Entertainment: You're asked to make a healing animation, but it will make the whole internet de

Jiangcheng Academy of Fine Arts, auditorium for a thousand people.

On the day of the screening, the place was packed with people, but the atmosphere was not like an academic exchange; it was more like a large-scale gossip session.

Media reporters crowded into the aisle, flashes going off constantly, but their cameras weren't aimed at the stage, but rather at the center of the first row of the judges' panel.

That slightly overweight middle-aged man wearing a baseball cap—the famous director Zhang Mou!

"Director Zhang, I heard that the first film to be screened this time is an animation produced by Su Bai. What are your expectations for him?"

"Director Zhang, do you think an animation student can create a work that surpasses yours?"

Zhang Mou was annoyed by the noise, so he just waved his hand impatiently, not even bothering to lift the brim of his hat.

expect?

What a load of rubbish!

If it weren't for the fact that this was his alma mater, and the principal had personally called to invite him, he wouldn't have bothered to attend this childish student screening.

As for Su Bai, he had a vague impression of him. He was the creator of that popular animated PV online, the naive young man who claimed to be giving everyone a summer fairy tale.

ridiculous.

Beside him sat a man with gold-rimmed glasses and a harsh face, none other than the film critic known in the industry for his sharp tongue, Old Wang.

At that moment, Old Wang was typing rapidly on his phone with his head down, a hint of undisguised sarcasm on his lips.

His latest Weibo post has been published:

Invited to a university graduation project screening, the first few works were downright spiritual pollution, filled with kindergarten-style preaching and cheap PowerPoint effects. I was already starting to get sleepy. The only enjoyment was waiting for the supposedly healing masterpiece animation to appear, to see just how amazing it really was. #JiangchengAcademyofArtsGraduationProjectScreening#

The comment section was flooded with thousands of messages instantly.

"Haha, Teacher Wang has switched to his sarcastic mode again!"

"I'm waiting for Teacher Wang to tear Su Bai apart; that kid is too arrogant!"

"Audience members said the previous animation was so cringeworthy it made them want to dig their toes into the ground. Now, all the animation lovers in the audience are waiting for Su Bai's public execution!"

The atmosphere in the auditorium continued to ferment amidst this eerie anticipation.

Finally, after an animation about garbage sorting ended in an extremely abrupt way, the host shouted in an excited, distorted voice: "Next, let's enjoy the final piece of this screening, an animation created by Su Bai, a senior animation student, and Shen Qingyue, a senior fine arts student—'We Still Don't Know the Name of the Flower We Saw That Day'!"

"Whoosh—"

A commotion broke out in the hall, and everyone perked up.

Zhang Mou, who was feeling drowsy, yawned and finally opened his eyes.

Old Wang, the movie critic, put down his phone, pushed up his glasses, leaned forward, and assumed a posture ready for judgment.

The lights gradually dimmed.

The entire auditorium was plunged into darkness.

All eyes were focused on the huge screen.

After the screen went black, a line of clean white Song typeface appeared—

We still don't know the name of the flower we saw that day.

Then, the screen lit up.

It's not the kind of brightly colored, overly saturated children's animation scenes that people imagine.

What comes into view is a slightly cluttered Japanese-style room.

Summer sunlight filters through the gaps in the curtains, casting dappled light on the tatami mats.

An old fan whirred listlessly in the corner, making a buzzing sound, next to a few comic books piled up haphazardly.

The camera slowly panned and focused on the boy lying on the ground, looking utterly dejected.

The boy's name was Jinta. He had messy black hair, lifeless eyes, and an aura of despondency that made him feel like a good-for-nothing.

[The opening scene is about a shut-in loser? What's so interesting about that?]

The art style is nice, but the pacing is way too slow!

Many viewers were grumbling to themselves, already showing signs of impatience.

Just then, a light, chiming sound rang out.

"Nita, Jinta!"

A petite girl in a white dress with long silver hair appeared out of nowhere beside Jinta, like a happy butterfly, hopping and skipping around him.

Her name is Menma.

A ghost that only Jinta can see.

There was no opening bombshell, no forced emotional manipulation.

Su Bai, like the most patient hunter, began his scheme of slowly boiling the frog.

The plot unfolds at a remarkably delicate pace.

Menma wanted to eat bread made by Jinta's mother, but Jinta impatiently refused. However, he still went into the kitchen and clumsily followed the steps he remembered to make her a strange-tasting Jinta-style bread.

Menma wanted to play games, and Jinta, though saying it was annoying, honestly turned on the long-unused game console. The two started arguing over a childish competition.

The chirping of cicadas in summer, the chilled soda, the aroma of fried rice, the hum of the fan...

Countless real-life details, seemingly happening right next to us, are presented little by little through cinematic camerawork and narrative.

Unbeknownst to the audience, they were being subtly drawn into the world of Anohana by these seemingly mundane daily routines.

The smirks on the faces of the audience who were originally waiting to see a joke disappear without them even realizing it.

Those who were looking down at their phones also looked up.

Especially Menma, that innocent and carefree girl who radiates vitality.

Her smile brightened the whole world.

When she squints her eyes happily because she's eating something delicious, when her cheeks flush because of Jinta's unintentional compliment, when she runs barefoot on a summer path and turns back to give Jinta a bright smile.

Inside the auditorium, many girls unconsciously wore a kind of "auntie smile" on their faces.

"Oh my god, this girl named Menma is so cute!"

"Waaaaah, I just want to rub her face! How can there be such an angelic girl!"

"That Jinta, he doesn't know how lucky he is!"

On the judges' panel.

Zhang Mou had already sat up straight without anyone noticing.

His discerning eyes, honed by watching countless films, were now fixed on the screen, a gleam of surprise shimmering in his cloudy pupils.

He even unconsciously took off his baseball cap, as if to get a better view.

Old Wang, who was watching movies next to him, had already placed his phone, which he was ready to use at any moment, face down on his lap.

He leaned forward, his fingers interlaced on his knees, and his eyes behind his glasses gleamed with contemplation.

Something's not right...

Old Wang muttered to himself.

This doesn't look like student work at all!

The composition, the lighting, the narrative rhythm...

In particular, the use of several establishing shots, in just a few seconds, perfectly conveyed the characters' state of mind and the languid atmosphere of summer.

This is absolutely cinematic in its presentation!

This young man named Su Bai has a lot of ideas.

The three-episode run ended quickly.

As the ending theme music played, the screen finally froze on the backs of six childhood friends, who were separated and walking in different directions, before going dark.

The auditorium was deathly silent.

After a good ten seconds, a few scattered claps sounded, which then grew louder and louder until they finally turned into a thunderous applause!

"Wow, this animation is awesome!"

"Great! A million times better than those demons and monsters before!"

Hearing the cheers around him, Old Wang, the movie critic, slowly leaned back in his chair, adjusted his glasses, and maintained his serious expression.

He admitted that he had been proven wrong.

This animation is pretty good.

"That's interesting."

Old Wang muttered something under his breath, partly to Zhang Mou and partly to himself.

"The camerawork and narrative techniques are completely cinematic; the storytelling skills are very solid."

He paused, and a familiar, sarcastic smile curled at the corner of his lips.

"But can this really be called a masterpiece? In my opinion, it's at best a well-made animation depicting everyday life."

In his view, Su Bai had already revealed his trump card.

It's simply about using top-notch production to tell a heartwarming and healing everyday story.

Very clever and witty.

But that's all.

Cure?

Can cuteness and heartwarming everyday moments really be considered healing?

too young.

Old Wang has already planned out the wording for his next Weibo post, preparing to comment on this rather decent student work.

Like the other audience members, he was completely unaware.

The seemingly warm and healing first three episodes, the wonderful moments that made them smile wildly, were precisely what Su Bai had carefully prepared for them.

Sitting next to Su Bai, Shen Qingyue bit her lower lip tightly, her index fingers interlaced and clenched together in nervousness.

She glared hatefully at Su Bai's profile beside her.

As someone who's been there.

She is now very worried about the audience's psychological capacity to handle it.