Puparia

This is my first review on this site. To be honest, I wasn't ever planning on writing a review, but after watching PUPARIA, I needed to say something. Shingo Tamagawa effortlessly entices you within the first few seconds of this short film. From the earthy music that grounds you to the Junji Ito-Alice in Wonderland hybrid art style, you cannot help but watch over and over again to understand the deeper meaning of this piece of art. You can immediately see the immense amount of love and care put into this 3 minute work. It's quite amazing, and though I don't feel like I understand allof it, I feel as if this is valid all the same. Maybe I'm not meant to understand all of it, maybe I need to forge ahead my own thoughts. Go and watch it. You won't regret it.

Puparia is an anime that is difficult to explain because not a lot happens during its 3 minute runtime. Despite having some of the most beautifully detailed and intriguing art you'll ever see, there is no dialogue or story, no real message or plot. It is in a sense just a 3 minute short of nicely drawn art. However, looking deeper, there is a more profound meaning to this short film. The meaning of Puparia cannot be separated from story of its creator Shingo Tamagawa. In a brief documentary on YouTube Tamagawa explained that after slaving away for a number of years as an animator, hefelt that he had lost his artistic passion and was fed up with all the bureaucracy and nonsense in the anime industry. Tamagawa ended up taking a lengthy break from working in anime, and it was then that he decided to make his own anime all by himself, something that he could call truly his. He drew, painted, and animated for three years straight (with minimal technology or outside help) until he was satisfied with what he had. If anyone has seen even a brief clip of Puparia, it will soon become obvious that Puparia has some of the most wonderfully detailed and unique art style and animation among any anime out there. Every second of this short beams with color and character, pretty much any scene of this anime could serve as a wallpaper or background photo. The short film is divided into four sections, each with their own style and characters, but with no real linear or uniting theme or story. The animation is the real selling point of Puparia, and because the art is so amazing yet the story is up to interpretation you will find a plethora of videos and articles online claiming to decipher what the actual message of Puparia is. While I cannot claim to do anything other than adding another pointless observation of this anime to the already hundreds others, my own personal interpretation of this anime is this: Puparia is at its purest a love letter to creativity and expression. I've had this desire, and I'm sure others have too, of after watching/reading countless anime & manga and a lot of it starting to feel all generic, of wanting to create my own anime/manga and telling the stories I want to be told. I'm probably never going to actually ever make my own anime or manga, but Tamagawa did just that, and the thing most beautiful thing about Puparia I find is not the intricate art but rather the creative desire that it represents. Puparia is far from the only self-driven avant-garde passion project out there, in anime you have Hiroshi Harada's "Midori", Mamoru Oshii's "Angel Egg", and even to some extent Hideaki Anno's "Neon Genesis Evangelion" and "End of Evangelion". While it is now easier than ever to create your own art with the rapid increase in AI generated images, and I know a fair number of individuals who really enjoy making it, I can't shake off the feeling that it is nothing more than a composite image of other images on the web and not something that really belong to me. While it may be nothing other than a three minute short created by a depressed animator, with no story, plot, or dialogue, Puparia is at it's core a creative and imaginary masterpiece unique to Tamagawa, and that that can never be replicated. Puparia is easy to find online, I highly recommend you see it.

Puparia gives us a glimpse into a mesmerizing imagination. Narrative, cohesion, meaning aren’t important here. Instead, the animated short entrances us with vivid imagery, surreal spaces, alluring atmospheres, and masterfully constructed scenes. Thoughts and questions take a back seat as we simply come to savor each moment Puparia offers us. Despite highlighting the artwork, Puparia also makes a statement on the value of the process. Having been painstakingly produced for three years, it embodies the union of artistry, technique, and dedication. Puparia makes it clear that there is value to be found in such a meticulous process - that sometimes we should admire a work notfor its greater significance, but for its beauty alone. The creative world’s baton of finesse has certainly been passed down to Puparia, which lingers as a transient, unique gem among contemporary animation. Adjusted rating: 7 / 10. Personal rating: 6 / 10.

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