Story
The short has us following Hinata as he literally fumbles with his feelings for his classmate, Shigure who is fond of birds. Hinata uses his experiences in real life to fuel his imagination, turning mundane tasks and places into locations and scenes of wonder and childlike excitement. A great example of this is the school pet bird's cage turning into a large greenhouse bird sanctuary in his mind. The surface story of loving someone and having trouble directly revealing this to the person in question is nothing new, Hinata's imagination however turns such a dull topic into something fantastical, making it more pleasant to follow.
Art
This is where the short really shines. Studio Colorido follows up on the Hinata's visions of the story unfolding with bright crayon-like colors and an art-style to match. The images evoked during the imagination scenes are simply beautiful and the most memorable part of the short for sure. The uses of CG, while obvious, did not feel out of place and managed to blend in enough without becoming too distracting. When the story hits its more somber points, Studio Colorido was not afraid to darken things to set the tone, and the contrast of these scenes compared to the blissful ones does its job well. The art is what makes this short truly worth a watch.
Sound
The soundtrack does an excellent job of setting the mood and really helps raise up the last segment of the film. While it is nothing I would think about revisiting again without context of the scenes to back it up, it is playful and uplifting and definitely had me reacting to it.
Character
With so few lines, they manage to characterize Hinata very well throughout the film. This clumsy dork is hard not to like, and the use of facial expressions honestly trumps any dialogue spoken in the film. Shigure talks more than Hinata and yet it felt like she lacked more substance than Hinata. I didn't grow to care for her nearly as much as I did Hinata, and her ending lines really fell flat on evoking emotion.
Enjoyment
Overall I enjoyed Hinata no Aoshigure, and am I glad I was recommended to watch it. It hit all the right notes when it comes to music and art to make a fantastic viewing experience. While the story wasn't very inspired, audio and visuals are such a key component to animation, I can't really complain if it didn't detract from my enjoyment much.
With such a short running time, I would suggest giving it a shot, especially if you enjoyed the director's previous work. I look forward to his future endeavors within the industry.
