Yu Tsukada | From Matter to Color—Fireworks and Animation in 'A New Dawn' (Part 2)
This article analyzes how the depiction of matter and fireworks in the film 'A New Dawn' opens up a new horizon for animation expression.Summary
This article analyzes how the film 'A New Dawn' enhances the necessity of fireworks—the work's main theme—through the meticulous depiction of the texture of 'matter,' such as architecture and internal objects. It is pointed out that Director Yoshitoshi Shinomiya reflected his career as an artist, focusing on surface texture in post-production, distinguishing his approach from that of Makoto Shinkai. Because fireworks are made from material ingredients and the key pigment, 'Hanrokusho' (verdigris), has a history of being used as paint, animation and fireworks are placed on the same expressive plane as accumulations of matter and technology. This is an ambitious attempt that approaches the motif of fireworks—often overused for expressing character emotions in anime—from the side of materials. With its unique background, including an international co-production structure and a director with an art background, this work is seen as a culmination of the historical development of Japanese animation since Shinkai, ultimately discovering a new color within the color wheel of animation.
(Source：artscape)