In Praise of 2021’s Short Anime

Happy New Year, everyone! As was the case in 2019 and 2020, our first post of the new year is a rundown of Wooper’s favorite short anime from the past twelve months. There were fewer TV shorts in 2021 than in the recent past, but the number of web series increased yet again, marking the internet as the place to be for makers of bite-sized anime. Three of my four picks for 2021 debuted online, and so did several others I enjoyed, especially Mini Dragon (a series of two minute teasers for Maidragon’s second season). If I had to name my favorite short of the year, though, it would be one that aired on TV first, then made its way to streaming sites afterward, enabling it to gather as large an audience as its little wheels could muster. I’m talking, of course, about Pui Pui Molcar.

Pui Pui Molcar

When I look back on 2021, Molcar will be one of my most treasured pop culture discoveries thanks to its meticulous production choices, fun film references, and warmhearted writing. The show’s premise – that there are guinea pigs which are also cars – is impossibly cute on its own, but a ton of extra work went into the making of this stop motion short, and it shows. Explosions were created by attaching tufts of wool to objects as stand-ins for smoke, leading to scenes like the helicopter crash in [this PV]. The Molcars’ driving styles are appropriately varied across each episode, from Akira power slides to realistic slippage on snowy roads. And the sound design! The squeaks of the cars are provided by real guinea pigs, the automotive effects are delightfully over the top, and the music morphs seamlessly from scene to scene. One moment it’s all suspenseful strings, and the next you’re jamming out to a melodica track as the characters celebrate a hard-won victory. There are a lot of those victories in the show, too – many of its conflicts are resolved when the Molcars help a friend in need or share a prized possession, making it the perfect pick-me-up for anyone caught in a cynical funk. (All twelve episodes are available on Netflix.)

Yoru no Kuni

Dead pets, fractured friendships, career setbacks – not the sort of themes you’d expect from a series with such gentle art direction, perhaps, but that’s the very thing that allows Yoru no Kuni to tackle difficult subjects. Each of its three chapters pairs a troubled human character with a noble half-avian figure named Yoru, who meets them in a dream (or a memory, in episode 3’s case) and serves as their guide. These inner worlds are beautifully realized by director ryo-timo (a once-independent animator now associated with Studio Daisy), who filled them with glittering hillsides, luminous butterflies and shooting stars. Though picturesque, these dreams belie the anxieties of their dreamers, who require a little help from Yoru to process what troubles them. The soundtrack, provided by ED songstress Aimer, helps tremendously in that regard – her voice cuts through the climax of each episode like a lighthouse’s beam through the night, lending power to each subject’s emotional epiphany. Yoru no Kuni’s blend of storybook visuals and striking vocals makes it one of the year’s most captivating experiments – you can check out the first episode [here] if you’re so inclined.

PokeToon

Of the two Pocket Monsters miniseries released in 2021, the more popular one by far was Pokemon Evolutions, which served up beefier versions of key scenes from the video games with a special focus on legendary Pokemon (and sometimes villains) from each generation. That’s great for fans of the mainline series, but as someone who appreciates the franchise for its setting rather than its story, I prefer the ongoing PokeToon anthology. You may have come across a Merrie Melodies-inspired short featuring Scraggy and Mimikyu on YouTube last year – that was PokeToon’s first episode, and it’s only improved since then. My favorites have to be the stories animated by Studio Colorido, especially “I Became a Gengar?!” and the silent “Wait Here, Magikarp!” I want to draw attention to that second one in particular – its use of music to create a bond between a flute-playing boy and a wild Magikarp is wonderful, and little touches like the colorful ripples of water resulting from the boy’s performance demonstrate a real attention to detail. I also recommend “A Budding Dream,” an inspiring look at the earliest days of a young Pokemon trainer. Most of them are quite good, in fact, so have a look at the first six episodes [here] if you’re interested.

Youjo Shachou

If you’ve ever felt like your workplace is run by an overgrown child, you may enjoy this series of two minute shorts about a company whose CEO is a literal five year old kid. Youjo Shachou (cleverly localized as “Cute Executive Officer”) is one part absurdist comedy and one part kawaii romp through the everyday life of Najimu, a kindergarten-aged girl who defaces important contracts with crayons and lectures customers for being too mean on the phone. Over the course of the show, Najimu’s naivete solves nearly as many problems as it causes, but those good intentions don’t stop Youjo Shachou from going to some very weird places. One of the company employees is an assassin with a horrifying backstory that’s played strictly for laughs, and there’s an episode where Najimu forces a middle-aged man to wear a collar and be her doggy for a day. The series’ humor is frantically paced, as well, with gags occasionally bleeding into each other due to their sheer speed. Yet even that rapid quality is balanced by charming designs and simple colors, plus exterior shots that look as though Najimu herself had drawn them – an effect that I found to be delightful. If you want something that combines MTV-style humor with cute Japanese art, look no further than Youjo Shachou. (You can find its 13 episodes bundled as a single file on the usual HS replacement.)