11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Quick Chills and Plenty of Eye-Candy, December 21, 2005
This review is from: Kakurenbo - Hide & Seek (DVD)
Kakurenbo, like Makoto Shinkai's Voices of a Distant Star, was created by only a few people yet stands a cut above a lot of anime of the same type. It presents unique ideas that would never have been tried by any of the more mass marketed anime. While the emphasis of Kakurenbo is the horror story, it still has plenty to offer outside of that, like stunning visuals, plenty of atmosphere, and a haunting soundtrack that plays well as the story unravels.
Kakurenbo is about eight children who dare each other into playing a game of hide and seek (Kakurenbo) in a city that's become a kind of urban myth among the children. Following specific rules, including following road signs, wearing fox masks, and going in with seven children, will trigger the city into life, or so the myth goes. The children follow these rules down to one, and that is they actually go in with eight. But the city comes to life anyways, and their game turns into a struggle, and all the while one boy attempts to find his lost sister who played the game before him.
The creatures that come to life in this short anime are drawn from Japanese mythology, and are made to fit into a more modern world, giving them a unique appearance that's successfully terrifying. When placed in the dark setting, these monstrosities do their job. And with relish. By the end, once all the monsters, or demons, are revealed, and twists play themselves out, you should be left with a disturbed feeling of horror in you stomach, especially when you realize what lights the city....
This is one of those films that just don't compare that easily with others. It's too different. Yet it's still great and worth the money. The DVD contains more special features than most anime DVDs have, and this makes up for the shortness of the film. Plus, had the film been longer, the effect would have been lost, I think. I'd recommend this to hardcore anime fans who don't mind a little difference from anime to anime.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Saw Kakurenbo at Otakon - Wow!, September 23, 2005
This review is from: Kakurenbo - Hide & Seek (DVD)
I saw Kakurenbo as this year's Otakon. I was blown away. It's been compared to Voice of a Distant Star because of its length and both were made by small, indepedents, but Kakurenbo left an impression on my a lot longer than Voices. That's why I'm writing about it today. I just learned that it's coming to DVD and I can't wait. It has some of the most beautiful computer graphics I've seen and the story is scary and gripping. I was told at Otakon Kakurenbo won awards at the Fantasia Film Festival, Korean Cartoon and Animation Festival, and Tokyo Anime Fair (where it tied Ghost in the Shell 2). Kakurenbo was something I had never heard of until its screening but its something I still think about now. I can't wait for the DVD!
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very good, December 29, 2005
This review is from: Kakurenbo - Hide & Seek (DVD)
For a 25 miniute short film, I thought it was really good. I loved the graphics, and the story was quite origanal and very provoking. If you hear people complain because it was too short, that the characters had no personalities, that the animation was bad... That is their view, my opinion for such a short film, I thought it was really good. But don't listen to us here, watch it yourself and form your on opinion
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