Name(s): Glassy Ocean / Kujira no Chouyaku / クジラの跳躍
Format: Movie
Studio(s): Tamura Shigeru Studio

I quite liked this. I had a similar sensation watching this as I did A Traveler’s Diary. Both are surrealist works set in a fantasy setting, and neither comment on anything connected to reality, instead trying to paint a unique world and atmosphere. Glassy Ocean‘s approach results in something tranquil and relaxing. This stirred something in me, and its therapeutic qualities might even make it worth rewatching—but life’s too short to rewatch things!

I guess it’s worth mentioning that this has some of the most tactful use of CG I’ve seen in any anime, which might not sound like much of an endorsement when it’s used so liberally and egregiously in most animation, but it genuinely added to the spectacle of several scenes, here, with the rotating shots around the whale being a particular highlight. For the 20-minute runtime, I would imagine most people would enjoy this.