Spirited Away

Although I've seen some anime animations before, I never really paid attention to the strong details, the shadows, and the overall beautiful drawings. I love how the animation had a fantasy like feel to it. It made me feel like I was in a different world. Also, everything included in the video had some type of detail, no matter how small or irrelevant. For example, in the beginning, the character was struggling to get safely down the stairs. When I looked closely, you can see every grain and splinter in the wood. Also, I loved how much emotion was in this scene. You can see in her face and her body movements that the poor girl was frightened and cautious.

Another detail I thought was great is the use of shadows. Every step and movement the character made was followed by a realistic shadow. Also, there were constant highlights and shadows on her clothes and body depending on where she was. Although I did not understand the story-line as much, I felt really sorry for the main character even though it was unrealistic. I also loved the creativity of the story.

Lastly, another detail I noticed was the water. Rather than showing every detail, they used parts of it to show the flow of the water. The put highlights and strips of color to make it look like it was pouring out of the bath and like a foam detail at the top. Also, I loved the rain throughout the middle of the scene. I was watching how he did it, hoping to gain some tips :). It was so simple, yet really powerful. Each drop had a small puddle but it created so much emphasis. I really enjoyed this film and find I have more appreciation and respect for anime and animation as a whole!

Figli-Migli

In this animation, everything was strictly black and white. Although there was not too much detail- there was so much going on! Throughout the entire video, I found myself mesmerized by the music and the animation. I thought it was brilliant how the animator created each step, movement, expression, and flight to be coordinated with a beat of music. Also, repetition was very important in this video. The birds were all simultaneously moving as though they were one. It is amazing how the animator formed this video so the birds would be like a "military." I also found it interesting how every character was a simple silhouette, but to me, they looked so complex. I also loved how he would put real life pictures through the windows. This created a great contrast and showed the difference between reality and fiction. Lastly, I really enjoyed the story-line. I felt it was very original how the birds were sick of the cuckoo clock and had so much life and personality to them. I really enjoyed this film and am still blown away by the music and animation!