Introduction
The story takes place before WWII at a photo studio on top of a hill. Many people visit this studio to have their photos taken. One day, a couple comes, but the wife is so shy that she always lowers her head. The owner of the studio tries all kinds of tricks to get her to smile and eventually succeeds.
One year later, the couple comes again, but this time they bring their daughter along. She always looks grumpy, and again, the owner has to try everything to get her to smile. Thus starts a long-running relationship between the girl and the owner, and time passes to years and then decades...
(Source: MAL)
Audience reviews
6 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
Sreeresh
Wow , I am out of words. Truly a masterpiece. Mr. Nakamura Takashi is a great a story teller. The short lasts over 15 minutes , there are no dialogues yet it captures your attention. This short is the definition of " Show don't tell ".
Story - The story is a time lapse about a photo studio and the events that take place in and around the photo studio . There is a lot going on this 15 minute short fil.
Animation - The animation is clean and crisp. Shashinkan has a very distinct art style. It is colorful without being too bright. It is aesthetically very good looking. The short uses 2d animation throughout the duration.
Music and sound - The music was great . Special mention Mr. Ichikawa Jun the music composer of this short. The music gives you a pleasant feeling , you feel relaxed throu…
Read at the sourcewhiteflame55
This was just great. It's 16 minutes long, a short you can look up on YouTube anytime you want, and all it does is follow a photographer across his life and his interactions with one family, but it does a lot more with that time than I anticipated. The whole thing is done without an ounce of dialogue (I couldn't even read the written words on screen because they were all subbed in Russian), but everything communicates crystal clear. It's not breaking the mold for narratives or character writing, but it's a beautiful series of snapshots of lives lived through waves of joy and tragedy, and that last moment still hits despite only getting limited insight into these characters. There's something exceptional in that. The animation is great and evocative as well. Highly recommend everyone watche…
Read at the sourcejustgivemeanyUN
Shashinkan was a 16 minute short I found while browsing YouTube and at first, I was a bit opposed to it because the art style unnerved me. But as I went on, I unearthed the true essence of this short. And while I can appreciate both its narrative and overall storytelling, I can't praise it too much.
For starters, the run time is by far the weakest aspect of this video, everything that happens besides when the young girl is getting a picture goes by so quickly and unmentioned that it simply becomes a faint afterthought. The beginning scene, her mother almost has no place in the story until the very end where they use her portrait to steer you in some emotional way.
Same thing with the husband in the military who has no actual standing in providing substance to the plot until they decide…
Read at the sourceRojo
This beautifully poetic short is nothing less than a masterpiece.
The whole animation has an elegantly layered evolution to it. The story is delivered in several segments, or snapshots, where we watch as a photographer struggles to bring the smile out of a young child. Photography plays a major role in this anime.
The whole movie is void of any speech or talking. There are sublet background noises such as moans, laughs, and ones of nature. But this is all layered over with a classical soundtrack which if anything compliments the piece.
The styling reminds of the Professor Layton Games, especially with the coloring. As we are presented with a new snapshot, the time frame skips forwards a few years and we watch as the child grows up. The layering comes into play here as well. For instance…
Read at the sourcemalort
I have never been this moved in 15 minutes. "Shashinkan" has a very powerful appeal to emotion, and all aspects of the piece gracefully came together in order to achieve this. Its visual and auditory harmony was so strong, it allows the viewer to fully immerse oneself in an enchanting soft-toned story about a passionate photographer and his loyal clients.
As a film that is bereft of dialogue, its music was an important narration device. The story's mood is guided through friendly arpeggios, seamless key changes, and befitting subtle dynamics. Using only a piano, the piece stays true to its semi-minimalist nature. This adds on to the beautiful, and sincere tone that "Shashinkan" exhibits.
Its visual expression is very unique and stylistic. The characters have a simple and soft color pall…
Read at the sourceaweser
Shashinkan- a beautiful tale of a woman who can't smile. Despite lasting only 16 min. shashinkan was unbelievably heartwarming and brought a tiny sparkle of joy into my life.
The art in this anime is definetly amazing. Fair enough characters don't look particularly anime-ish but when you look at them you can feel all the emotions running through their heads. Backrounds are exceptionaly well drawn and their vivid colours can undoubtedly be called "an eye candy".
There is not much I can write about the story or characters as the movie was too short to highly develop either of them. However makers of this masterpiece have done a great job of making an admirable and likeable main character (photographer).
My favourite aspect of this movie is the soundtrack. 16 minutes of magnificent, well-f…
Read at the source