As I have mentioned many times before, during the last few years, the non-anime animation industry of Japan seems to be taking a step forward, as the quality rises along with international exposure, although still in short film format. “Cycle Race” is another title that highlights the fact.
Cycle Race is screening at Camera Japan
A creature that can only be described as potato-shaped with a lamp for a head and duck-like legs is riding a bicycle, while similar creatures, of much bigger size though, are lighting its way. Sounds of bells and a hammer hitting accompany its path, which is soon revealed to be “inhabited” by other creatures like him, also riding their bikes. One of them even mocks when it passes the “protagonist”, with its later fate being a direct punishment. The path includes a split, and the protagonist goes left by itself, while the rest go right. It ends in a spiral-like path moving upwards. A small intermission takes place and his path then takes place in the light of day, while the image is pixelized for a bit. The music becomes more eerie this time, and soon the movie ends, with the creature continuing to ride.
It is difficult to say what the film is about, since the whether it contains symbolism or not is quite ambiguous. For example, one could say that the fact that the protagonist picks the left path while the rest the right is a political comment, but again, it is hard to say. Apart from context though, the surreal, almost ritualistic atmosphere, as established by Hiroki Kurosawa's animation and character design, and Juichi Omori's sound, is quite imposing, essentially carrying the 5-minute short from beginning to end. The sense of disorientation about what is going on, which is never actually answered, also moves in the same way, adding to the atmosphere, while the change in perspective works as good as the constant movement presented on screen.
Even if “Cycle Race” can be perceived as an animation exercise for something bigger, there are enough elements here to deem it a short worth watching also as a testament to the quality of Japanese animation.
