howell.missouri - 2014-01-25 20:42:59

Story: An old man has lived in the same house for a very long time. His kids have grown an moved on. His wife has tragically passed on. Oh, and his land has flooded, to the point where is original house is several hundred feet under seas. Every time his house begins to flood he builds a new one on top of his old one. 8/10

Animation: This is art.8/10

Sound: nothing that stands out.6/10

Character: Only one character and you will walk away knowing his life story in 12 minutes. Hope I'm this mobile when I get that old.8/10

Enjoyment: This was a great short. Don't see how they could of done more in 12 minutes.

Overall: 8/10

buddy54 - 2013-11-13 15:52:20

Every medium have their own strong points. Books can easily relate to us a person's thoughts without it seeming cheesy, live action movies can use the scenery and actors to portray the mood and feeling without it taking a lot of filler and animated pieces can go beyond that and show us sights that could never be captured on camera without it looking ridiculous. Thus I can't forgive any book for having unlikable characters, any live action movie for having stiff actors and any anime for having shitty animation. Because the very least any medium could do is use their own strong points.

La Maison en Petits Cubes is the perfect example of how animation as a medium should be done. It's story is portrayed in pictures, it's mood is shown by the music, it's animation is gorgeous, but not in the KyoAni or ufotable way. It just portrays the world and characters so accurately, I can't say anything other than 'flawless'. Yes, its characters are archetypes, but they're not bad. They develop and grow and it's obvious they're not flat.

This is the ultimate art film, and you should definitely watch it.

wglover - 2013-09-11 08:31:13

This short movie is the proof that a 600 episodes series or a 3 hours long movie isn't absolutely necessary to develop an emotional story. What really makes the difference between a good work and a bad work is the concept lying behind, let's say, the idea which is contained in and expressed by the work itself. If your starting idea is powerful, it means that you're already at a good point. After that, if you add to this idea your personal artistic touch, which concerning Tsumiki no Ie is a simple but fluid and vivid artwork and a soft piano soundtrack, then you may say you have reached your purpose.

The idea behind Tsumiki no Ie is the worth and the importance of precious and happy memories of the past in a lonely and sad present. The old man, who's living in an age where water has covered almost the whole planet, has been forced to build his own house block after block in order to live always above the water surface. Every block composing his home is a piece of his memories, where a particular life experience was consumed in the remote past. Every memory is represented by a brief stream of images, which in a flashing but heartful and compassionate way provide the mood, the feeling of that particular moment in the past. Watching Tsumiki no Ie is a bit like watching a family pictures collection : it makes you feel warm and melancholic at the same time, because you are happy to see into your memories, but in a way you long to reach for the past, when everything was happier, when everything was brighter; the past, though, is unachievable for a second time. Only good memories remain for the old man, and only good memories give him the strenth to pursue a life, which, if not for them, would be completely vain and meaningless.

If you want to watch something different from what we are used to watch nowadays, where music and pure art work together without dialogues, then you should give this movie a try. Additionally, if you, like me, are very melancholic and nostalgic people, well, in this case, you'll find in Tsumiki no Ie more than a simple movie. You will simply find it unforgettable.

P.S. : this is my first review. I hope I haven't spoiled the movie to you; I'm not english nor american, so I tried to do my best in writing. Hopefully you'll like it and you'll find it useful :)