Movies
An indie horror anime. Two decades ago it was almost unimaginable that one person would be able to make an animated film on his own, but thanks to the efforts of Shinkai (and the rise of the computer) a person dedicated enough can make it happen. What these films lack in technical prowess, they often make up for with their singular and unique visions. Three girls are on their way home. A little detour takes them to an abandoned apartment building. Weird stories circulate about the place, and these stories seem to have some truth to them. There's a strange presence roaming around, and the building itself turns out to be a portal to another dimension. The setup is relatively basic, then again this is a horror anime. It's all about the creature designs, and they don't disappoint in the slightest. The animation isn't superfluid, but the horror scenes are twisted enough and there's some nice lore to explore. The pacing and runtime are also just perfect, making this prime horror filler.Read all
A cool blend of horror and fantasy that reminded me a little of Boogiepop Phantom. This was clearly a passion project, very conceptual and intricate, but also very restrained budget-wise. It's not often you see original anime feature films these days though, so kudos to getting a film like this produced. It makes me yearn for the golden years of anime, some two decades ago. Kirika is a young woman who just bought an apartment. Her new home doesn't look exactly as advertised and she feels quite bummed about the purchase. To make things worse, a serial killer is out and about, making it very unsafe to wander around alone. Kirika is about to find out a much darker secret about her old neighborhood. The art style is lovely, though the mix of hand-drawn and CG can be a little crude, as is the quality of the animation. The film looks moody though and coupled with the stylish soundtrack it makes for a superb atmosphere. The plot and lore are interesting too, a bit overly complex in places, but with so much derivative nonsense out there, that's hardly a negative. An impressive little film.Read all
No doubt one of the strangest and most unlikely love stories ever told. The animation is minimal and the art style betrays the film's limited budget, but the details are so loving and delicate that it hardly matters. A very charming and heart-warming short that is an easy recommend for fans of stop-motion animation.