Children

Was this an anime?! Wow... Well anyways. The Story, sound and enjoyment was good enough. The art and characters was... meh fine. The reason i liked this one is because it kinda shows us how our reality would look if everyone were attempting to be perfect. This short movie is something i can relate to. What i also liked is how dark and disturbing it looks because of the characters and overall. This deserves a 7 and i would recommend it to those who like this kind of stuff and to those who probably don't like anime so much and all.

What Children lacks in classy anime polish it makes up for in its artistic rebellion against the fable of Japanese social hegemony. You might see parallels with Zealous Creative's "Zero" in simplicity or perhaps to THX 1138 by the detached numbering system for individuals in the story. This isn't an unusual device employed for dystopian or pseudo-dystopian narratives and it serves its purpose here. Adults mask their features with a smile. Students go through motions that please the adults: high marks and activities/sports participation. Our central child looks at the dead and dying world about him and can't take it. Turns out, neither ... can his compatriots. Once it becomes too much it turns into rebellion and delinquency. But also a previously untapped kindness for the the little things.

Everything about this cookie-cutter short is on the nose, beginning with the barcode stamped on the puppet's head on the cover, along with the googly-eyes and the zipper-mouth. Entirely monotonous and uncreative in portraying the drudgery and conformity that it wants to present. Yes, all the kids look the same, they get the same grades, do the same things, and when one rebels, they all do. The adults wear smilie faces. All of the houses have smokestacks that add to the gray smog and the dismal atmosphere. "Dog go splat. Me save doggy. Me laugh." Neither the sound nor the visuals are appealing or memorable. ... One of the most retched and uncreative short films I've ever seen.