Studio presentation by Xiaoyue Hong
Animation Name: Atama Yama/
Mr. Head
This animation was directed
by Japanese animator Koji Yamamura. I think it is a successful animation and
make people impressive of it. The reason is its strongly Japanese nation style
and high quality production, which indicate on sound, version, story and
details.
The story is based on one
of traditional Japanese Rakugo stories (In Wikipedia’s explanation, Rakugo is a form of Japanese verbal
entertainment. The lone storyteller sits on stage, called Kōza. Using only a
paper fan and a small cloth as props, and without standing up from the seiza
sitting position, the rakugo artist depicts a long and complicated comical
story. The story always involves the dialogue of two or more characters, the
difference between the characters depicted only through change in pitch, tone,
and a slight turn of
the head).
This is the primary factor that attracts people to watch it. When the male storyteller
is speaking the animation’s name by using the standard Rakugo style, they know a
great show is coming up. Through the whole story, there are only storyteller’s
voice, samisen playing and some sound effects; but they won’t let people feel
bored. There are several reasons. First, the storyteller uses both speaking and
singing to describes the humors story. With the emotional narrative, it makes
the sense of ridiculous comedy. Second, even though there is one person to
speak, he appropriately changes his accent and tone to play different
characters. The story becomes more vivid. The last, with the cooperation by
playing of traditional instrument samisen and the using of sound effects; they enhance
the whole atmosphere that the storyteller. The sound is successfully enough,
people can understand the story even they just listening it.
For the visual style of the animation, Yamamura combined traditional
Japanese style and modern manga style. He used the light yellow as the basic
color of the animation, to both imitated conventional rice paper, and made a
retrospective feeling. Also the linear in the animation combines west solid
style and east line drawing style. Meanwhile, since this is a Japanese absurd
story, the characters must funny and have Japanese personality. Correspond with
the story, the protagonist has been designed like a chunky and hairless
middle-age man. He has bushy brow and big circular eyes. This is a typical
middle or lower level mid-age male looks like.
Another example is Japanese salary men. Slender eyes, orderly hair,
suits and poker face are their dramatic feature. Yamamura showed the all
feather on his characters. Because of the suitable style and character design,
Atama Yama is full of the taste of Japan.
The story is attractable, because it has many unreal
factors. For examples; cherry blossom tree grew up on the man’s head, people go
to his head to admire the beauty of the flowers, people keep play in the left
pond, a cycle about his head and the pond, the man died into the pond on his
head. These ridiculous plots divide the world from the real world. Normally,
fantastic story is charmingly. At the same time, there are some points connect
reality and unreal world. Like the single lost shoe from the drunk man; he is
one of the small size people who enjoys the flower, but when his shoe throws
into the protagonist’s instant noodle bowl, the shoe becomes as the normal
person’s size.
Otherwise, even though the story is absurd, the details for the people
are follow the reality, like the behaviors during cherry blossom party, and the
cherry blossom follows the growth rhythm. Just because the mixed fantasy and
reality, make the story ridiculous but doesn’t break away from people’s real
world; and that’s the greatest point to write the story.
The last but not least, there are so many
description of details in the animation that let people realize many unknown
information just from version. For instance, the protagonist’s thrift can be
indicated the background of the protagonist’s home, the used plastic bag for
picking up cherry, the rolled toothpaste, etc.
Because of his thrift, he eats the cherry seed and then people see the
next ridiculous plot. Also, while the protagonist is chewing the noodle, the
people on his head chew their food with his beats. There are so many details
there, which make the plot completely and make the story vivid.
As
an absurd story, it arouses people’s feeling. As a Japanese animation, it
displays Japanese culture very well through its sound, version and story. National one is the world one. Japanese
animation can be popular, because its unique culture, creative style and high
quality production; these are Japanese animation’s features.
What are yours cultures feature? How can you display
it?
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