‘NINI’ is one powerful animation that will certainly make its viewers feel the presence of that ninja cutting onions around them. It’s impossible to not feel it like a dagger that goes right into your feelings and stays there until the short ends. The story relies on two girls waiting for the rain to go away whilst stranded in their tree house. To make the rain go away they send their house bird with a message to the sky to tell the clouds to stop raining. At some point, one of the girls goes home with her mother, as she pulls over the car. The other one goes back to her house nearby the tree house to sleep. In her sleep, a vision pops, something that she isn't aware of.

​

We really loved the story Yingzong Xin presented in ‘NINI’ because it reminded us of an amazing movie, ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’. In that cult film there is a small part where they present a very similar story regarding goodbyes; it’s hard to say goodbye to someone, and it’s almost impossible to predict in any way the near future. Sometimes we leave in a hurry and forget to exchange valuable words with some people, all the more so since we don't know if we will ever see them again. The main theme of this short is, without any doubt, destiny: as the narrative goes, there is no indicator of what it’s going to happen, and as it happens, the viewer feels the whole thing as brutal as it can get. But the story wouldn’t be complete without the fantastic score that enhances the whole viewing experience, accentuating the emotional side of it.

​

‘NINI’ brings back something most animated movies forgot to bring in the past few years: sensitivity. For this reason, ‘NINI’ becomes one of our all-time favorite animation shorts.

​

Written by Vlad A. G