Return The Favor
"RETURN THE FAVOR” is an award-winning animated short film produced during Mar's 2nd year at Tokyo Design Academy's vocational school. Along with 4 classmates and the animation department teacher's help, the short film was released on June 2nd, 2018.
The story can be understood independently, but it belongs within the Windy Lightning story of the Believe in Fake Magic saga. It evolves around Wendel and the white dragon, sometime after Windy Lightning's chapter 5.
Full award list:
*理事長賞(Presidential Award) by 東京デザイン専門学校 (Tokyo Design Academy). 2018
*Best Young Director Short Film January 2019 (FICCOC #23) by Five Continents International Film Festival
*Best Animation Short Film January 2019 (FICCOC #23) by Five Continents International Film Festival
*Best Animation Short Award January 2019 by London Independent Film Awards
*Nominated Best Animation of the Month January 2019 by The Monthly Film Festival
*Official Selection 2019 by Webisode Film Festival
Making of videos
While creating the animation, Mar recorded bits and pieces of the process, the things she was learning, and her feelings about it all. In them, you can see the animation school department, software used, and learn more things about studying animation in Japan.
The Message
By Mar.
I believe stories change people and it burns me inside when I see other people's stories encouraging all kinds of ideas that harm others. There is so much good that can be done by telling the right story to someone who needs advice.
I love creating visual storytelling so I use my comic and animation to teach the good things I learned from personal experience.
Keeping good friends has never been easy and I have been struggling a lot with it. I want them to love me and I want them to accept my love. Am I asking for too much?
So far I’ve never been alone, but it wasn’t until a few years ago that I found the best solution to keep the right people around.
I built a habit to GIVE TO OTHERS (without endangering myself).
Presents, time, help, advice, love, etc. What I have becomes theirs and I don’t keep count.
You may disconnect here. Come on! Being selfish is a natural survival skill!
Yes, you are right.
But just as you are happy receiving, others are happy when you give things to them.
Happy people are more willing to reciprocate when you are the one who needs something (especially the right people).
Actually, helping people does feel good!! Do I want people around with whom we give to each other? YES!
It actually took me years of being around people who used to do that to start doing it by myself as my default reaction. And sometimes I still try to keep things to myself as much as I can. But this habit has brought me so much happiness I can’t stop spreading the idea!
GIVING AND HELPING EACH OTHER IS THE CENTRAL MESSAGE OF THE ANIMATED SHORT FILM: RETURN THE FAVOR.
And that is because returning a favor is one of the most basic and easiest ways to start giving and becoming used to it.