This is an anthology series of works from different studios and sources, with a general theme around mythology and superstition. It's more like arthouse animation than conventional shows so be warned! I provide commentary here for the first three episodes, and my overall score of 7 / 10 is based on them.
Episode 1: Nobody (the original English title), or A Little Monsters' Summer (the literal translation of the title)
This is a stellar work from start to finish, and it easily warrants a 10 / 10. Created by the legendary Shanghai Animation Film Studio, this story is a twist on the tale of Journey to the West, which traditionally follows a band of four iconic protagonists. Instead, here you see the tale from the villains' point of view, showing their preparations for numerous schemes to capture the original protagonists in the days before their arrival. The story combines this with a harsh lens of modern society: it draws parallels between the monster underlings to today's workers, examines the difficult demands of the monster kingdom, and mixes in a brief touching portrayal of family. Within this story, you will likely find a sincere reflection of your life and a sense of optimism in the message.
The art is stunning. There is great cinematography work (e.g., layout of scenes), good mix of different animation styles, and traditional ink-style backgrounds that all enhance the immersion of the story. Props to the sound design and voice acting too (apparently one recorded dialogue is directly taken from the classic 1986 Journey to the West TV show).
Episode 2: Goose Mountain (the original English title), or Goose Goose Goose (the literal translation of the title)
You are a traveler carrying geese to a village. As you walk through the rarely-trodden mountain path flanked by sharp cliffs, you encounter a mysterious man on the road with a sly face. (Basically Ozu from the Tatami Galaxy.) He wants you to carry him up to another mountain. What do you do?
This is interesting. It's definitely more abstract than episode 1, but is more restrained and figurative. The meaning / message is hard to grasp, but the story will leave you with some emotions. There's no dialogue - only title cards in the style of silent films of the past. The pacing is likely inspired by French and German animation (e.g., Filmbilder & Friends) but the art maintains an ink-wash aesthetic. Overall, it's very stylized, but at the cost of being more opaque story-wise, so it gets a 7 / 10.
Episode 3: Shewolf (the original English title), or Lin Lin (the literal translation of the title)
This one is about a wolf who can turn into a girl called Lin Lin. It basically explores her relationship with the villagers living near the forest. There's not that much to the story, and the themes hinted throughout are shallow and inadequately explored. What's more, I felt the animation was a bit lacking, especially the facial designs of the humans, which look very off-putting. The narration is also cringe. This is the weakest episode so far, so it gets a 4 / 10.
