Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de)
"Aru machikado no monogatari" or "Story of a Certain Street Corner" is a 38-minute animated short film from 1962, so this one is already 55 years old. The two directors are Samamoto and Yamamoto, but the most known man working on this one is certainly writer Osamo Tezuka. This is an award-winning short film and I personally think animation is also something for grown-ups, but this one here I would say is mostly for young audiences, which is fairly rare for Japanese animation. I myself never really cared for the story or characters in here and it all felt a bit too childish or lacking really greatness in general. Tezuka has done better on some occasions and I am sure same can be said about the two directors. But there is nothing wrong with this film as kids surely can appreciate it. It just lacks depth a bit and that's why I felt it dragged despite being under 40 minutes. Thumbs down from me, not recommended.
meddlecore
This is an incredible short film and an amazing work of art! It tells the story of life at a small street corner, in an unknown Japanese city, from the perspective of a small girl, a kind and loving, tiny little mouse, a group of street posters, and a moth and streetlight. Tezuka brings us through the daily life of the characters, which is filled with humour, happiness, jealousy and love, until an unexpected event, the likes of which none of them expected, occurs. The scenery and background is painted absolutely gorgeously and the animation, direction and story, set to the perfect selection of music work together wonderfully! This is definitely one of the best short films I have ever seen. I would recommend this film to everyone, especially those who love animation, film, or art in general, as this is a gem which should not go unseen by anyone. A definite 10 out of 10.
