hamletsmage

A while back, the television studio NHK asked 15 of Japan's animators ro produce 1 minute clips to air in 3 seasons from 2006 to 2007. The animators/directors included well known Satoshi Kon (Paranoia Agent/ Perfect Blue), Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell / Patlabor), and Shoji Kawamori (Macross / Battleship Yamamoto). As well as incorporating several larger studios. The pieces are mostly comical, with some surreal and some serious. 

Story: There are 15 different stories, of varying degrees of decent. However, because of the 1 minute format, the stories are fairly shallow. There are some studios that managed to get a decent storyline in, my favorite story being "A Gathering of Cats" by CoMix Wave for it's ability to have a conflict, rising action, and resolution in less than 60 seconds. There are other decent short stories, but some of them are simply comedic gags. Not a bad thing, but hard to judge for story. 

Animation: Like story, this one is difficult to judge because of the vast differences between studios. There are very good animations, there's a studio that literally went with "we had no budge, so everything is cardboard", and there are those in between. My favorite is "Ohayo" simply because I love the style of Satoshi Kon. But you may end up liking a different one. 

At least the cardboard looks decent?

Sound: Again, it depends on who made the anime. Some are better than others. Some have minimal voice acting, some have not-so-great background music. Some are really into sound effects. So, it's hard to judge based on that, but I don't recall any being overly bad.

Characters: The episodes are 60 seconds or less. I don't even know the characters' names in most of these shorts, let alone how well developed they are as stand-alone characters. BUT! Their vast diversity, including species, race, gender, social status... it's very enjoyable to watch. 

Should you watch this? Yes. These are tidbits of what animators can do when given freedom to create. So, if you end up liking a particular clip, find out who created it and see what else they've created. 

This review brought to you by the DAMC.