The opening sequence is often the key to a short animated film: its impact can determine whether it captures the audience’s imagination. By that measure, Kakurenbo is exhilarating. Buildings soar impossibly high into the sky. The camera begins at their rooftops, then descends seemingly without end - down, down, all the way underground. Such an extended movement belongs to a realm uniquely open to animation, one that live-action cinema can rarely reach. In this deep, damp underworld, an urban legend known as ‘Otokoyo’s Game’ has been passed down: those who play hide-and-seek in its eerie, labyrinthine alleys may encounter demons. But children who lose themselves in the game are said to disappear. Now, eight children enter the alleys, each for a different reason. Terrifying oni emerge before them, and the action surges in intensity. Released in 2004, Kakurenbo is a 24-minute animated short that went on to earn a cult following. Its distinctive visual style, combining full 3D animation - still rare at the time - with cel-shaded rendering, has only grown more remarkable with age. Once you enter this game of hide-and-seek, its 24 minutes will slip by as if under a spell.
Shuhei Morita began his career as an independent animation artist and directed Kakurenbo in 2005. He went on to direct Freedom (2006) and later co-founded YAMATOWORKS, a 3DCG character animation studio, with Ryusuke Sakamoto. His contribution to the omnibus animated film Short Peace (2013) earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Short Film. He later directed such TV series as Tokyo Ghoul (2014).
From Busan International Film Festival 2026, No. 31
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KakurenboBusan International Film Festival 2026, No. 31Special Program in Focus: Japanese Animation Special: Masterpieces of Madness, Exhilarating Prospects 12+1
