Fumiko’s Confession (Fumiko no Kokuhaku) is a 2-minute short directed and animated by Hiroyasu “Tete” Ishida while he was studying at Kyoto Seika University. The ONA was produced using Adobe After Effects and uploaded to YouTube in 2009, where it quickly gained success. Fumiko’s Confession later went on to win the Best Film Award at the Tokyo International Anime Fair in 2010 and received an Excellence Award at the 14th Japan Media Arts Festival later that year.
The short portrays a young girl, Fumiko, confessing her love for her classmate Takashi. However, when he turns her down, all hell breaks loose. Fumiko stumbles over an old ladies’ basket in a moment of frustration. She proceeds to soar up in the air, tumble and crash into a plethora of different objects and environments. Despite being only 2 minutes long, the short feels rich with character and captures the moment of heartbreak with precision and clarity.
Fumiko’s Confession Has an Incredible Pace
Aside from its short introduction and closing chapter, Fumiko’s Confession is a non-stop rollercoaster ride. After Fumiko trips, she begins to fly through the air at high speeds, in which each moment offers a range of interesting camera angles. Moving from bird’s eye views to close-up shots and even a first-person perspective, viewers are thrust into the action and experience the disorientation, confusion and fear that the character is going through on a more direct level.
The short’s use of classic cartoonish music heightens the tension of each scene and exaggerates the already high-strung movements of its protagonist. This, intermixed with Fumiko’s high-pitched (and rather annoying) screams amplify the ridiculousness of her situation as she flies over hundreds of houses within her village. The comedic aspect of Fumiko’s Confession is certainly present through the character’s movements and dialogue; however, it’s Ishida’s use of sound effects that brings this element to the forefront. Trope-esque sounds, including boinks, swishes and thuds, overlay each footstep and every important incident. They are perfectly timed and go a long way in adding humor to the work.
Fumiko’s Confession Uses Movement to Express the Feeling of Rejection
There are two possible interpretations when it comes to Fumiko’s Confession. The first is that this girl lives in a strange land where she is able to defy real-world physics and everything that occurs in the short has actually taken place. The second interpretation is one in which Fumiko’s panicked movements are simply an expression of what she is thinking after having been rejected by Takashi. Through this reading, the short is a representation of the emotions that a person is likely to encounter upon going through heartbreak.
Fumiko’s time in the air might signify her feeling of being disconnected from her body upon hearing the shocking news, while her sudden movements down her village’s steep hills have potentially been incorporated to symbolize a sinking sensation that is often felt upon rejection. Ultimately, Fumiko’s world has collapsed when she realizes that her dreams and aspirations of being with the one she loves will no longer come to pass. Consequently, her perception of reality has become disjointed, which has left her unable to deal with the world around her. In her heightened state, Fumiko’s actions and the environment around her have become highly exaggerated, mirroring the thoughts within her own mind.
While Fumiko’s Confession is a very short piece of animation, its fast pace and comedically styled action will keep the viewer’s interest and likely make them wish that there was just a bit more. Although Fumiko and Takashi have very limited moments of dialogue, the pair are compelling characters — as is the world around them. This is certainly an impressive feat for how little time an audience spends with each of them and goes to show how quality can always trump quantity.
