Reviews of Sweat Punch (2002) and related work

Sweat Punch (2002Moving picture)

Collection of short films (about 10 minutes each) created by the progressive Studio 4°C over the past year or so.

References here: Amazing Nuts (2006).

moving picture Japanese production animation fiction

“End of the World” (2002Moving picture, 11 minutes)

Two girls meet at a dadaist punk concert. One of them turns a portion of the other’s apartment into a portal to a hideous world and proceeds to seek annihilating vengeance there, but fails.

Gory randomness. Bad surrealism.

moving picture entry Japanese production animation fiction

“Professor Dan Petory’s Blues” (2002Moving picture, 10 minutes)

A bitter domestic argument is abandoned when the woman turns on the TV. An unhealthy puppeteer distracts her with a show about common misperceptions, such as the wisdom of linear UFO travel.

Humorous randomness. Lots of styles are demonstrated and the humour is quite good.

moving picture entry Japanese production animation fiction

“Comedy” (2002Moving picture, 11 minutes)

An Irish woman recalls how, when she was 5, she gave an old book to a nearby bishōnen. In return, he took on a detachment of English cavalry.

Steampunk. Animated in peculiar shaky cinématographe style, very little dialogue, set to classical music. A perfect mode for the bizarre little story.

moving picture entry Japanese production animation fiction

“Higan” (2002Moving picture, 8 minutes)

A commander recalls his last battle.

Dark mecha action. Conventional by 4°C short-film standards. Higan is the equinoctial week when people visit graves and meet their ancestors in Japanese Buddhism.

moving picture entry Japanese production animation mecha fiction