Rain Town

Have you ever peered through the window on a rainy day, and, against all sense or reason, felt like venturing through the quiet outdoors?

Rain Town is a 10 minute short depicting such an experience. Ishida Hiroyasu (at only 25 years old) is a name that is quickly becoming known throughout the animation industry, and with a work such as Rain Town, it is anything but undeserved.

What makes Rain Town such a special anime is how much it accomplishes with so little. There is no dramatic storyline about humanity's survival, nor is there complex characterization to grab the audience's attention. Rain Town seeks instead ... to capture an ordinary moment in one's life, and it does so with splendor.

Following a young girl and her friendship with a solitary robot, Rain Town evokes a strong sense of nostalgia. Do you remember the times as a child when you would play with a complete stranger, never expecting to meet again? Or perhaps there was a time where you went to explore the vast outdoors, feeling as if you were the king of the universe. Rain Town reminds us of such distant memories - it reminds us of what it is like to be a child again.

There is no dialogue in the story; what little we know is revealed through a short title sequence at the beginning. But it is never confusing or difficult to follow. Rain Town respects the viewer's intelligence, instead contextualizing the story through imagery and body language. And despite its simplicity, the story still ends up becoming one of the most touching tales in modern animation. You may even shed a tear or two by the time it ends.

Rain Town is a beautiful anime to look at. The blue hues of the town effectively capture the feeling of isolation and melancholy, while the rain and scenery are rendered with meticulous detail, making each shot feel lucid and meaningful. In one particular scene, a bleak alleyway slowly transforms into a dreamlike city, bustling with human activity and sunshine. Simple scenes such as this are all that is needed for Rain Town to stand out as one of the best-looking pieces of animation to date. It is truly a delight.

As with the art and story, the sound design is kept minimal. Over the course of ten minutes, we hear only two sounds: a touching 4-note piano piece and the sound of raindrops. And it is plenty. What little we hear is more than enough to create a powerful atmosphere - almost as if we could close our eyes and be transported to another place. It is deliberately ordinary, never forcing emotion from the viewer.

If there has ever been an example that bigger does not necessarily mean better, this would be it. As Rain Town shows, we don't need explosions and melodrama for an anime to leave a lasting impression.

While rain may at times remind us of our loneliness, we will always, surely, be comforted as the rain dwindles and the sun begins to shine.

“Everyone wants happiness, nobody wants pain. But you can’t have a rainbow without a little rain.”

In our current society a good majority of people have been far too desensitized by the simpler forms of entertainment. We've become too entranced by pop culture, repetitiveness, and fitting in with the trends. Most forms of entertainment nowadays are filled with cliché explosions, overly sexualized figures, and cheap antics to keep us entertained. Is that a bad thing? No, not necessarily. Entertainment varies based on its audience, and different people enjoy different things; our opinions on what we like are constantly changing. Sometimes, however, something strays away from ... the norm and presents a graceful story for people to enjoy. It presents itself to us in a subtle, serene, and humble way to be appreciated by those who are willing to watch and listen. Rain Town is a story that doesn't require words for one to appreciate and fathom. It’s a story about an ambiguous town subjected to an unending rain. It's a story of friendship despite differences, patience, love, nostalgia, and being left behind. It's a simple, surreal, somber, and symbolic story that captures one's heart and imagination in just under ten minutes.

The visuals of Rain Town are nothing short of beautiful. It was made in 2011 and could easily compete with any modern day animation to boot. From the meticulous ripples of raindrops in puddles to the scenic, melancholic town and its charming characters, Rain Town is truly spectacular.

The soundtrack is quite good for a short film; it's simple, yet hits all the right notes right from the beginning to set the mood. The sound of the rain leaves sets a calm, drab atmosphere which depicts the environment of the rainy town quite well. I think the only issue I had with the sound portion was that the tone of the piano did get slightly repetitive after a few minutes. Though it would have been nice if it had adjusted the tempo slightly, it isn't really a big issue considering you could watch this film without sound and still enjoy it.

There are only a couple characters in Rain Town, but their speechless charm and allure makes them all the more endearing. The little girl is so innocent and sweet that one can't help but adore her every action. She loves playing in the rain and that's a fairly accurate depiction of most children her age. I really liked the realistic side of that. Though the little girl was adorable, I believe that the robot is what takes the cake for this particular short. It's such a good friend and companion to the little girl in the short amount of time they are together that you can't help but love it as a character. The robot essentially is the embodiment of the perfect friend; it is loyal, patient, and understanding. The background history of the robot simply broke my heart. In roughly a minute you can see why he was sitting on that particular bench, why he takes a liking to the little girl, and why he falls apart, both literally and figuratively.

Rain Town was inspiring and heartfelt. It's a wonderful piece that reminded me a lot of Tsumiki no Ie, which is another superb animated short. If you haven't seen that one, or this one for that matter, I would profoundly recommend you to do so. It's rare to find something that succeeds in touching our hearts, but it is seamlessly done in a simple short film about a rainy town, a little girl, and a robot. Bravo.

Rain Town, a serene, atmospheric short, is the polar opposite of Ishida Hiroyasu's first animation, Fumiko's Confession, which is, by contrast, a manic, zany, and cartoonish ride. Both works show off Ishida's animation talent, but it seems that Rain Town is merely a portfolio-building exercise for the young man. The beginning scenery evokes memories of La Maison en Petits Cubes, but Rain Town offers hardly any story. Still, the animation looks great, and the music is fitting.