Description: Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the school environment surrounding children in the 2020 school year changed dramatically. As an alternative to elementary school extracurricular classes, we conducted an online video-based field trip for social studies. In the first installment, children learn in a quiz format about the origin of the name randoseru and the materials used to make it—things surprisingly not many people know. To provide an experience as close as possible to an actual field trip, we also prepared a “study sheet” and an “online craftsman interview.” By filling out the sheet while watching the video, children can gain a deeper understanding of how randoseru are made.

Using a stroke font, I manipulated it in p5 and filmed the process of rendering it with a pen plotter. Since the commission was for a lyric video, I explored an expression that would go beyond the usual approach of scattering the existing lyrics across the screen. I pursued the beauty of drawing on paper while eliminating the wet, fluid qualities inherent in lettering, such as the order in which the strokes are drawn.

Music video submitted for the song submission event “VocaDuo2024.” Responsible for the visuals. The video and story are characterized by a visual contrast between reality and daydreams, two distinct worlds. By establishing close collaboration with the composer, the synchronization and synergy between sound and visuals were pushed to the limit.

With “love,” a feeling familiar to teenagers as romantic affection, as the starting point, the protagonist shares empathy and experiences with friends. The protagonist’s everyday reality, and the chain of gratitude and emotions (small acts of “love”) that arise from being encouraged by friends, unfold in a poetic inner world. The desire to cherish someone or something is supported and nurtured by friends, eventually blossoming into something real and helping them overcome worries and hardships. In the end, they share music with their friends in a choral style, connecting with one another. This animation expresses a story that goes beyond romance, culminating in a larger “love” as affection toward friends, family, and other close ones.