Modest Heroes—Ponoc Short Films Theater, Volume 1 is a 2018 anthology of short Japanese animated films produced by Studio Ponoc. These films are written and directed by former Studio Ghibli staffers, Hiromasa Yonebayashi, Yushiyuki Momose, and Akihiko Yamashita. The three films of the collection are under similar genres of action, drama, adventure, and suspense. They also follow the theme that the title of the collection suggests: herosim.
“Kanini & Kanino”
In this short, the titular characters are of a tiny species of human-like creatures that appear to be amphibious as they mostly live underwater in a river. While their pregnant mother Kaka leaves their home to give birth, their father Toto takes care of them. However, when they’re separated by a powerful current, Kanini and Kanino must embark on a perilous journey to find their father. The siblings evade hungry trout in the river and a stampede of tanukis on land before finding their way to their injured father.
Kanini and Kanino overcome their fears to save their father from the trout that’s been hunting them. However, they’re unexpectedly saved by luck when a heron fishes the trout of the water.
Towards the end of the film, the siblings and their father reunite with Kaka, who had given birth to five children.
The short is not a dialogue-driven story. In fact, there’s hardly any dialogue, save for the times that the characters call each other’s names. Instead, the story is driven by its expressive characters and detailed visuals. But the lack of dialogue doesn’t keep the short from landing an emotional blow on its viewer.
“Kanini & Kanino” suggests that heroism means overcoming one’s fear. Kanini and Kanino prove their might in their journey to find their missing father and when they face against the trout that threatens them.
“Life Ain’t Gonna Lose”
The second short of the anthology features the story of a young boy named Shun Yashima. Unfortunately, Shun was born with a lethal allergy to eggs that often landed him in the hospital due to sudden exposures. Because of his allergy, Shun is closely monitored by his mother, who takes him to exposure therapy sessions that he doesn’t like due to the reactions he has. She also ensures that Shun eats special meals at school and that he doesn’t come into contact with his allergen. The cautiousness extends to his teachers and classmates, who are understanding of his condition and are careful of keeping his meals uncontaminated.
In the story, Shun expresses an interest in attending a camp for his school; however, his mother is unhappy with the lack of consideration for Shun because his meals wouldn’t be provided for and he wouldn’t be allowed to sleep with the rest of his class. Later, Shun almost eats a cookie that contains eggs. His mother slaps the cookie out of his hand, and while the act is understandable on his mother’s end, Shun becomes upset.
In the climax of the short, Shun mistakenly eats ice cream that contains eggs. The film suggests that the product was once safe for him to eat, so his parents bought it again believing that the ingredients have remained the same. In a panic, Shun rushes to a trusted adult with an EpiPen in hand. He breaks out in hives and it becomes difficult for him to breathe.
By the end of the film, Shun is transported to a hospital. He expresses that he wants to get better. In the credits, it’s revealed that Shun does attend his school’s summer camp.
This short is animated with a bright color palette and an art style that reminds me of a children’s book. And while the animation may appear simple, the style changes in various flashback scenes and in others with more serious tones. These scenes look like sketches with thin linework, much like manga, and its palate is reduced to dull colors. The temporary art change emphasizes Shun’s panic when experiencing anaphylactic shock.
Much like the previous film, “Life Ain’t Gonna Lose” suggests that a hero must face challenges that seem impossible to overcome. In Shun’s case, he had to help himself to be helped. His final resolve to overcome his lethal allergy makes him an underdog, but a hero no less.
“Invisible”
In the final short film, a quiet car salesman struggles with invisibility. The people around him don’t seem to notice him. People either ignore him or hardly acknowledge his presence. So, he’s depicted as invisible—literally—and must weigh himself down with heavy objects to keep him from floating into the sky.
One day after work, he enters a convenience store, but is ultimately ignored by the cashier woman and other customers. Out of frustration, he throws a fire extinguisher he kept to weigh himself down, but instantly regrets it and desperately takes it back. But a stroke of bad luck nearly gets him killed when a truck almost runs him over. The suddenness of it all surprises the nameless character, thus prompting him into throwing the extinguisher behind him. Soon, he begins to float into the air. He desperately searches for something to weigh him down once more.
He eventually makes it back on the ground after grabbing a large advertising balloon that’s tethered to the ground. He keeps himself grounded with a pickaxe he took from a construction site he landed in.
In the rain, he’s unexpectedly noticed by a stranger who gives him a sandwich. And near the end of the film, the invisible man saves a baby in a runaway stroller. The film ends when the baby he saved notices him and looks him in the eyes. He leaves the scene on his motorized scooter, his hair becoming visible under his helmet and coat.
Of the three shorts, “Invisible” is a favorite of mine due to the obscurity of the nameless character’s condition and the revelation he has by the end of the film. My understanding of the story is that his invisibility is a metaphor for his depression and people’s misunderstanding of him. When he threw away the fire extinguisher out of anger, I saw it as his way of forfeiting his life, only to desperately cling on to anything he could find to keep him from disappearing from the earth. And while he heroically saved a baby, he was also saved by the baby as they gave him what he seemed to always want: acknowledgement.
Modest Heroes is something I highly recommend. The shorts are thought provoking and beautifully animated.
Moonlit Media Room 
I watched Modest Heroes years ago. I liked the simplicity in design and the stories.
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