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Short film
Poster for Showa Shinzan

Showa Shinzan

2002 · 12 min

A quiet, gentle animated short that feels like a grandfather's story, mixing wartime sadness with wonder at the earth.

Directed by
Alison Reiko Loader
Genres
Animation
Overview
This animated film tells the story of a young Japanese girl's relationship with her grandfather, a postmaster and amateur geologist. When the neighboring Mount Usu erupts during World War II, he records its activity. As he witnesses the birth of a new mountain named Showa Shinzan, he transcends the misery and folly of war that surrounds them and teaches his granddaughter a valuable lesson about life. Evoking the tradition of Bunraku puppetry, this animated film is based on actual events.

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In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.
Directed by
Alison Reiko Loader
Genres
Animation
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
    Pacing
    measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
    Attention
    engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
    Themes
    • family
    • nature
    • war
    • memory
    • aging
    Places
    • small town
    • countryside
    Era
    period
    Audience
    family
    Form
    • animated
    • true story
    Content intensity
    • Gore none
    • Language none
    • Violence none
    • Sex none
    All scales, 0 to 10
    Scales, 0 to 10
    ScaleValue0 to 10
    Action1
    Horror1
    Humour1
    Realism6
    Romance0
    Tension2
    Darkness3
    Complexity4
    Emotional weight6

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    Where to watch in the UK

    No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

    Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

    Details

    Genres
    animation
    Directed by
    Alison Reiko Loader
    Written by
    Jesse Nishihata, Hiromi Goto
    Runtime
    12 min

    TMDB