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.
