House of Flames

Many users review series and animated movies following MAL guidelines and categorizing their rating. Sometimes they fail, because not everything is supposed to be treated as a part of the anime industry: there are also independent works, whose story is not always important, because they last a bunch of minutes, whose art is not always captivating, since they were made back in the 60s or 70s and try to be expressive more than realistic. The same goes for western movies: you can't rate sound, for example, if you're watching a silent film or dislike a black and white movie only because colors are not there. Katakuis a short independent, stop motion animated movie from 1979. It's a completely different experience from a yesterday-made series with bursting colors and flashing animation. A great experience I'd say. The masterful animation makes the story seem real and the plot, adapted from a play, is short but meaningful. You can feel the touch of the director in every frame. Kataku is something you must interpret with your heart and brain combined, considering the director was not supported by a studio, stop motion is a complex technique and many years have passed since 1979. The story is also from a traditional play, so strictly linked with Japanese culture and sensibility. I give it a 6, probably the best score a 19 minutes movie can achieve. I strongly recommend it to anyone, especially those who usually don't care about old works and independent artists. Just watch it and look how animation can also be something more than flat entertainment.