Best Japanese Indie Animation Shorts 2014

It was difficult for me to narrow this list down as I saw so many great animated shorts this year. Thanks to computer technology democratising animation production and the rise in animation courses at Japanese post-secondary institutions, there has been an explosion of new talent making waves in Japan.

Two trends in Japan that are apparent in my list are the growing numbers of women directing animation and overseas students coming to Japan to study and work. Women have long played an important role in animation as inbetweeners, writers, and film producers, but it is only in recent years that women have started to outnumber men in animation schools. Geidai (Tokyo University of the Arts) reports women outnumbering men in the two cohorts currently underway in their graduate programme. The minimal aesthetic of Yoriko Mizushiri has been a festival favourite in recent years and her latest film Snow Hut has been just as well received as Futon (2012, read review). Mari Miyazawa, of e-obento has brought her kawaii food aesthetic to stop motion animation in her delightful films Decorations and Twins in the Bakery.

Japanese animation schools have also been attracting students from overseas, particularly from China and South Korea. These young people grew up with Japanese animation on television and at the movies and see Japan as the ideal place to develop their skills as artists. Names to watch include Yangtong Zhu, Yewon Kim, and Hakhyun Kim.