A collaboration between live action and animation

I don’t dislike rainy days. The lively plants, the sparkling ground, and the moist air all feel pleasant to me. As I’ve grown older, I’ve come to think that I don’t dislike rainy days after all, and in fact I’ve started to enjoy them. This piece was created inspired by the stories and photographs about rainy days that I heard from Ms. Shoko. As for the technique, I drew it on paper with oil-based pens. To evoke the image of rain lines sparkling and to create a cheerful feeling, I used a variety of lines. Set to rhythmic music, this work depicts the everyday life of a girl and her cat enjoying a rainy day with high spirits.

We produced the pilot film for “HIDARI,” the first feature to be directed by Whatever CCO Masashi Kawamura, who also created the original story and screenplay, together with Dwarf Studios and TECARAT, a top-tier animation team that supports the global stop-motion industry. “HIDARI” is a stop-motion period drama that boldly reimagines the story of the legendary Edo-period sculptor Jingoro Hidari, a figure with many surviving works and anecdotes but whose actual existence remains uncertain, weaving it together with historical facts from the Edo period. It is depicted using puppets carved from wood, just like the works of Jingoro Hidari himself. As with the many legends surrounding Hidari, the film brings “wooden dolls to life” through frame-by-frame animation. Please take a look at this unprecedented visual experience, which daringly blends the dynamic action of Japanimation with the analog world of stop-motion.