Japanese Animation Scene - Tokyo University of the Arts (2012)

The second of two programs that open the window - at least a little - on what's going on in the young Japanese animation scene. The arrival of legendary Japanese animator Koji Yamamura ("Mt Head", "Franz Kafka's A Country Doctor", "Muybridge's Strings" to name but a few) dramatically and quickly re-energised the Tokyo University of the Arts animation course into a creative powerhouse of the Japanese animation scene and the world is beginning to sit up and take notice of its graduates. This collection looks at some of their more recent graduate works and shows what a unique torrent of animation has been untapped there.

Featured in AIAF2012
Program Type: Films
Content Rating: Mature (M)
Al Dente Tango
Maho Yoshida

Welcome. Do you have a booking? Yes? Good. Here is your table. Welcome to restaurant of the macabre.



Japan
Runtime: 4:06
Year: 2011
Fleeting Dream
Mayuko Yamakita

A poignant departure from the charcoal spelndour of the real worl to a more colourful, but less predictable world beneath the surface.



Japan
Runtime: 3:58
Year: 2011
Spots Spots
Yuanyuan Hu

Spots may be in the eye of the beholder but that beholder needs a pretty vivid imagination to see them all.



Japan
Runtime: 4:08
Year: 2011
From The Dolphin
Tatsuhiro Ariyoshi

A dolphin's-eye view of a hypnotic journey to a surprisingly surprising end vision.



Japan
Runtime: 2:01
Year: 2011
Bonnie
Masanori Okamoto

Life can be a frenetic journey for a fragile little cut-out trying to make their way through the crazy rigours of the urban jungle.



Japan
Runtime: 2:24
Year: 2011
Specimens Of Obsessions
Atsushi Makino

The centipede of punishment, ephemera of obsessions, the leech of closure, a snail of escape, and of course the cockroach of usual life.



Japan
Runtime: 12:06
Year: 2011
Ygg's Bird
Mariko Saito

From fire, smoke and scorched earth, a bird arrives to find that life has changed forever.



Japan
Runtime: 5:26
Year: 2011
The Tender March
Wataru Uekusa

A visual rollercoaster right out of a Japanese pop culture enfused graphic novel - but with lots more screens.



Japan
Runtime: 4:45
Year: 2011
The Life Of Weed
Sonomi Takada

A pastiche of 'faunettic' hyperactivity as we trace the path of one big weed on the move.



Japan
Runtime: 2:52
Year: 2011
Jam Fish
Hiromitsu Murakami

A bold and colourful visual essays in what fish can teach us about dealing with the peak hour traffic.



Japan
Runtime: 3:31
Year: 2011
Fully Cooked For You
Yuka Imabayashi

Behind every peeled owl is.... another peeled owl. Underneath every puffed mushroom is a stem waiting to escape.



Japan
Runtime: 3:38
Year: 2011
Island Of Man
Hiromitsu Murakami

A quiet carpet of zen imagery and narrative. On an island that could be anywhere, a pair of boots lay cast away.



Japan
Runtime: 6:31
Year: 2011
Rootless Heart
Toshiko Hata

Uncertainty equals danger. And uncertain danger requires a response. But an uncertain response comes with uncertain consequences.



Japan
Runtime: 9:51
Year: 2011
Uncapturable Ideas
Masaki Okuda

Somebody has gone fishing for ideas and they've thrown the net real wide. Step forward and help pull this rich bounty into the boat.



Japan
Runtime: 10:49
Year: 2011