A lot can happen in a minute. Aliens can begin their invasion of Earth, only to be thwarted at the first step; cats can plot their revenge on their careless owners; and children can frolic in the fields with a giant robot. Ever wondered what the average day in the life of an animator is like? Or can a small pellet-spitting alien distract a young boy while he reads manga, in order to escape from his room? And will the machine that a small boy and his pet built allow him to steal a kiss from a girl? From following a group of young women recovering from heartbreak, to the owner of a music store who views his customers as little more than cash on legs, still “the clock ticks on and on in 60-second cycles.”
What do you do when the Emperor of Japan has been replaced with... an alien from Planet Octopus?! From intense motorcycle races to crazy machine inventors from Holland, from sea voyages to battles about emo trading cards, there's never a dull moment in the life of the bizarre. Join an eclectic cast as they are visited by a Ramen Fairy, are reincarnated over and over, solve cases like detective pros, and overall have a laughably ridiculous time!
Both of these short series are full of random and often bizarre content. While Gag Manga Biyori is more fast paced than the majority of the Ani*Kuri shorts, if you liked one then it's well worth checking out the other.
Four touching and intriguing stories are set to a backdrop of different songs: a futuristic cop patrols the streets to fight against crime; a girl experiences an out-of-this-world vision of the world after ingesting a variety of pills; a badass battling chick fights her way to happiness and manages to stoke the flame of love; and two lovers meet and exchange a beautiful rose.
Ani*Kuri15 and Amazing Nuts! are both collections of very short movies (1min each with AniKuri, 3-5min music vids with Nuts). Each of these compilations let you experience a variety of art-styles and stories, some with vibrant colours, others more greyscaled, but all short enough to stay interesting. While both of these compilations have a different way of storytelling (short stories vs. music videos), because of their wackiness and variety, if you enjoyed one of these, you'll surely enjoy the other as well.
Taishou, a cat, is the sole owner and operator of a small ramen shop in Tokyo. He sometimes hires part-time helpers, but they usually turn out to be not so helpful after all. Taishou tries various schemes to bring in more business such as expanding the store into a franchise; renting out half the store to a fortune teller; and impressing a restaurant critic by serving him ramen made with gourmet food. However, these schemes always manage to backfire anyways!
Ani*Kuri15 and Neko Rahmen have similar purposes: each episode is animated by a different animator with a different vision/artistic style. These animators had to work around tight restrictions (a pre-determined concept in Neko Rahmen and a criminally short time limit in Ani*Kuri15), but the results are fascinating, nonetheless.
Both are really short, and easily finished whenever you have a tiny bit of free time.
In five beautiful and unique fantasy worlds, five different tales unfold. A young boy worries about his pregnant mother; a mismatched group hunts down a legendary treasure on the Giant’s Isle; and a small village must determine the fate of a giant fallen meteor. These stories and more unwind to a musical backdrop in a world as varied and interesting as the next.
From the minds of many animators, these shorts are almost an exercise in the beautifully bizarre. If you liked ani*kuri, Genius Party has the same stunning visuals, but has a more coherent storyline.
If you have an hour or so to burn, and want something simple to enjoy, I would say give these two a try :)
Seven stories are told in seven very different ways. In a Dahli-esque Serengeti, a tale of a hunter and hunted unfolds. A young boy finds a useful device and is sucked into a futuristic battle. A slow-paced train ride takes two delinquent school children for a ride to the beach and down memory lane. And a baby travels through his dreams because of the ‘Happy Machine’ – amongst other tales.
Short, sweet and a deluge of random animation both ani*kuri and Genius Party feel more like animators showing off what they can do. Although the stories may not always be the most coherent and make sense, they are definitely a fun ride.
If you enjoyed one, you will definitely have fun with the other.