January 29, 2024

This is quite an engaging little rite-of-passage animation that sees a young lad charged by his fishing community with killing his first crab. It's not exactly a fair contest - the crab has a shell and he has an hatchet, but as each boy does their deed, they miraculously grow to manhood to the joy of their fathers. Our lad, though, is less happy with this process and so manages to secret his would-be victim away - with rather life-affirming resul… read the rest.

This is quite an engaging little rite-of-passage animation that sees a young lad charged by his fishing community with killing his first crab. It's not exactly a fair contest - the crab has a shell and he has an hatchet, but as each boy does their deed, they miraculously grow to manhood to the joy of their fathers. Our lad, though, is less happy with this process and so manages to secret his would-be victim away - with rather life-affirming results. The animation isn't always the clearest and maybe be mindful if you've any problems with flickering, but the message is simple and the plate-face drawings work well conveying a charm and innocence that I quite enjoyed. I'm not too sure the kid had thought through the long-term ramifications of the ending, though...!

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