“House Searching” (やどさがし, pronounced “Yadosagashi”), the 3rd Ghibli Museum short that I caught, was in a word – fun ! The story is simple enough – a spirited young girl name Fuki, in search of a new house, embarks on a journey into the unknown wilderness, and in her travels encounter a forest not only teeming with intriguing inhabitants, but very much alive in itself.
“House Searching” is somewhat unique among the Ghibli Shorts (or any anime for that matter) because the star of the show is not just the lively animation, but the whimsical sound effects as well; the vooming of speeding cars, the rustling of trees in the wind, all wonderfully mimicked by a voice actor behind a microphone. The sound effects are accompanied by colorful, animated Japanese Katakana characters (akin to the ones that appear in manga) that fl0w through the entire duration of the short.
The short also has a very distinct, simple look – vivid colors, but no cell shading ! These are rare to come by; the only other anime I know that doesn’t employ cell shading is Okiura Hiroyuki’s Jinroh.
The background art was painted with crayons to give it the look of a children’s picture book.
(below) Grubs scurry about for some ramen leftovers – the scene reminds me of the Makkurokurosuke in Spirited Away, during feeding time.
At first glance, “House Searching” might look like a simple film, both in its austere visual style and straight forward story, but as with many a Miyazaki film it carries an important, underlying message reminding us to respect and care for the natural environment, from which we have taken so much from. (below) Didn’t we see that forest deity enjoying a nice hot bath in Spirited Away ?
(above) The sound effects were voiced by Tamori-san, a very popular television show host and comedian.
The screenshots from the book really doesn’t do this animation justice – you have to watch the short to see just how amazing it is : below is a rare glimpse of some scenes from a YouTube clip :
Folks interested in getting a copy of the book can contact me here, or check out the entire collection of pressbooks here.
Anyone saw “House Searching” during their trip to Ghibli Museum ? :]
Related posts:
Ghibli Museum Anime Shorts Part II – Mei And The Kitten Bus
Ghibli Museum Anime Shorts Part I – The Day I Bought A Star
Ponyo on the Cliff Art Exhibition at the Ghibli Museum – Preview
Kazuo Oga background art exhibition
Studio Ghibli Layout Designs Exhibition Part II
she bears a resemblance to pippi longstockings!
I’m not fond of the crayon-like style – the sound that the stream-creature makes is also quite unpleasant
I’m more interested in the realistic, detailed styles that they use for Mononoke, Spirited Away, and the new short “The Day I Bought A Star”
tragic comedy – You’re absolutely right ! :]
olivia – Yes indeed, this short is quite different in style from the usual Miyazaki work, but I like it all the same ! :]
Haha ^^ nice, is there a section to follow the RSS feed