Reviews

"A picture is worth a thousand words", or in this case, an animation. The idea of a silent film in anime can be puzzling to some people, as anime is highly made up by its cast of voice actors, but Tsumiki no Ie goes beyond that to create a story drawn to look similar to a jour painting. Yet, twelve minutes is all it takes to dive into a the past of an old man and reflect on how short of a time people have to make the most of their lives.

What seemingly looks like a boring tale, takes a turn into the world of reminiscence to showcase the changing life that is simultaneously happening around us. In the world of the old man, his life is constantly facing a flood requiring him to create a new room for him to live in when the water reaches his current one. But with every new room created, a memory is left behind. At first we move down from present time to the furthest memory in the final room, but the story presents the memories like a spider web weaved into a pattern to showcase beauty.

With each descending floor, we enter a different stage of life: Adolescence, young adult, and old age. Although the concept seems simple enough, the creator left room for interpretation for just about anyone to take this short film with a grain of salt. Perhaps the flood symbolizes the short coming of their lives and the higher they build, the closer to the end to their story of living. What's for certain is, what started as a sweet remembrance, ended in a bitter taste wanting to return to the past, to the prime years of his life. A time with his newly born child, a time when his wife was alive, and a time which he enjoyed. Life on Earth is short, and we take it for granted. If anything, Tsumiki no Ie shows to cherish the moments you're living now, as in a few years time, or decades down the road, life will be drastically different.

The icing on the cake is, without a doubt, the fact of having no voice actors. The mood is set with soft, soothing, and almost lull-sounding music to put the viewer in a state of mind to match the elderly man's as he travels down memory road. It isn't limited to a simple piano or an orchestra, but rather instruments that could capture the feeling of nostalgia and life by mere strings and melodies. In combination with architecture to match the visual aid of the dark color scheme to stimulate a feeling of empathy, a story is unfolded to remember for years to come.

Twelve minutes is all it takes to finish this film that seems to be a hidden gem for most people. Even with a busy schedule, watching this could produce that relaxing feeling you're looking for.