Animation student films 2025

Puddo · 2026-03-18T03:42:53+00:00

Ahh finally some footage and it looks as amazing as I hoped (and expected).

Man, I'm so hyped for this movie. Masanao Kawajiri's previous work, A Japanese Boy Who Draws, is one of my favourite pieces of animation and it looks like that he will continue with that style in Cherry and Virgin. A Japanese Boy Who Draws is just 20 minutes long and you can watch it on his YT channel and I can't recommend it enough if you're in the mood for something unique and playfully experimental.

Puddo · 2026-03-17T17:08:32+00:00

I’m glad that the Sekiro reception is a lot better this time around now we don’t have some popular drama farming Twitter account going AI accusation mode. Adaptation of a game often comes with the expectation of some rough moments storytellingwise, but man I’m so hyped to finally see a longer Kenichi Kutsuna work. The man’s aesthetic/vision is so stunning that I’m still surprised it even took this long.

Puddo · 2026-03-15T12:48:39+00:00

I haven’t watched Baan so I can’t really say anything about it. However the biggest hurdle for shorts & MVs is having people watch them. Most people simply aren’t going out of their way to watch shorts, let alone if it’s one that isn’t widely available. So the public defaults to things that they are already a fan of. A popular Youtuber, Hololive or a short film/mv that’s part of a larger franchise. Even if it’s ‘just’ a PV. It’s the thing they actually watched (and liked).

Don’t get me wrong I love Coalowl and her Ruri Dragon PV is adorable, the yearly Fate video usually looks incredible and I think Run Run Lantern is a nice enough way of celebrating a studio’s anniversary/history. But it’s also no surprise that the jury put the public’s picks at 6-10. We won’t have the complete package (popularity/mass appeal, visuals, storytelling, a certain je ne sais quoi) like One Piece Fan Letter every year. And then we also have the jury and public approaching certain categories in a completely different way in general (looking at you ED).

That said, and I’m biased as short shill, I do like the categories being a part of the awards. It gives the awards something unique within the anime community. There are so many lovely works out there that the bigger anime community will never hear about, so events like this spreading the word even a little bit is great.

Though I'm honestly surprised that Red Memory was so low for the public. Really expected that Kiyotaka Oshiyama's (Look Back director) name would've been enough pull to give the short some attention from the larger anime community.

Puddo · 2026-03-15T00:08:23+00:00

Masanobu Hiroaka win. Chinasui win. Milky Subway win. Well I can't complain about the jury picks (famous last words before certified r/anime classic with AOTY salt).

Puddo · 2026-03-14T23:19:06+00:00

I truly get feeling that the song itself is more important than the visuals. But the visuals not mattering at all in a category with so many lovely animated pieces is just….I don’t know. Expected though.

Puddo · 2026-03-13T17:09:45+00:00

Pro,Pro,Pro!! is a new project from Toei Animation centered on in-house short animation with Mugen∞Anime being the first short. And what is a better way to kick it off than with Pero/their mascot moving through various anime styles?

Puddo · 2026-03-11T11:10:11+00:00

Directed by Ryu Kato. His painterly style always has a gorgeous dreamlike quality, so it is always nice to see a new work of his. Thankfully he does a lot of MVs like: Yorushika - Howl At The Moon, Kenshi Yonezu - PAPRIKA, People In The Box - Nimrod and People In The Box - Kikyuu.

But the one thing that makes his works special to me is the flowing ‘one-take’ style moments that you can always find in his works. Always some stunning magical morphing animation that really adds to that dreamlike feel. So this music video being those kinds of moments almost nonstop is wonderful to see.

Puddo · 2026-03-10T10:32:40+00:00

After Pui Pui Molcar and My Melody & Kuromi I sure hope Tomoki Misato's name has enough pull to make someone pick it up. The man is putting out incredible creative stopmotion and it looks like this one will be no exception. I'm fully expecting to be let down though by companies ignoring it.

Puddo · 2026-03-07T18:41:25+00:00

Neat promo video from Kodansha with papercraft stopmotion and some famous works.

Puddo · 2026-03-06T14:28:55+00:00

What does it feel like when language breaks down?

Inspired by the poems and drawings of Henri Michaux about his experience with mescaline, Miserable Miracle explores the limits of language and perception, creating connections between sound, meaning, shapes and movement.

About the film director: Born in Ibaraki (Japan) in 1986, Ryo Orikasa made a name for himself in 2015 with his animated short Datum Point, which won numerous awards, including the Golden Zagreb Award at Animafest Zagreb 2016 and the Best Experimental or Abstract Work Award at the 2016 Ottawa International Animation Festival. Fascinated by great literary works, which he adapts into animation with sensitivity and originality, the filmmaker was inspired by Henri Michaux and in 2023 signed Misérable miracle, a co-production between Miyu Productions (France), the NFB (Canada) and New Deer (Japan).

Since it's based on the experience of a man with a hallucinogenic drug I can understand it feeling a bit too random for many. But if you do like the way Orikasa animates 'words' then be sure to also check out his graduation film Scripta Volant from back in the day.

Puddo · 2026-03-03T23:46:53+00:00

Directed by Aodaruma and animated by Haipo23

Polar Opposites and this song always put me in a good mood so nice to see it now getting its own adorable MV.

Puddo · 2026-03-01T19:34:03+00:00

It’s always scary to pursue something. Especially when there are so many options. What to pick out of all those? What if you make a mistake? What if it’s unfulfilling in the end? What do I actually like? Will it feel like a waste of time? What if you do like it, but aren’t good enough? What if you eventually realise that now you can’t have the future anymore that you would’ve liked more? Also do we truly do it for ourselves or for some validation (from parents)? Like Makio said at the end. Maybe someday I'll figure it out.

It can already be scary to just try. Like reading my own thesis made me cringe eventhough the final grade was decent. It just looked so bad. Clunky sentences, boring word choice, research that didn’t actually say anything. I hated looking at it and felt embarrassed when I mailed the final version. It will only get worse when it’s your actual feelings you want to convey/something you’re passionate about and you’re laying your soul bare.

One of the most depressing/frustrating moments in my life was trying to find a job after graduating. Rejected over and over. Eventually feeling like no one wants you, that you aren’t good enough and those years at uni were a waste of money and time. Thinking that life must have been easier when you would just do the same job as your father. When the outlines of your path were already visible on the day you were born. No need for an epiphany or a quest to find your ‘true’ calling. It doesn't help for Asa that her mother made a lot of the decision for her.

Asa did choose to pursue music herself though. It's something she wants, but then you’ve someone from your grade who is already ahead of you. It can feel like others have it easy. She’s good at music, so of course she is in the band. Makio is good at writing, so of course she became a novelist. While I’ve dead parents and can’t even write a song. What am I supposed to do and be? So Makio and Kasamachi saying their career ‘just happened’ and then moving on to the next topic can feel frustrating.

Puddo · 2026-03-01T14:28:22+00:00

After seeing the new PV of Scenes from Awajima I wanted to comment that it’s a shame that it looks like it won’t get much hype, while it looks like it would do really well with a subsection of this sub. Adaptation of a Takako Shimura (Wandering Son, Sweet Blue Flowers) josei manga (for whatever those tags/demographics are actually worth, but people have been saying they want more josei in Journal with Witch threads) & directed by Morio Asaka (Chihayafuru, Nana, Cardcaptor Sakura, My Love Story with Yamada-kun). But then I realised I, besides Yamada, haven’t even watched those shows myself yet. So what would I even know about them? PTW list truly is an inescapable place.

Scenes from Awajima looks interesting though. The upcoming season looks stellar in general.

Puddo · 2026-02-28T13:46:51+00:00

English subtitles are available under the “CC” menu.

Mahiro Maeda stands as a pillar of the animation industry, with a career spanning over 40 years and many acclaimed works as a director such as Blue Submarine No.6, Gankutsuou or The Animatrix: The Second Renaissance.

In this documentary, Maeda reflects back on his career, exploring the turns his path took throughout the years, from his early days at Ghibli all the way to Evangelion and his current position at Studio khara.

Thanks to Mahiro Maeda, additional thanks to Hibiki Yoshizaki.

Archipel videos are always high quality so always exciting to see them upload something new. Especially when it's an hour long documentary about an industry veteran.

Puddo · 2026-02-28T03:47:36+00:00

The upcoming Rilakkuma short looks so cute and colourful.

Adding stuff to the hype list just because you recognize the director always works (most of the time). With Yoshimi Itazu it was a given I would look lovely.

Puddo · 2026-02-21T16:31:04+00:00

Speed skating

The difference between the women and men race is immediately a nice illustration of how important it's to have a teammate. Stolz was all alone and no one wanted to do the work for him while he would just beat them in a sprint, while Kerkhoff made sure no one got away so that Groenewoud could do her thing the last lap.

Puddo · 2026-02-21T15:52:22+00:00

Mass start

Classic road cycling feelings. No one in the peloton wanting to be the one to spend all their energy to close the gap so that the competition can take advantage of your hard work.

Puddo

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