I’ve watched “Rain Town” twice now. That should say something in itself, since I don’t often rewatch anime. Only the most beautiful, the most powerful, the most entertaining... and at the very least in those first two meanings, “Rain Town” sure delivers. It is, in short, an absolutely beautiful piece; simple, symbolic, captivating, fantastic in the most literal, surreal sense.


There’s a forgotten town somewhere in the world where rain doesn’t stop anymore; a water-ghost town in the literal sense, for almost everyone moved away, and only memories are still alive beneath the rain--submerged, rusted, but nonetheless there. And yet, “Rain Town” is about more than forgetting and/or leaving behind.

With barely ten minutes in length, it’s a short story, yet all the better in terms of both effort and effect. There’s a complete tale in those nine minutes fifty-some seconds; simple, but detailed, and all the more powerful. Poetic-ness, symbolism, emotion; it’s all in there, resulting in a strong message likely to subtly tug a lot of heartstrings, at least among the slightly more mature audience. If nothing else, it’s at least sure to leave you thinking for a while.

“Rain Town”, for some or another reason, is a silent film, in the sense that not a word is spoken. It doesn’t need those words, since it’s all the more poetic for its silence. However, with no dialogue, it's kind of hard to rate exactly that, so I kind of left it out. ^^"

In terms of art and animation, it’s very different from most out there. The animation style in itself is smooth without too obvious hiccups; now that in itself would be pretty good, yet it’s not what makes it outstand. That, much rather, is the art style. As a lot about this piece of animation, that one is hard to describe. To me, it seemed slightly reminiscent of Natsume Yuujinchou and Usagi Drop, yet even that doesn’t quite do it reason. It’s, simply said, individual, and very different from most out there. The line-art is detailed, and so thin it’s almost invisible at times; the colouring and shading may be blurry at times, yet there is a watercolour-y feel to both that makes them more than fitting; and finally, “Rain Town” has some of the most outstanding colour contrasts, symbolism, and detail I’ve seen in a while. Also stunning is the music, which consists of a simple, fitting, very calm, and heart-touching piano piece. It definitely serves to support the story, its message, and the atmosphere where there is no dialogue.

In all that--story, emotion, message, animation, the amount of detail in such a short work--“Rain Town” is very much like a poem taken animated form. Short, symbolic, with a strong message, and the potential to resonate in a lot of viewers’ hearts.

If you’re any into the short and simple, yet absolutely beautiful works, this is more than recommended. Short, hard to describe at times, yet captivating and powerful; and personally, I love it for that. Only: There’s a whole lot of details likely to be missed on first try--so please don’t just give up if you don’t get it at once. :)

Cheers.~ (show less)