Hoshi Shinichi’s Short Shorts

2007 marked a decade since the death of Hoshi Shinichi, one of Japan’s most original and acerbic writers. His ever popular Grownup Fairytales freshly recreated here by young artists, are still resonant of his trademark wit and eccentricity. This omnibus of short segments gives us fresh perspective on Shinichi’s wit and satire. Each segment uses creative techniques to bring the author’s stories to life and give us satiric peeks at the future. Wonderful Life (Clay Animation): Nowadays many of our needs are attended to by machines. These devices fulfill the promise of a future of consummate convenience. But there is an ironic pitfall. Shoulder Diplomat (Readers Theatre): Perched on everyone’s shoulders in the future is an animatronic parrot. Its intricate IC-chipped brain takes our frank, otherwise rude mutterings and translates them into minor masterpieces of polite discourse. The Gift (Animation): Global nuclear war has erupted. Aliens have sent down a creature. Mankind unites to fight off this terrifying intruder but what do they achieve? The Tangle (One-Man Play) An average working man waiting for his train is surprised to be the target of two different assassins. My Precious Watch (Animation): A man has deep affection for his watch. One day, inconceivably, the time piece is slow, causing him to miss his bus for a long-awaited vacation.