Yamako Ishikawa

A child dreams about his mother's pregnancy, creating a crayon-like world of fears, hopes, and joy.

制作はSTUDIO 4℃。5人の監督による5つの短編映画がまとめられている。ジーニアス・パーティの第2作目。

時は中世。姫君は、城の高い塔のてっぺんの小部屋に閉じこもり、その顔を人々の前に見せることはない。やがて婿となる男性の現れる日まで、無垢な身でいつづけることがその使命なのだ。だが、彼女──アリーテ姫は、塔の窓から見下ろす城下の町に生きる人々の姿を見ては、生きることの意味を考えていた。ある日、古文書を読み解いて秘密の抜け穴を探り当てた彼女は、城を抜け出し町へ出る。城下町は職人たちの世界。そのひとつひとつの手が意味ある物を生み出していくさまは、まるで魔法を見るかのよう。人の手にはこれ程の可能性がある。だったら、私の手にだってできる何かが…。

眉村卓の原作を、アニメ界の巨匠、りんたろう、大友克洋、川尻善昭が描くオムニバスアニメーション。幼いサチがピエロによって迷宮に迷い込む「ラビリンス・ラビリンス」、レーサーの悲劇を描いた「走る男」、密林の奥地で続く大工事の中止を告げるべく出張した会社員を描く「工事中止命令」全3編で構成。1987年9月25日「東京国際ファンタスティック映画祭'87」で初上映。

A little-known adaptation of "Jack and the Beanstalk," directed by Koji Morimoto and produced at Studio 4°C in 1989 for the collection "Anime Video Art Collection," a series of animated shorts based on stories for children. Released only on VHS.

The Acorns and the Wildcat is a unique short film in picture-book format from the creator of Night on the Galactic Railroad and Gauche the Cellist. Unusually for an anime, a narrator reads Kenji's story aloud while the action is played out on the screen by a succession of warm and evocative illustrations brought to life by subtle touches of animation. If the film feels somehow familiar yet you can't put your finger on the reason why, it's probably the sumptuously minimalist animation by Yasuhiro Nagura, who was the animation director of Mamoru Oshii's artsy 1986 feature Angel's Egg. That, and Kenji's wildcat is said to have been the inspiration for Miyazaki's Panda/Totoro creature. The idea of reading Kenji's story aloud instead of playing it out as a drama is quite refreshing, and Kenji's magical language and narrative style are entirely sufficient to sustain interest. Combined with the spacey music and breathtaking art, the result is a pleasantly unassuming little gem of a film.

The Acorns and the Wildcat is a unique short film in picture-book format from the creator of Night on the Galactic Railroad and Gauche the Cellist. Unusually for an anime, a narrator reads Kenji's story aloud while the action is played out on the screen by a succession of warm and evocative illustrations brought to life by subtle touches of animation. If the film feels somehow familiar yet you can't put your finger on the reason why, it's probably the sumptuously minimalist animation by Yasuhiro Nagura, who was the animation director of Mamoru Oshii's artsy 1986 feature Angel's Egg. That, and Kenji's wildcat is said to have been the inspiration for Miyazaki's Panda/Totoro creature. The idea of reading Kenji's story aloud instead of playing it out as a drama is quite refreshing, and Kenji's magical language and narrative style are entirely sufficient to sustain interest. Combined with the spacey music and breathtaking art, the result is a pleasantly unassuming little gem of a film.

Yamazaki Ryouhei is a cool twenty-three year old, with an extremely high sex drive. A smooth talker with the lady killing eyes and a winning smile, we follow him in his never-ending search for the perfect woman. When Yamazaki catches the eye of the beautiful senior editor, Oda Yuki, you know he's not just going far, he's going all the way. He lucks into a job at Potato Boy magazine that seems just made for him, but just how far can you get if your only hobby is looking at naked women? Now he's aiming for the top, turning Potato Boy magazine into one hell of a publication. No one expected things to get so hot, so quickly, but Yamazaki knows what he wants and he knows how to get it. Don't think he will take no for an answer!

Son of a viscount and a Roma prostitute (both deceased), Serge is intelligent, sweet, talented, and alienated by his family due to his heritage. Upon being sent to his new school, he rooms with Gilbert Cocteau, a gorgeous loner of a boy who sells his body for reasons unknown. Serge's attempts to reach out to Gilbert fail spectacularly, and yet there is something in both of them that attracts them to each other.

Son of a viscount and a Roma prostitute (both deceased), Serge is intelligent, sweet, talented, and alienated by his family due to his heritage. Upon being sent to his new school, he rooms with Gilbert Cocteau, a gorgeous loner of a boy who sells his body for reasons unknown. Serge's attempts to reach out to Gilbert fail spectacularly, and yet there is something in both of them that attracts them to each other.

Foxes Ken and Chin become the proud parents of cubs, Koro and Kan, who enjoy a carefree life on the northern Japanese island of Chironup. They befriend a fisherman and his wife but are forced to run for their lives when soldiers on a military exercise decide to take home some fox pelts as souvenirs. A sweet little film that obliquely symbolizes the plight of Japan's aboriginal Ainu people and the northern islands that have been contested with Russia since they were occupied by Stalin's soldiers in 1945.

"Kin No Tori" is an adaptation of the homonymous fairy tale "The Golden Bird" by Brothers Grimm. A golden apple is stolen from the King's garden. The King orders his three sons to guard the apples in turn and to find out who is the thief. When the youngest son, Hansu, presents a feather that he got from the golden bird that stole the apple the king sends his three sons to bring this bird to him and so Hansu journey begins.

鉱山町で、見習い機械工として働く少年パズーは、ある日、空から降ってきた不思議な少女シータと出会う。2人は、シータの身に着けていた不思議な「飛行石」を狙う様々な陰謀に巻き込まれていく。

Retired samurai Kumosuke lives quietly, not to say idly, in Edo (old Tokyo) with his wife and two children, a young boy named Shinnosuke and an infant girl, Ohana. While he nominally runs a courier business to earn a living, he seems to spend most of his time smoking his pipe, drinking sake, and chasing women. The arrival of a Shinsengumi squad led by a young swordswman, Ichimonji Hyougo, disrupts this peaceful routine, forcing Kumosuke to defend himself.