Naoyuki Tsuji is not your typical Japanese animator. His style does not look like anime at all, nor is it supposed to. In his own words, Tsuji is bringing us to a “world of uncertainty.” The Naoyuki Tsuji Animation Collection gives us a sample of his work.

What can be described as a combination of surrealism and dadaism, Tsuji works with stop action Claymation. But what really stands out is his animated drawings. Tsuji’s style with animated drawings is not hard to figure out. It is obvious. He draws charcoal on paper, photographs it, then erases the part of the picture he wants to move, then redraws, and then photographs again. Keep in mind that a charcoal image is difficult to totally erase. In fact, this style leaves an after image of the previous drawings. As images move, we see them going and where they came from. It is a haunting vision.

The DVD starts out with Trilogy About Cloud, three short films with no dialog in which both clouds and people change shape and are absorbed into each other. Tsuji does not shy away from the erotic, though these cannot be call erotic films per se. As stated above, this is a world of uncertainty.

The DVD is only 47 minutes long. Besides Trilogy About Cloud, there are only four other films. If you are interested, you can get The Naoyuki Tsuji Animation Collection through Netflix DVD’s.