Some days back I came across a stunning animation on YouTube. It has a beautiful thumbnail so I thought it must be some new anime that I don’t know. So, I clicked and what I saw was very surreal. It was a 3-minute animated short movie called Puparia by animator Shingo Tamagawa.

It was so beautifully done that I decided to dig some info on it. I came to know that it took almost 3 years to complete & released on YouTube in November 2020. where it has garnered more than millions of views since then.

It has open-ended animation, so it can have varied meanings depending on the perception of the viewers. As the saying goes we do not merely interpret art, art interprets us too.

The art does not only see the people as the plain individuals in the crowd, it perceives them as they appear in Puparia scenes. All possible interpretations and meanings could be true.

As from an artist’s perspective, Shingo Tamagawa seems to present a manifesto where he’s trying to encourage artists to take challenge & pursue art styles where artist tries to create a window to their mind & viewers can have a look through that window and completely free to join the journey that takes them to their world.

Puparia seems to like that kind of animation that tries to grab the attention of their viewers & encourage them to follow the characters in their journey to unknown things.

As he himself says in an interview :

There’s a discrepancy with the recent trends, where you’re asked how to generate profits, or when told the process is cumbersome as it cannot be streamlined. Those arguments tend to win too often. I understand they’re important, but I’m not making animation in order to be efficient. I make animation to create new things and generate new emotions that I haven’t felt before. I believe everybody has that joy inside of them. I think the whole industry could be happier if we could pivot in that direction, just a little more.

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Puparia film explores the dark themes of identity, transformation, and the horrors that lie within the human psyche.The film’s narrative is deliberately complex and open to interpretation, leaving viewers to draw their own conclusions about the meaning behind the events that unfold. The act of interpretation defines you as a person, as you define the art.

The short film has gained a cult following among fans of avant-garde and experimental cinema. The film showcases the unique and surreal vision of its director, Shingo Tamagawa, and his ability to create a thought-provoking atmosphere. Where the characters tries to interact with its viewers through their mesmerising gaze and after having their

viewers attention they looks directly into the eyes of the viewer as if to say, ” Now, I’ve got your attention & yes I see you too”

Then smiles knowingly at the fateful interaction of two beings from two different worlds and in that very moment they engaging in the exact process of the whole animation that was set out to depict in the first place.

You can experience the same when you watch this beautiful piece of art :

Puparia is like a poem that explores the various themes of identity, and transformation and in the process tries to connect with the human psyche. It serves as a testament to the power of visual storytelling and its ability to elicit strong emotional responses from its audience. At the end of the animation, the viewers also seem to become part of the Puparia world.

Shingo Tamagawa : Instagram