quiet peace as every living creature slumbers. If one were to listen carefully to the sounds of their quiet breathing, then they would be able to learn of the innocent world that is “Vita Lakamaya.”
The next five-minute film directed by Mizuki Kiyama, tells of a more deeper story related to the human person. Describing on how not only the body but the mind as well and that it is made up of two symmetrical parts, the left and the right. This is a short film that takes on a whole new perspective on what happens with the things we often take for granted.
“Little Shimajiro” is the sixth film of the list and is a nine-minute work created by Samu Hirabashi. Focusing on the life of a young tiger cub named Shimajiro; it brings an educational point for little children to watch the show.
Enter into the world of sci-I as the story tells of a robot who wakes up amongst heaps of trash and discovers that he cannot remember anything. Directed by Yuu Sato, the five-minute animated short film takes on the search of a robot for his family and the reason he ended up the way he did.
The film that follows the last film is called “Nothing You Need to See" a.k.a Nanimo-minakuteii" and it is a four-minute film directed by Keigo and s an academy award from the. At this time the plot for this short is just short of anticipation.
Last but not least, the eight noted short film to be screened at New York is “In the clock” a.k.a. “Tokei no Hanashi”, a nine-minute film directed by Shizuka Abe. This is a tale that may be reminiscent to the tale of the tin shoulder and the dancing ballerina but is a story of its own as well. It tells of a clockwork toy who performs in front of his clock every three hours and how he one day meets a doll within a music box.
Any other details can be found in: AnimeNewsNetwork