Among the many artists which define Japanese art, Hidari Jingoro is perhaps one of the most interesting and important. There is also an air of mystery surrounding his works, considering it has not been proven whether he was a real person or not. What is certain, however, is his extraordinary craftsmanship, evident in his carving of a sleeping cat at Nikko Toshogu or the one of a dragon at Ueno Tosho-gu, to name but a few examples. The legend surrounding his name is also what inspired the team surrounding directors Masashi Kawamura and Iku Ogawa, whose short feature “Hidari” is meant as a taste (if you will) for a much longer story they want to tell in the future, using their skill as animators and visual storytellers.
Hidari is screening at Skip City International D-Cinema Festival
What we see in the five-minute short is a fight scene between the protagonist, Hidari, and several henchmen under the command of his arch-enemy Inumaru. There is a hint that this is not the first encounter of the two men, and the latter may have something to do with the loss of Hidari's right arm. With his trusted companion “Sleeping Cat” by his side, however, the craftsman and skilled warrior is ready to face the foes ahead, for his arm can be replaced by several prosthetic limbs and weapons, from a samurai sword to a menacing chainsaw.
According to the homepage for the feature, it was the aim of the project to “create an entertainment piece that no one has seen before, by merging the world of Japanimation and the technique of stop-motion animation”. It is truly an ambitious concept the creators have in mind, but the short feature gives an interesting impression of what could become a very entertaining and well-crafted story. The animation in combination with the stop-motion technique make for a unique approach to the samurai genre, blending fast-paced action with fantasy and also humor. The plethora of weapons the main character uses helps to establish some kind of variety, especially as the challenges the main character has to face become higher and higher.
Additionally, “Hidari” manages to give its viewer an insight into the world and the characters of the story. Even though Hidari does not have much dialogue, he is an intriguing persona, specifically his unique blend of warrior and craftsman, a man of violence and a man of creation. The world surrounding him is equally fascinating, even though due to the fast-paced fight, we only get a glimpse of what could be also quite interesting.
