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On March 11, Zapuni, the charity project for the Tohoku Earthquake, will start free distribution of By Your Side, a collaboration work by singer diva Sade and animator Tsuneo Gouda. This is the project’s third work.
Zapuni is a charity project that produces original works born from collaborations between world-famous musicians and Japanese animators and releases them into the world. It began in winter 2011 from the mind of Gregory Rood, a creative director from New Zealand who wanted to implement a charity for the earthquake from overseas music and Japanese animation. On Zapuni’s official site, there are appeals for support and videos by the creator team that can be watched free of charge. They are also selling related goods, and they donate the profit in coordination with charity activities.
The By Your Side collaboration came to life through the collaboration of animator Tsuneo Gouda, the creator of the NHK character Doumo-kun 1 , and world-renown song diva Sade. Themed on recovery from the Tohoku Earthquake, it expresses overcoming the sadness of the catastrophe through stop-motion animation. It thoroughly depicts the wavering emotions of a girl who plays the piano and the two plushie toys living together with her, stirred up by the earthquake. The figures of the two plushie toys bravely waiting for the girl who got lost in the earthquake are heartwrenching.
Sade’s song that invigorates the video was announced as a single cut from her fifth album, Lover’s Rock (2000), which was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal at the 2002 Grammy Awards. It is also known for being a popular first dance song at weddings. The song’s title, “By Your Side,” is also the title of the new collaboration video and and an important keyword at the same time. When appreciating the video, please listen carefully and try to link Sade’s voice to the story as you listen. You should be able to feel the intention put in the video to try and ease the loneliness and grief of the victims.
The producer of the video, Gouda, commented the following on the work: “I used some images that I associated with the song ‘By Your Side,’ which I was so kindly allowed to use as the video’s music.” He also mentioned the earthquake: “Even in Japan, it is fading out from everyone’s memories. I think this is even more so in countries outside Japan. But we still need more support. Our production team is working with the hope that us adults might be of some help to children. We would like everyone to watch the videos we made and remember the things that happened in Japan.”
^1^ The popular mascot character of NHK, a Japan TV station under state management who is brought to life through stop-motion animation (puppet animation).
© Team By Your Side / Dwarf
This is a Tokyo Otaku Mode original article.
