A small comment on Ojii-san no Lamp

Ojii-san no Lamp is a 23 minute long short film that was produced in 2010 for the Young Animator Training Project, an effort for revitalizing the anime industry. Out of the four short films that were produced that year, this one was unanimously the best. Not only did it amaze with its graphics, but also with its plot and storytelling.

A boy finds a strange object while playing hide-and-seek. His grandfather tells him the story of his own youth, and the important role the old lamp played. This story is about the modernization of Japan and the changes that came with it. ~ My Anime List

If you haven't watched it, just go already. The summary should be intriguing enough. If it hasn't convinced you, you can check other reviews and analysis. I'm here to contribute something else, even if it's just a small comment, that hasn't been mentioned up till now: the probable reference and meaning of the opening scene.

Smile, though your heart is aching...

Draw with me- a glass wall between

by mike inel

Mankind is no island

Something to remember we are not alone in this world. Turn around and see; there are people in need. But what do we do about it really?

With the same hand we cause pain, we can offer love and heal.

Memory- a short film by Osamu Tezuka

We mainly know the great film-makers from their long-length features and we ignore other shorter creations of them. This is one good example. Tezuka parodies here human memory, while giving a quick lesson of cognitive psychology, one might dare say. His style in this short film mingles real people faces with 2D animation, perhaps with the intention of adding a caricature feeling to it. It makes me wonder, if Yuasa Masaaki is influenced directly from Tezuka.

Let's take a look at the qualities of memory Tezuka mentions in the short:

• Memory is based on oblivion. If we couldn't forget ,then we couldn't remember either. The useless details are erased.
• Memories are organized inside the brain. We remember what leaves strong impressions.
• Memory is selective and distorting and idolizing.
• Memories are influenced by emotions and influence emotions. Bad memories either get pushed away or get magnified.
• Time soothes and minimizes the effect of memories and memories wear off.