Projects for those who are too busy.
Many viewers underestimate the short form. But in a few dozen minutes, or even less, you can say as much as in a big movie, but more intensely. Especially when it comes to the Japanese.
1. Harmonie, 2014
Shy high school student Akio loves music and anime, and has long had a crush on his classmate Juri. She seems to ignore him because she is friends with the cool kids and already has a boyfriend.
One day, Juri's phone rings, and Akio memorizes the melody, which he can easily play. This music becomes the key to Juri's inner world, as she has had the same dream since childhood, and Akio is the only one who can understand it.
2. Kick-Heart, 2013
A wrestler enters the ring to earn money to rebuild the monastery where he lives. During a double match, he falls in love with the popular wrestler Lady M and now dreams of a one-on-one match with her. He doesn't even suspect that his love is actually a nun from his convent.
A 12-minute work by cult animator Masaaki Yuasa, known for the films Devilman: Crybaby and Inu-oh. This is one of the first anime projects whose budget – just over $200 thousand – was raised through a crowdfunding platform.
3. Shelter, 2016
Seventeen-year-old Rin wakes up in a room and uses a tablet to draw scenes that then transform into a 3D environment. Suddenly, her wanderings through colorful landscapes are interrupted by disturbing memories of her father. It turns out that Rin is living in a simulation, and the Earth has been uninhabitable for seven years.
The six-minute video was created by A-1 Pictures in collaboration with musician and producer Porter Robinson. His energetic electro-house track also provides the soundtrack for the movie.
4. Pale Cocoon, 2005
Humans huddle in an underground colony, the last refuge of humanity. Ura of the Archives Department obsessively restores records of the lost world, especially images of the sky and greenery.
His colleague, a girl named Riko, spends her days by the spiral staircase, near the steps that lead into the darkness. One day they find a video recording of a girl with a book, a strange artifact from the past. Riko believes that the past only brings pain, but Ura hopes: maybe there is still an island of green somewhere.
5. Someone's Gaze, 2013
A girl named Aya lives with her father, an office worker. Gradually they drift apart, Aya moves into a rented apartment, gets a job and drowns in the everyday worries of adulthood. One day, a phone call from her father makes her rethink her outlook on life.
This is an animation by Makoto Shinkai, who became famous in 2013 thanks to the feature-length works 5 Centimeters Per Second.
A short story unfolds before us through the eyes of a cat that observes the life of a father and daughter and notices how the relationship between them changes.