Mizu no Kotoba

9 minutes. That was my initial thought when a friend told me about this piece of work. So obviously I had close to no expectations while watching it. Normally I would have thought it was a waste of time, but for 9 minutes? why not?

So I watched all 9 min and 5 seconds it had to offer and I was amazed with what it produced. It gave some nice insight in to the way people think and the values people have. In 9 minutes they introduce 6 characters and develop them just enough to keep it interesting. The art was an interesting style that was ... appealing and essential at some key points. There was a nice smooth soundtrack to match the setting of a small relaxed coffee shop. It was highly enjoyable and I would encourage everyone to watch it, and for 9 minutes why not right?

It was clear to me after a few viewings that 'Aquatic Language' or 'Mizu no Kotoba' is a prototype for what would become 'Eve no Jikan' or 'Time of Eve.' Or, perhaps, more correctly, Eve is an expansion on the concepts put forth by Studio Rikaa in Aquatic. The animation style, scripting, 'camera work', layout of the coffee shop, the appearance of the cafe hostess (compare to Nagi), and even the ping at the end of Aquatic are all incorporated, albeit somewhat refined, into 'Eve no Jikan.'

I don't know why Studio Rikka waited 6 years from one project to the other, but from what ... I have seen of 'Eve no Jikan' I'm glad that they finally moved ahead. As a retrospective on the origins of 'Eve no Jikan' I would say that 'Mizu/Aquatic' is well worth watching. Aquatic seems to explore some things that haven't appeared in Eve yet, but since that series is in its infancy at this moment, it seems premature to assume that they won't appear.

'Aquatic Language' can stand on its own merits, but I think it has more value as a pre-history of the world of 'Eve no Jikan.'

Because I'm of those persons who likes the start and ending and don't care about the middle I can say, wow.
It really makes your squirrel move. It has alot of references (or... the ones I noticed). That makes the cut a little dynamic. And think about whats happening.
And, well... its just weird. Because a lot of things happened at random times.
Also, they tell you some of every character, even if there are 5, the cut tells you the personality of everyone, just what I like, what type of person ... they are...
Thats why I liked it o.o

Story:
There's a lot of content here bundled up in a short period that is incredibly underwhelming. Despite it being introspective, it gets some sort of point across, but it's really just bits and pieces of a bigger picture that is never fulfilled. It's decent enough to speak to the viewer but not good enough to leave any lasting or memorable experience. I've already forgotten half of what happens, or what was discussed, and I only watched it (with my full attention) nearly 5 minutes ago.


Art:
The art is fitting, but it's a bit of a clash. It's jarring at first but then settles down to a ... tolerable degree. However, when characters are doing more than sitting idly, they look strange and disproportionate.


Sound:
Audio is fine for the most part, but the song used near the end is pretty lackluster and somewhat irritating to listen to. It has no lasting appeal, either, and will likely throw viewers off as unfitting or out of place.


Character:
There are decent characters in giving us specific differences between 6 individuals. However, it's all kind of left empty-handed and there's little to nothing to define these characters beyond idle chit-chat. Or, perhaps I should say, each character merely signifies some specific thing rather than signifying realistic people.

Also, totally forgot there's a seventh character who is 100% only used as a 'plot' device.


Enjoyment:
I mean, it's 9 minutes. The first half is enjoyable, but the second half fails to really resolve or confirm anything. I didn't need it to tell me what was in the animation, but it doesn't complete the mystery of certain aspects, or show any connective tissue between certain things in the story beyond them existing in the same production.


((If you liked this review, check out my other reviews by going to my profile and clicking the 'reviews' tab. I review virtually all anime and manga I find!))

Despite being a short piece, Mizu no Kotoba is anything but bare and a satisfying use of nine minutes.

One of the anime's most interesting features was how it develops characters in such a short space of time: six people seems like an over-the-top number considering the anime is under ten minutes long. Each action is expressive and the viewer is left with a good impression of each person's personality.

Peppered by quotes from famous literary works, the feeling of watching people as creatures in an aquarium is done justice. I was personally intrigued by how real it felt: the atmosphere is very much that ... of a calm evening and overhearing snippets of conversation is similar to entering a café in real life. There is not much of a story present, but the brevity of Mizu no Kotoba means this does not matter and suits the time frame well. The ending was alluded to by one of the given quotes, but somehow didn't mesh well with the rest of the story. Baffled, I tried to decide what was supposed to be going on. Somehow the truncated nature of each part of the video ruined the overall piece for me as I was unsure what parts were really important.

Although the art has a quite an individual style, I found it too clunky to fully appreciate it. When the climax makes its appearance, however, we are treated to very soft visuals which emphasise the true surrealism of this piece. Despite minor flaws, the images flow well into one another.

I watched the English dub of this animation and found it hideous; future viewers should definitely seek out the original! The soundtrack was fitting but did not quite leave a lasting impression.

On the whole, Mizu no Kotoba is an enjoyable experimental video but viewers should not expect much and prepare to reel with confusion.

Mizu no Kotoba is a nine minute anime from Studio Rikka. That's right, the Eve no Jikan & Harmonie studio. It was released in 2002, making it the oldest Rikka anime I've looked at by over half a decade. It's also the shortest by a pretty wide margin. Let's see how it holds up. 

Story:

Our narrative is set in a quaint cafe where a group of patrons are all holding their own conversations. Our main focus is on the young man at the counter and the barista who's trying to cheer him up after he broke up with his girlfriend. 

One thing to note about the story-telling ... is that the conversations from the people besides our main character all, in some form, foreshadow what he's going to experience towards the end of the short. Which, I don't really think is necessary. You could honestly have the cafe be basically barren and show some quick, visual hints and get the same effect. 

I will credit the short with capturing a very interesting moment. It does keep your attention from start to finish. Which doesn't seem like a great feat for something that's only nine minutes, but I've seen other short anime/ anime with very short episodes where there was just nothing compelling. Hi, Chokotan. In some ways, this feels like a very short story that Ibis could tell. It also does a good job of giving you enough of the world to get you interested. This could make an effective lead in to a longer series if it wasn't just a stand alone thing. 

Characters:

The characterisation in this isn't anything special. Our main protagonist has a basic level of verisimilitude and about as much depth as you could reasonably manage with nine minutes. The waitress comes across as almost a trickster type with her eagerness to help and her guiding our protagonist to a strange area. Until you learn the truth about her, any way. 

The rest of the patrons aren't really worth mentioning. They're all kind of boring if I'm being honest. 

Art:

I'm not completely sold on the art style. This is one of those anime where all the characters have dead looking eyes and the facial expressions are a bit awkward. It doesn't really look bad. It's serviceable enough. It's just a bit of a blah style. And they do get lazy at points and just show text. 

The only point where I genuinely like the art is towards the end when things get a bit surreal. Partially because they aren't showing the people as much and partially because there are some interesting visuals. 

Sound:

The acting is fine. It's not particularly good or memorable, but it's better than mediocre. The music is quite nice. It's not the best out there, but it's solid enough. 

Ho-yay:

There really isn't any. Not that I would expect a nine minute short to have hugely developed character dynamics that would allow for strong romance period. 

Areas of Improvement:

Lose all the side patrons. Honestly, their chatter doesn't really contribute anything except for some foreshadowing. Which you could get purely from visuals, assuming you think you even need foreshadowing in a nine minute work. 
Better character art. While I mean no disrespect towards the animators who worked hard on this, the characters really don't look good.
A longer surreal sequence. That twenty seconds or so is the most stand out moment of the short and just looks the best. 

Final Thoughts:

Mizu no Kotoba is a solid short. It's well put together and compelling throughout. Honestly, if you have nine minutes where you're just waiting for something, give it a quick watch. I'm giving it a 7/10. 

Spoilers in bound. Watch the short first! At the time of writing this, it's available on youtube with english and spanish subtitles.

Mizu no Kotoba, or Aquatic Language, it's the first short of Yoshiura Yasuhiro, in which he expunges his views on Kotodama, the belief that words are living things, with inherent power when they're spoken. This idea isn't just present in this short, not by a long-shot, but it's one of the few I've seen that name-drop the concept directly. Another one that comes to mind is the movie, Kimi no Koe wo Todoketai, that funnily enough it's about cute girls doing radio. But what ... is Mizu no Kotoba about and what does it say about Kotodama?

I'll talk a bit about the character models and the animation. Since it was done by one person(at least he's the only one credited) it's clear it was the best he could do, but it isn't a shame really, because in a way, I don't think he needed more assistance than that. The characters look stiff, but I think in an endearing way. The movements that need to be emphasized, are, and there's nothing stopping the camera from moving in interesting ways, or to have moments of dashing artistry were things get weird.

Now, starting for real, lets talk about the setting. The story follows the conversation of people inside a coffee shop. It's one of those one-location shorts I, for one, really enjoy. One of the goals it achieves flawlessly is the portrayal of spatial relation inside the building. We know where every character is in relation to the others, and we also understand the layout of the shop, being a sort of mix of café and aquarium(though this isn't yet clear). Everything else is readily apparent and the movement of the camera makes it, like Kotodama, a living thing itself, with the light, fans and even the paintings, gently nudging the viewer and the characters around the shop. Everything inside seems relevant to the situation, working the cross purpose of acquainting the people with both a consistent verisimilitude reality and then betraying those expectations. Apart from that, there's something else that's special about this shop, and it's the sound design.

If anyone has ever listened to those white noise channels like Guild of Ambience and others like it, which I'm a big fan of, you'll immediately picture what the atmosphere is like. It's like stepping aside from yourself and simply taking in the sounds and the talking. This coffee shop becomes like a small music box with a weirdly playful tone, that sees almost in jeopardy with itself. While watching there's some urgency that something is coming and the sound makes a point in making that come across. So now that I established that it "makes you feel" like you're in a coffee shop; that it's advocating for the eavesdropping culture, lets peel back the layers and throw you directly into the hotpot of conversations.

First things first, the dialogue is very well done. From the (apparently) natural flow of speech, to the dynamics forming around the characters, to the different topics that seem to relate to each other in interesting ways. But first, lets talk about the least interesting of these conversations because there's very little of it; some would say none, if you don't consider talking directly to the audience to be a valid form of dialogue at least.

So the most forgettable character is the boy reading the coffee shop books in the furthest table from the action. It's like he isn't even part of the story and his inclusion seems artificial, but unlike that of a omnipresent narrator with a pompous monologue, he just feels at first glance like an undeniable outlier, because he doesn't really "speak", reacts to what's happening, or interacts with the other characters. Whenever the camera pans out to him, it focuses, not much on him as a person with ideas, but on a quote from one of the books he's reading, which then covers the whole screen in one of those text-box screens.

There's two of them. The first one is from I robot, by Isaac Asimov and the other one is from 20,000 leagues under the sea, by Julio Verne. It's important noting that they are from a science fiction book and a fantasy book respectively. Both of the quotes are plot relevant, since the first one suggests the robot/android "plottwist" later and the second one is about being in an aquarium, that relates to the fish we see on the paintings and later swimming in the air near the end. You could say that his only role in the story is to foreshadow these things, but I would put him a step above that. I do think this guy is the directors surrogate for suggesting what will happen, but I think the suggestion it's done in a clever way, using the mechanic of "Language has power". Before the quotes, none of the fantastic or science fiction events have happened. But when the author stamps them on the screen, they become reality. Before the quote about robots, we don't know the girl behind the counter is a robot. Before the quote about the aquarium, we haven't confirmed that the fish is indeed alive. He's the literal trigger of the story beats. The words he's reading have an impact, showcasing the power of fiction basically.

The conversation most directly involved with him, is the one of the two guys that are next to him in the coffee shop. One of the guys is talking about an unnamed person who explained Kotodama to him, while the other doesn't really pay attention, because he's remembering that the fish in one of the paintings was moving. This kind of world-building it's fairly interesting, since in his flashback, we sort of get clued on the logic of this place, since whoever is sitting in that table, will notice when the "fish" is triggered through the Verne Quote, which is in itself a reaction to the "robot" part which is triggered by the Asimov quote. Those, I think, are the mechanics of this shop. Someone comes in, starts reading the books, and if someone needs help, the lady will then direct them to the easel and then, the aquarium. It's a mathematical calculation, with falls neatly into the artificial intelligence spill.

Next, the topic of the conversation between both of the girls is about compatibility, with one arguing that after a certain point, it's impossible to date someone, while the other's being skeptical about the whole basis of that information. Then again, words are important, because the friend is just repeating words she heard from others, implying that the regurgitation of information without much substance loses power, specially because she's not getting it straight from the source like, for example, the guy reading the books. Anyways, leaving both of them behind, lets talk about the main conversation, that relate in some way to the other conversations.

The guy who just got dumped by his girlfriend is being schooled about love by the girl behind the counter, which tells him superstitious nonsense like half of the people in the world are supposed to be women and he still has a chance to find another one. It's pretty telling when she then sends him out into the upper levels of the store for him to literally see that there are other "fish" in the sea. That's the type of nonsensical symbolism that I really love. (Furthermore, it's suggested that he got dumped because he "didn't listen to the other part". That could mean many number of things. His girlfriend, his own feelings, the right hemisphere of his brain that doesn't speak because it's mute. Who knows… It's interesting to note that if this coffee shop is a microcosm of the world, then there are 3 women and 4 men. If you don't want to consider the robot girl… well, a girl, then it's down to 2 when and 4 men. You might also have a theory that the guy reading the book's is also a robot, which… I wouldn't disagree to that being the case. The point being that in any case, it's less than half.

So, then there's the ending. Clearly this world is both fantasy and science fiction inspired, and the way that was shown in little time was really interesting and inspiring. Him reaching the apex of the store, seeing all the words that were spoken, popping at different intervals. We don't hear what he says, but he exhales a bubble that then floats to the air without bursting and disappears through the rafters. It's interesting to note that when he comes down, everyone already left; moreover, all the chairs are hung upside down on the tables, like the coffee shop wasn't even opened. Either what he saw up there left him paralyzed for a while or maybe he was alone in the shop from the start, and it was all a simulation. It's down to interpretation from here.

I think the fact that in this world(coffee shop), showing people a giant fish and a recollection of all the words they've spoken is how a robot thinks of helping a person get over a break up, are fairly interesting, if nonsensical, ways of approaching it. I, for one, ate it all up for sure. I just hope I was able to elucidate the ways why I think it worked so well for me, and why I consider it one of my favorite anime.

Found it on Crunchyroll while searching for another anime. It felt like I was watching a demo of someone trying to test whatever techniques they could pull out in a shortest amount of time. Honestly not a fan but again it was 9 minutes and 5 seconds so I wasn’t expecting much until I saw people giving it a good review so I decided to watch it but it was meh tbh.
The story was unique I guess but you’ll have no idea wtf is happening since it’s too short, is it intriguing? Nope not at all. The characters i found them annoying tbh it felt ... like someone was bored & observed people in a cafe and decided to put it here.
The art style is fine.
Honestly I wouldn’t recommend it but it’s short so if you want give it a try I guess.

(updated review due to version seen. Originally subbed now dubbed)
Rate of 5
English dubbed

Society is riddle with dilemmas. Luckily an 'individual' was able to enlighten a troubled youth. For when someone is troubled they tend to drawn-out a shield or better yet craw into a shell concept wise of a hermit. Broken down some beyond repair or so they might think forget the power they all wield. Language, is air. Despite our troubles we bottled emotions are airlifted out from verbalization. Not just that but they act in manners similar to the carbon footprint. Forgotten at the moment perhaps but will linger on endlessly like the ... internet.

Story
neatly constructed from the choice of setting down to the word choices of objects of focus. However, it's message was not one easily obtained. For me required me to take a walk to soak in.

Art
Went along with the story. Each plot element was stressed out. Writing was visible/clear.

Character
Straight forward. An equal mix of what people might expect to run into.

Sound- no complaints

It has a really nice atmosphere that reels you in from the very first second.
The dialogue is very clean and natural and that, along with the sound effects are the strongest assets of the movie.

The combination of 2d and 3d work beautifully. It feels like a 2d anime and even if things do move a little sluggish sometimes (in typical 3d fashion), it goes well with the flow and rythim of the movie.

The fact that I didn't quite get what it's about was what kept me from giving it a higher score. The whole movie feels like it's leading somewhere and unfortunately I didn't understand ... where. Noneless, that didn't stop me from enjoying it very much. Like an experimental film, this movie in my opinion is meant to be felt more than understood.

Finishing jigsaw puzzles require time, commitment, and a sharp eye for details. Mizu no Kotoba is like someone who started an ambitious 3000-piece puzzle, but gave up half-way through. One can somewhat see what the larger picture was supposed to be, but the overall image is marred by empty swaths of space.

The cast of characters isn't the most memorable - or likable. Short anime are constrained by their run time, but it is not impossible to develop interesting characters despite that (just look at She and Her Cat). This is not the case here. We have a guy who has become embittered with women ... after breaking up with his girlfriend over a petty fight; two women gossiping over a friend of a friend who had a crush on a man, but they refer to him twice as "not really a guy"; a quiet woman reading 'I, Robot' by Isaac Asimov; and two men debating whether a koi fish in a painting moved away from its frame. Given that most of the characters had the charm and charisma of a dead rat, I was only engaged with the latter's conversation.

The meat and potatoes of this anime is the conversation that the aforementioned two guys were having over the metaphysical quality of a fish painting. This serves as a backdrop for the power of words or 'language spirits' as they call it. Strong words or weak words can dissipate and lose their impact if obscured by the extraneous noise that permeates our everyday lives. Due to its ethereal quality, words can float away and pop like bubbles. Beautiful to look at, but can disappear in an instant if one is inattentive. The problem, however, is while the themes presented are thought-provoking, the ending did not deliver on the the groundwork it was building up to. Yes, there is trippy imagery laden with meaning, but it feels hollow.

Animation is unrefined and choppy; characters look better when they are talking, sitting motionless at a table, but anything more ambitious than that looks unpolished - as if the characters momentarily became popsicle stick puppets when they walked. Character design is bland at best, with one caveat: everyone has big, expressive eyes which conveyed what they felt perfectly. Color palette ranged from a warm sienna to a dark salmon, which complemented the cozy feel of a hole-in-the-wall cafe.

There's one main smooth jazzy piano piece that plays throughout most of the OVA; it's forgettable, but not unpleasant. The other music worthy of note is at the very end, a synthesizer melody starts playing as soon as the short goes from the mundane to the surreal; I liked it much better than the main tune.

Do I recommend this? Yes, but mostly for Yasuhiro Yoshiura fans. As a standalone piece, it's crude and incomplete, but as an introduction to Yoshiura's works, it gives insight to where his ideas for Pale Cocoon and Eve no Jikan came from. For those who don't care about this director, I would pass it up. There are other, far better sci-fi OVAs.

As a huge fan of Eve no Jikan, as I was watching Mizu no Kotoba, I was having quite a bit of deja vu, and sure enough, this is the springboard for what later became one of my favorite movies. It was certainly interesting to see the roots, the nascent ideas starting to kick in the womb, and particularly visually and atmospherically, it still has some merits of its own. Sadly, the themes and narrative elements are quite a bit weaker here. Muddled and benign, breaking away from coherence (if it ever was in the first place,) and simply pretty words with ... not much underneath. As it's only 9 minutes, it might still be worth checking out purely as a shoegazing diversion, but I highly recommend you watch Eve no Jikan first or simply instead.