Red beans grow in the south, and a few branches bloom in spring. I hope you will pick more of this thing, which is the most love-loving thing. The domestic animation "Loves" is an animated short film directed by Peng Qingzheng. It was officially released in China on December 23,

Red beans grow in the south, and a few branches bloom in spring. I hope you will pick more of this thing, which is the most love-loving thing.

Domestic anime "Loves" is an animated short film directed by Peng Qingzheng. It was officially released in China on December 23, 2016. The video is 10 minutes long, but it touched millions of viewers. As of now, the film's rating on Douban has also reached 8.3 points, surpassing most Chinese animation videos.

video takes the "Red Bean" that expresses love and love as a clue, and leads to a sad love story that is in love but cannot stay together. Liu Niang, who was born in a famous noble family, and Chu Tong, a poor student, have been in love since childhood and are childhood sweethearts. But due to the ties between the family, the two of them were ultimately forced to stay together for the rest of their lives, which is a pity.

As a purely hand-drawn animation with classical literary works as the background, this film has a very Chinese characteristics in the presentation of the picture . In the misty rain in the south of the Yangtze River, among the white walls and black tiles, the colors are light and elegant, depicting the tranquility and prosperity of the Jiangnan water town in the Qing Dynasty. Coupled with delicate character portrayals and melodious music, it adds a long classical atmosphere to the sincere and sad love between the men and women in the film. Although the video of

is short and concise, the information content of the movie is not inferior. Therefore, in order to deeply deconstruct this film, I will start from four aspects: the use of classical elements, narrative techniques, metaphors of objects, and artistic characteristics of the film, and combine the plot and my own viewing experience to analyze this eye-catching domestic animation short film.

01. With the background of Chinese classical literary works, the poems of Wang Wei run through the entire film, reflecting the charm of Chinese culture under the aesthetic conception

This film is the second episode of the "Chinese Choir" series of animations. As one of the key projects in Jiading, Shanghai in 800 years, it has its own historical and cultural communication attributes. video is set in the background of historical materials of Baoshan literati in Jiading, reflecting the profound heritage of Chinese culture. While enriching the connotation and depth of the film, it makes more people obsessed with the misty rain of the Jiangnan water town.

① The film is based on real historical materials, and the Chinese culture can be inherited through the film

The story of this film comes from a book "The Book of the Ouju Ci" written by Mao Daying, a literati in Jiading, Qing Dynasty. According to the book, Liu Niang's real name is Chen Xiangping, and she was a daughter of a famous family. She was childhood sweethearted with her neighbor Wang Chutong since childhood. Later, Chen's parents thought the Wang family was poor and promised Liu Niang to a rich playboy. Since then, Wang Chutong has worked hard and participated in the provincial examinations many times, but has no choice but to fail many times. Later, when the Qing court quelled the Xiao Jinchuan Rebellion, the emperor specially opened a special examination for the imperial examination. Wang Chutong, who was 48 years old, beat a sergeant and ranked second in one class.

At first glance, this is just a literati chat, describing a story that cannot be loved. However, through the vivid portrayal of the video, the audience's sensory emotions are mobilized in many aspects, and I can't help but deeply moved by this sad love. Liu Niang and Chu Tong were so innocent when they were young. However, when he grew up, he was obviously a talented man and a beautiful man and a beautiful woman, but he missed it because of his old family background.

In my opinion, the reason why literary works are adapted into videos is because the video uses its intuitive and vivid expression to reach people's hearts. With the changes of the times, the hardship of literary works is not the on-the-trade food for ordinary people. But how can a nation lose its foundation? At this time, the adaptation and birth of the film played a good role in inheritance. With the help of the video, let the light of history shine into the present and the future, and in every frame, people feel the endless cultural tradition.

② Wang Wei's "Lovesickness" fits the theme, showing the deep nostalgia of the male and female protagonists

short film takes Wang Wei's poem of the same name as the creative background, throughout the film, telling the endless lovesickness and separation in the misty rain in the south of the Yangtze River.

At the beginning of the video, the young Wang Chutong held the red bean in his hand, and faced Liu Niang's angry questioning, he quietly carved Wang Wei's "Love Sin". At first, he memorized very fluently, but when he memorized the last sentence "This thing is the most lovesick", he always blushed and did not say the three words "the most lovesick".The boy at this time must have deep roots in his feelings, and he expresses his passionate feelings through poems.

At the end of the video, Liu Niang married as another wife, Chu Tong also boarded a boat and left a foreign land. The film slowly sounded "Lovesickness" under the voice of children, which looked very much like Chu Tong's voice when she was a child. At this time, a poem is presented in full in the tone of yin and yang. The three words " The Most Lovesickness" finally rang, but the two of them had already parted.

In my opinion, the film uses Wang Wei's "Love Sin" to convey the love story between Chu Tong and Liu Niang, which is in line with the implicit and restrained expressions of the ancients. On this ink-like picture, the mist of the light rain in the south of the Yangtze River spreads, and Wang Wei's poems are sublimated from traditional brush strokes, telling this indescribable and faint sad love story.

02. The film uses "red beans" as a clue to promote the plot, supplemented by the editing technique of montage , making the picture vivid and changeable, mobilizing the audience's inner emotions. In the ten-minute short film, the director did not arrange for the male and female protagonists to express their feelings for each other in language. uses only one red bean to string together the lovesickness of the two, forming an emotional bond. Then, the director used montage editing techniques, interspersed with memories in reality, and composed a touching love song.

① Red beans are the only intersection between the two, linking up their tragic love

The little red beans witness the love between Liu Niang and Chu Tong, the heart that has belonged when they grow up, and the regrets that fate has played with for life. Next, I will analyze the clever role of the red bean in the play one by one.

• When I was a child, the red beans in my palm and the sweet bean porridge were the best time for childhood sweethearts.

The young Chutong carefully cared for the red beans in her hand, walked across the street, ran to Liuniang's door to share with her, and a secret feeling arose in her heart. On the evening of school, Liu Niang called Chutong and fed him sweet bean porridge. This was a child. Red beans have planted the seeds of love in their hearts.

• After adulthood, red beans break through the pod and butterflies break through the cocoon, it is an ambiguous feeling that talented men and beautiful women cannot hide.

When he grew up, Liu Niang is already a girl from Pinting, and Chu Tong is also beautiful and handsome. In the misty rain, a talented and beautiful woman holding an oil-paper umbrella passed by, but turned her back frequently, and a shy smile appeared on her cheeks, and a sweet breath filled the air. red beans symbolize the seeds of their love take root and sprout.

• When you get married, the blood turns into red beans and embroidered on the handkerchief. It is a sad and beautiful elegy for love to be fruitless.

Liu Niang was ultimately unable to defeat the words of the matchmaker. Before Chu Tong passed the exam, she was accused of marrying a rich child. Before getting married, Liu Niang finally embroidered the handkerchief she gave to Chu Tong, but she accidentally pierced her finger. Blood dripped on the veil and turned into red beans on the pods. The butterflies of the two flew around the red beans, suggesting that Liu Niang and Chu Tong are like the fate of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai. red beans indicate that they will never be destined to be together.

In my opinion, the director borrowed the main love line between Liu Niang and Chu Tong, as the carrier of their emotions, and led to a regrettable love story. The red beans in the film, whether on the background, handkerchief, or hairpin, are presented in a single quantity, indicating that one red bean is ripe first and the love between the two is fruitless. This is also the director's cleverness. Without the need for ups and downs, the surging tears allow the audience to experience the sorrow of this relationship.

② The childhood memories and the bitterness of reality form a sharp contrast through montage techniques

In addition to stringing the main plot with red beans, the superb montage techniques, flashbacks and flashbacks are also another major feature of this film.

The film begins. The middle-aged Chu Tong walks in the market and is attracted by a hairpin inlaid with red bean-like style. Her thoughts recall the scene of her sitting in front of the door with Liu Niang when she was young and chanting poems. At this time, the director used flashback montage to switch images, telling the story of Chu Tong and Liu Niang, and the film kicked off.

Parallel Montage , on one side, Liu Niang looked back frequently, guarding the back door and waiting for the Tong to appear, but they all returned disappointed. On the other side is the night reading of the Tong family, thinking about getting a fame and fortune, and one day he will marry Liu Niang, but he never waited for this day to come. At the end of the video, when he learned that Liu Niang was married, Tuo Tong finally came to the back door, but he had no courage to ring. At this time, the director used alternating montage techniques, and the picture flashed through the wonderful time when the two of them were together in childhood. The sweeter it was at that time, the sad reality was.

video borrows the expression method of montage, making the plot of the entire film intertwined and exciting. The mixed use of flashbacks and flashbacks splits this moving love story into different fragments, which not only makes people feel the sweetness of love, but also makes people regret the final sad ending. Through this clever technique, the plot is more intense, mobilizes the ups and downs of the audience's emotions, and makes the audience fascinated.

03, "pear", "umbrella" and "door" appearing in the film are given multiple metaphors, indicating that the ending of the male and female protagonists cannot stay together because of family background

In addition to the red beans throughout the film, the multiple appearances of "pear", "umbrella", "door" and other items are by no means arranged by the director at will, but can be used for it, which plays an important role in laying the development of the plot and the ending.

① "Pear" and "umbrella" are homophonic with "li" and "san", implying that the two will eventually separate

In the video, "pear" and "umbrella" appear almost at the same time, meaning "discrete", a pun. When first appeared, Liu Niang and Chu Tong restrained their inner surging and passed by on the street. It was raining, and each other held umbrellas and turned around step by step. The only sound of selling pears sounded on the street, and there were shouting.

When the second time appeared, Chu Tong learned that Liu Niang was going to get married and saw the scene of a decoration with lights, which was very dazzling. He squeezed out of the crowd, ran into the pear-selling businessman, and ran to the back door to find Liu Niang. At this time, it was still raining, and the umbrellas on the street were falling in loneliness. Under the metaphor of

, when people see the sad and tortuous love, they turn around and understand the meaning of "pear" and "umbrella". A pair of beauties, two flowers bloom silently, the sky begins with the first meeting, and as for family background, life is inevitably regretful. The combination of "pear" and "umbrella" is integrated with the plot, making the story narrative more complete and the deep love hidden behind it can be highlighted.

② The two people separated by one door reflect the deep family in the old days

At the end of the video, Chu Tong came to the back door where she once sat side by side with Liu Niang, hoping to knock on Liu Niang’s door like she was when she was a child. But one hand stopped in the air and did not fall for a long time. On the other side of the door, Liu Niang was speechless and was waiting for Chu Tong to knock on the door, but in the end he could not hear the expected knock on the door. The two of them stood on both sides of the door like this, feeling endless sadness in their hearts.

It seems that two people are separated by a door, one does not push or the other does not knock. This door is a class that cannot be overcome and a match that cannot be defeated. When I was young, the poor scholar and the young girl from a wealthy family did not know what a good family meant. But as they grew up, they understood that the door that invisibly blocked them actually blocked the future of the two.

In my opinion, the scenes of two people appearing in front of the door at the beginning and end of the film, forming a closed loop of the story and highlighting the contrast between childhood and present. The two young children were sitting in front of the door together, and when they were adults, they missed each other's sadness. The regrettable love under the family relationship is more moving than happiness and fulfillment. The director of is well aware of this. By expressing one's will, it shows the implicit expression of Chinese traditional culture , and lays the rich connotation of the story.

4. Combining the plot of the movie and the viewing experience, let’s talk about the unique charm behind the success of "Loves"

"Loves" has its exquisite pictures, delicate characters, moving plot, and graceful children's recitation, which brings the simplicity and softness of the misty rain Jiangnan to the extreme, touching people's hearts.

In my opinion, the success of "Loves" is by no means accidental. Its control of details, the use of Chinese style, and the universal significance behind the film allow us to see the production team's good intentions. So in order to let everyone understand the artistic characteristics behind it more deeply, I will combine my thoughts on the film to talk about the reasons why the film was successful.

① Ingenious and profound details, highlighting the changes in the character's mood

The overall video is also very exciting in addition to the lens of ink paintings. is like the couplet in front of Liu Niang’s house. As the plot progresses, it also changes, in line with the character’s mood.

• When the green plums are thrown into beans and reward them with porridge, the couplet "The poems and books are truly interesting, and the flowers and plants are full of distant love" is in line with the protagonist's youthful feelings that have just begun to bloom.
• When Liu Niang grew up, she was looking forward to the door, and the couplet "The flowers fall to add to the shadow of sparse fish, and the willows fly to accompany the swallows to return in spring", which is in line with Liu Niang's secret love and looking forward to seeing Chutong.
• When Liu Niang got married, the couplet "makes the beauty of the flowers and adds the moonlight, and wants to spend the spring night with a good night", which is in line with the protagonist's deep love and shallow relationship, but ultimately missed the regret.

In my opinion, such exquisite details are in line with the implicit expressions of the ancients, and the ancient poems highlight the poignant beauty of the two people's love, which is moving. These images and details also allow the audience to feel the beauty of ancient poetry from another perspective.

② The clever combination of Chinese red and child recitation brings the audio-visual enjoyment of " ancient style "

In the whole article, the brightest color is red. Whether it is red beans, the umbrella, or the couplet changed on the wall, the blood dripping of the woman's hands, the bright red wedding dress, all appear particularly clear in the overall dark scene. Behind the red, the protagonist's sincere and deep love and heart-wrenching sadness are reflected. After all, the audience's mood is still ups and downs with this red color.

At the end of the video, the sound of children's recitation sounded, and Wang Wei's "Lovesickness" was slowly recited. The ups and downs of tone, the rhythmic beauty of the rhythm of the tone, and the tender childish voices, the two perfectly blend, all reveal the beauty of the artistic conception of ancient poems.

In my opinion, the director's use of bright Chinese red is not only in line with the plot, but also in order to enhance the expressiveness and appeal of the movie's pictures. At the same time, the chanting with children's voices and emotions brings people the dual enjoyment of visual and auditory, and also presents the profound heritage of Chinese culture vividly and exquisitely.

③ Call on people to break through the barriers and bravely chase love

Liu Niang and Chu Tong are because of their family background and cannot be loved. But when you think about it carefully, the two of them have different backgrounds, which may be related to Chu Tong's inner inferiority complex. Liu Niang was actually waiting for Chu Tong's confession, but Chu Tong struggled with herself in the long time. He studied hard just to return to his hometown one day, and then confess his love to Liu Niang and marry her in glory.

can not consume so much time in love. We always think that the future is long, but we don’t know that there is a saying that things in the world are impermanent. Chu Tong's inferiority and cowardice made him miss the opportunity to confess his love to Liu Niang, and also made Liu Niang feel disheartened in the hopes again and again. In the end, regret became the main theme of this love. In my opinion, the director uses the love story between Liu Niang and Chu Tong to call on people in reality to not be bound by their own negative thoughts and muster up the courage to bravely chase love.

To summarize:

"Loves" is a Chinese-style anime, with its exquisite pictures and delicate characters, which is impressive.Although the plot is simple and there is no climax, the protagonist's endless lovesickness is told in this faint misty rain in the south of the Yangtze River.

However, apart from the plot itself, what makes people shine is the gradual rise of Chinese national style animation. The exquisite details and the profound historical heritage behind this make this animation stand out among many works and the spirit of culture can be passed on. I think this is also the ultimate meaning of this animation work.