Kick-Heart is a 2013 Japanes short film directed by Massaki Yuasa that uses surreal animation and storytelling to tell a love story between a professional wrestler and a nun. As always, Yuasa use his unique imagination take his audience in a wild journey. I want to focus on how he present the final WWE battle between Masked Man M and Lady S.
Battle began, although Lady M is relevantly small compare to M, the triangular shape she has made her very powerful visually.
M is being beaten by Lady M, Yuassa use this rainbow-like color to show M is rather happy being beaten (apparently). This color choice has repeated Several times in the film. It’s more like a symbol of strike.
This is my favorite part in the film: With a hard smash, M’s vision start to change——it almost like the birds flying around character’s hear in the Old-fashioned American rubber hose animation;
The fight keeps going, a powerful lock make M at the edge of losing the game. The radial pattern make audience feel the full power of this attack.
M’s sweat dripping down and transform into walking flowers, M remembered his childhood: in a filed of flower, his mother left him. The black bar that covers M;s eyes are interesting design, too. Properly refer to professional wrestler always cover their face with masks (their glory).
M used his last strength lift up his body, It’s amazing how good Yuasa is in using visual metaphor. Tide, steam engine, cowboy who riding a horse……We can see his similar express in multiple film (eg, Space Dandy, Mind Game, The Tatami Galaxy) Those metaphors are always a great combination of comedy and visual communication.
In the end, M lost the battle; but when he goes home, Lady M (the nun) use her winner prize rebuild the orphanage. The color differences between the broken orphanage and ending scenes is beautifully designed.
In a word, Yuasa really is a genius animator. Not because his amazing talent on character acting and visual storytellling, but because we can always have fun while watching his piece: no matter where we are.
Refrences: https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_23099991