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See Through: Viral Anti-War Chinese Animated Short Film

by on Monday, September 28, 2009 49 comments

From NetEase:

Viral internet domestic animation video 《打，打个大西瓜》["See Through"]

"See Through" creator "Jokelate"

The VeryCD website editor’s review was: “This is the most niubi animated short film I have seen, not just for this year, not just one of [but the most ever], and it was made by a Chinese person!” We specially contacted the animation’s creator “饺克力” ["jiao ke li", or "Jokelate", pictured below], and “饺克力” introduced us to the difficulty/bitterness of animation and his hopes for China’s animation industry.

Scenes Are Extremely Outstanding

“See Through” is an animation that revolves around opposing the development of war, its scenes and creativity are extremely outstanding, the animation both interesting and humorous. The animation’s plot is mainly: Two powerful leaders fighting for territory start a world war. Two pilots from both sides are entangled in a dogfight in the air. By chance, the two pilots are stranded upon a small island in the middle of the ocean. Once sworn enemies, the two become friends willing to die for each other. The animation uses extremely humorous methods to show its disgust for war.

On Tudou [another], many of the people leaving comments all praise the video as being made extremely well, a rare piece of fine work amongst domestic animation.

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Comments from Youku:

stonehong009:

To the person behind this original animation I salute!!
A niubi anti-war cartoon! War indeed is a pile of bodies and blood…[I] commend [this]!

风流∑二少:


We are all earning money to survive, and for money, we are doing everything! But you, spending four years of time to complete your own dream! Ding you!~

q306693056

Very good, war is indeed frightening, if leaders cannot properly lead us, even previously peaceful compatriots can fight and kill [each other], so we can imagine the importance of leadership.

sighcauss:

Up to now, what China’s animation lacked the most was creativity/ideas. This short film finally gives me hope~~very impressive. Creator, jia you!!

comosum:

Very niu. Not only in presentation/form, the ending was also extremely profound.

伊水兰:

Once war breaks out, the cost is no longer cared about.

Desy130:

Support!~~~Chinese animation must develop, everyone come support!!!

xiloxy:

This animation is absolutely awesome! Not only art, but also meaning! Niu work!

A high quality version of “See Through” can be downloaded from RayFile.

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49 Comments

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  1. becky grant
    Monday, September 28, 2009 at 4:20 pm

    I don’t know. I wish everyone could act reasonable.

    Reply
  2. lasttoblame
    Monday, September 28, 2009 at 4:47 pm

    If this short was made by a Chinese, then it should reflect the issues that concern China. Instead you have two white guys duking it out senselessly for no real good reason other than for the sake of fighting. Of course, it’s easy to condemn “whitey” for being barbaric and savage, but what if this movie was about a Chinese and a Japanese? After all, this was the last war China fought (besides that civil one) and has repercussions to this day. After all, war and ignorance isn’t just an foreigner issue. I hope that the same reasonableness would prevail.

    If you want a cool short animated movie about war check out the Oscar-winning “Neighbours” (1952), a movie directly inspired by the Mao revolution. And if I may add, it doesn’t star any Chinese actors nonetheless.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neighbours_(film)
    http://www.nfb.ca/film/Neighbours_Voisins/

    Reply
    • Kage Musha
      Monday, September 28, 2009 at 6:09 pm

      Who are you to say that this does not reflect what Chinese people think.

      You think you know better, you can direct them and tell them what they should be concerned about.

      Nice short animation.

      Reply
      • zorg
        Monday, September 28, 2009 at 7:58 pm

        I don’t think that’s what he meant. The point (and a very good point) was that it’s very easy for them to condemn the war when they don’t identify with the sides. Do you really think that the anti-war chorus would be as strong if one side was recognizable as Chinese and the other as Japanese? Or any other issue they feel strongly about? Seriously, you think people who, for example, suggest to “liberate” Taiwan and “unify” it with China by nuking the whole Taiwan population, those people would applaud an anti-war short film?

        Reply
        • Green Tea
          Monday, September 28, 2009 at 9:04 pm

          if the short was about chinese vs japanese I would have found it predictable and most probably I wouldn’t have watched it (and maybe if would even have been blocked by the government). War, no matter where in the world, is a bad thing.
          I would have preferred to have unidentifiable characters though.

          haha
          who wants to “nuke” Taiwan, be reasonable. James Bond doesn’t exist for real.

          Reply
          • zorg
            Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 1:06 am

            Reasonable? Sorry, I don’t invent this stuff, you can find this and more right on this site. This being said I’d rather note right now: no, I don’t think that these statements are necessarily representative of the way the whole nation thinks.

        • Kai
          Monday, September 28, 2009 at 11:56 pm

          zorg,

          I find it difficult to jump so confidently to the conclusion that they “don’t” identify with the sides. It’s important to keep in mind that not all Chinese netizens are the same. They are as diverse as netizens from any country. You have liberals and conservatives, peaceniks and warmongers, intelligent and ignornace, lovers and haters. If the film portrayed the two sides as Chinese and Japanese, I’m confident it’ll attract the anti-Japanese crowd, and they’ll make their views known for sure. But, that doesn’t mean all Chinese netizens are like that, or that they’re all hypocrites, being anti-war if the film portrays whites and being for war if it portrayed Chinese and Japanese. You just attract a different group and they get represented.

          Not all Chinese people suggest “liberating” Taiwan and “unifying” it with China by nuking Taiwan. Those who do seriously think this (and they are very few, though perhaps too much for many of us, if we go looking for them), aren’t likely to be the ones making anti-war or supportive comments on this animated short. So, seriously, I don’t think the people who suggest nuking Taiwan are applauding an anti-war film. It’s the Chinese people who, seriously, don’t suggest nuking Taiwan. Yet, both are part of the Chinese netizen moniker. Again, the key is recognizing that not all of them are the same.

          Reply
          • zorg
            Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 1:00 am

            I didn’t intend to imply that all Chinese people are blood-thirsty warmongers, so I apologize if that’s how it came across. Still, we seem to agree that “there all kinds” and that the tone of the reaction would be somewhat different if the issues in the film were “closer to home”. What is anybody’s guess is _how many_ people would react differently. What we are talking here about are people who, although very moral when making statements about theoretical situation, especially when it seems totally unrelated to them, the same people will behave completely different when you ask about them and their neighbours. Anyway, since no one has any hard statistical data on the issue we’ll probably never know.

          • Wang Er
            Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 1:34 am

            I second Kai. If a few bunch of Fenqing represent China’s thinking and Chinese people want to nuke Taiwan, why we donate about 1 billion RMB(about 140 million USD, which is the biggest donation made to abroad in PRC’s history) to Taiwanese people when a recent typhoon Morakot brought huge damage and death to the island? We call Taiwan our blood brothers and sisters, and that’s not just a name we put on mouth, but also in heart.

            People who think the two white males at the beginning of the CG present something, are too sensitive, or too picky. They are just two unidentified figures. They are whoever you think they are but that’s not important. What matters is the message from this short CG: war sucks and peace is precious. All people on this planet, including Chinese, are concerned.

    • Kai
      Monday, September 28, 2009 at 11:40 pm

      lasttoblame,

      First, I don’t know why you’re so quick to conclude that the issue portrayed in this short doesn’t reflect issues that concern the Chinese or China. Just because the characters are white? Instead of suggesting that this Chinese creator is maliciously saying “oh, this is only something that applies to foreigners”, perhaps it’s just because white culture dominates our global society, and “white” characters are something of a default for a lot of things?

      Second, I don’t think the creator portrayed them as fighting “senselessly for no real good reason other than for the sake of fighting.” The message, to me, was that leaders often go to war for lines in the sand, and their egos commit tons of other people to their deaths. What I found interesting was the map, how the two sides (continents) are shaped like dogs fighting over the island (a “bone”) in the middle.

      It didn’t come across as as a “condemn whitey” film to me. Respectfully, I think you’re reading too much into it.

      Reply
  3. capt. nullz whatever
    Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 12:15 am

    Haha. Lasttoblame is tripping out… so funny.

    The movie? I can’t believe why he didn’t turn it into 20 min scathing critique on the 5000 years of Chinese history and our evil enslavement of the world! Other than that, it’s awesome.

    …

    How come people here always feel like they have a right to say this and that about China, often with a basis in history (cause & effect leading to today’s fuckups. 5000 years of history).Yet they refuse to look at themselves and refuse to acknowledge historical causes & effects. Like where was the world police when you guys were “coming up” and basically globally thugging it out? “Oh noes, what does it have to do with me!!! I exist here and now! ommmmmmppft zen!” But China and Chinese, what is wrong with you! You guys are racist and bad!

    Again, it’s all just real politiks and position maneuvers…has been this way through history, and probably will be this way until the world ends here soon. The fools on here either: 1) are too stupid to see it. 2) Laughing inside themselves knowing full well what is going on but feinting ignorance. 3) Really don’t give a fuck.

    Don’t act like you are above this shit. Please.

    Reply
  4. capt. nullz whatever
    Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 12:24 am

    I don’t believe in the current systems of control & rule. It’s all fucked. I’m not biased and blindly thinks China has some sort of manifest destiny to fufill (MD, lol!). All I’m saying is these dudes (both sides) on here live in a vacumn of black & white. Very out of touch with the TRUE reality that is our world. Nothing is nice about our world. NOTHING. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

    All you can do is sit there and eat your little meals at your little restaurants. Enjoy your weekends baby. Start your little families.

    This shit will end one day.

    Reply
  5. DUKE FLEED
    Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 1:08 am

    These 2 white men start a war because of a piece of land….but nowadays most of land disputes are in this part of the world…and especially China is leading the way: Taiwan issue, China/India border, China/Philippino dispute over some islands, China/Russia border, etc… going to war because of a piece of land?? WW2 is long time ago (except over here of course)….next war will be fought for water

    Reply
  6. capt. nullz whatever
    Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 1:36 am

    Iraq war is long time ago…next war will be fought with China!

    Reply
    • qwerty
      Saturday, October 3, 2009 at 8:39 pm

      USA will only keep going fighting against weak country. Nobody can attack China as China has nuclear bombs. Thus China do not need to keep increasing their military spending like hell.
      They say they are pacifist, Nuclear bomb prevent other attack you, and if you do not want to attack other, no need to build huge army.

      Reply
      • Anthony Neville
        Sunday, October 4, 2009 at 3:58 am

        China and the U.S. have been steadily moving closer together to the extent the CCP is abandoning Communism in favour of Capitalism. The CCP is still a corrupt, oppressive, fascistic and parasitic, freedom hating organisation whose early demise would have quickly propelled China to become the No.1 economic powerhouse many many years ago, but the CCP tends to confine its Communist habits to the mainland these days and is not really a threat to the free world.

        Of course, in the “Fallout 3″ parallel universe the U.S. and China have aready traded nukes and the Washington D.C area is now a radiation scared wasteland overrun with gouls, raiders, supermutants and all manner of foul and dangerous creatures. Who wants that? I rest my case.

        Tony.

        Reply
  7. capt. nullz whatever
    Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 1:37 am

    I’m just playing. I don’t want to have these “oh no you did this and that” back and forth rant on here.

    Yeah I agree with you are saying.

    Reply
  8. FYIADragoon
    Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 2:30 am

    Props to the makers, but I wish it wasn’t too white guys. It reflects badly upon the Chinese mindset.

    Reply
  9. pho king4
    Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 7:44 am

    I never knew that kids in China were capable of thinking in this way.

    I liked the art style. The Metal Slugesque tanks were a nice touch.

    Reply
  10. ShanghaiSteve
    Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 9:53 am

    Nice animation! Can someone translate the final credits?

    Reply
  11. capt. nullz whatever
    Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 11:07 am

    watched it again… it’s pretty awesome animation.

    Sigh… got to work harder.

    BTW, I would not be surprised that it was all done in Maya (and some photoshop). Maya is a pretty capable program.

    Reply
  12. FReda
    Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 2:17 pm

    Why the white guys? if he thought about it, the face colours could rotate through different races.

    Reply
  13. Max
    Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 4:17 pm

    What a fantastic animation. Congratulations, 饺克力, what you did was amazing! Great message and great execution, I hope to see more from this wonderful author.

    Reply
  14. Eric
    Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 7:07 pm

    Actually many animations, ads, and media in general in China (asia) use white actors and white animated characters as the “default.” Its an interesting phenomenon but in this case its probably more related to western cultural pervasiveness than any desire on the author’s part to put-down white people…

    that said am i the only one who noticed a shout-out to condoleeza rice at the end of an anti-war cartoon? wtf?

    Reply
  15. shamWow
    Wednesday, September 30, 2009 at 12:01 am

    I must admit that I was wrong thinking the Chinese lacking originality and artistic creativity! This short animation blew my mind. The creator understands every well how our human civilization works and I have no doubt that he’s one of few people on this planet who really gets it. You whities can take offense all you want but it’s an irrefutable fact that you have invaded every continent on earth and have wiped out (or tried to) every indigenous race on it with a misplaced sense of entitlement. Bravo!

    Reply
  16. janz
    Wednesday, September 30, 2009 at 12:34 am

    What is wrong with using white guys? how about those soldiers who decided to have peace on that islands, are they not white? Maybe you don’t have to be so fucking blind to realize in this short animated film, there are good people who are white too.

    Reply
    • petit bonheur
      Wednesday, September 30, 2009 at 12:14 pm

      You are right. But, on the other hand if, let say, an Amercian had made the same animation, but had put Asian faces for the caracters on the film, for sure, it would have been a scandal in China.

      Well, we also have to recognize that a majority of the bloodest conflict of the past 100 years were caused by Europeans and North Amarican states…

      Reply
      • Dave
        Wednesday, September 30, 2009 at 4:21 pm

        petit bonheur: “Well, we also have to recognize that a majority of the bloodest conflict of the past 100 years were caused by Europeans and North Amarican states…”

        Uh, what about:

        Chinese Great Leap Forward: 20-43 million dead
        Chinese Civil War: 3.2 million dead
        Pol Pot’s reign: 1.7 – 2.5 million dead
        Sino-Vietnamese War: 50,000+ dead
        Stalin’s Purges: 680,000+ dead
        Second Sino-Japanese War: 22 million+ dead

        And that’s not even including the non-Western fighting in the Vietnam War and the Korean War.

        Reply
        • Dave
          Wednesday, September 30, 2009 at 4:59 pm

          And of course, the list could go on:

          The Darfur Conflict: 200,000 – 400,000 dead
          The Sri Lankan Civil War: 80,000+ killed
          The Second-Congo War: 3.8 – 5.4 million dead
          The Indo-Pakistani Wars and Bangladesh Atrocities: up to 3 million dead
          The Rwandan Genocide: 0.8 – 1 million dead
          Famine Under USSR policies: 6 – 10 million dead

          Reply
  17. Beholder
    Wednesday, September 30, 2009 at 7:41 pm

    Just watched the cartoon for a third time, and I’m very impressed by it. Very creative, well done to Jokelate.

    Reply
  18. Anthony Neville
    Thursday, October 1, 2009 at 1:54 am

    I am not impressed by the cartoon at all. The visuals are fantastic, but the plot is adolescent and ignorant. The cause of war is dictatorship. Without dictatorships there are no wars, and sometimes war is necessary to destroy them. Before showing disgust for war, show disgust for its cause which is dictatorship.

    Tony.

    Reply
  19. Max
    Thursday, October 1, 2009 at 3:57 am

    It’s a shame for many people here commenting on this film, that they’re paying more attention to the race/facial features of the characters, than to the message.

    Reply
  20. capt. nullz whatever
    Thursday, October 1, 2009 at 10:00 am

    Oh I know the one you are talking about…can’t remember the name either.

    Reply
  21. Gwaymond
    Thursday, October 1, 2009 at 12:21 pm

    I was thoroughly moved by this short, simplistic as it may be. Then I got to the comments and it was like wading through a swamp of tripe.

    I’ve no idea why – wait, that’s not true, I’ve plenty of ideas why – it takes about four seconds before there’s a shitfight about which warring state has fucked up most in history. The FUCKING POINT is that apportioning blame is NOT the way forward. The idealistic tone of the short was simply crushed under the irony of your petty squabbles.

    Pause for a few seconds before opening your mouth, Pavlov’s Dogs.

    Reply
  22. jack
    Thursday, October 1, 2009 at 5:38 pm

    why 2 white guys with European swords ? what about the 30 million people MAO killed ? and the chines scary attachment with the ARMY ? 60th anniversary was like a mujaheddin parade ……… if you are a chines animator then stick in the chines problems…..nice communist propaganda im sure he is part of the communist youth….

    from DAVE:
    Chinese Great Leap Forward: 20-43 million dead
    Chinese Civil War: 3.2 million dead
    Pol Pot’s reign: 1.7 – 2.5 million dead
    Sino-Vietnamese War: 50,000+ dead
    Stalin’s Purges: 680,000+ dead
    Second Sino-Japanese War: 22 million+ dead

    Reply
    • Beholder
      Thursday, October 1, 2009 at 9:45 pm

      My take on the “two white guya with European swords” is, as I mentioned earlier, probably at attempt by Jokelate to maximize his chances of distribution. It also sidesteps any issues which might be raised by having two Asian guys unleashing their armies. In either case, fair play to him: he’s obviously considered his cartoon from a wide number of angles, and it shows in the quality of his animation.

      Having said that, I think that questions like “Why are they two white guys/Why aren’t they Asian, if the animator is Chinese” are perfectly valid, and indeed need to be asked. I don’t think there is any one answer to these questions, but they are worth considering. The devil is in the detail, boys and girls….

      Reply
  23. afriend
    Friday, October 9, 2009 at 4:00 pm

    I think its great that a young animator has shouted out that WAR IS STUPID!
    we must except that China is now becoming an empire and an empire will wage war in order to secure what it wants… I just hope there are more smart young people like this animator who will speak out against stupid old people who run the country
    its unfortunate that most countries are run by stupid old men these days

    Reply
  24. American
    Wednesday, December 9, 2009 at 9:10 am

    I loved how he used playing cards, and the black and gray scenery of the two kings fighting the most!
    If Youkou here wasn’t so slow I would’ve watched it again!
    Nice job!

    Reply
  25. FYIADragoon
    Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 5:35 am

    No thats exactly what I’m saying. It gives the impression of the Chinese being rather racistly stereotypical of whites.

    Reply
  26. gth793y
    Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 6:02 am

    is that not true?

    I remember in grade school I learned what imperialism is before what I know communism is.

    Reply
  27. Beholder
    Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 7:38 am

    Can I ask, did they teach you about imperialism, or about foreign imperialism…?

    Zorg, above, I get what you’re saying, and I also can’t help but wonder why this movie doesn’t show two east Asian characters going at each other. Perhaps the maker was hoping for to get wider distribution, or perhaps he’s trying to avoid a hornets nest….

    Reply
  28. Haha
    Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 10:21 am

    Because, Beholder, it’s been over a thousand years since two East Asian powers of equal strength have struggled over an intermediate land mass.

    Reply
  29. capt. nullz whatever
    Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 3:11 pm

    Nothing good about that. Both you gonna wake up with a hang over. THen to find out you got no more weed. And you are short on cash…and damn hurricane is coming in.

    Whatever, each to his/her own.

    Kidding.

    No some things are good. And awesome. But the negativity just brings you down.

    Stop smoking weed & get a job, mkkkay.

    Reply
  30. Anthony Neville
    Saturday, October 3, 2009 at 6:07 am

    That would be “Hell in the Pacific” where Lee Marvin plays an American pilot stranded on a Pacific island with a Japanese naval captain.

    Tony.

    Reply
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