Chikin Papa is a wonderful short, of which, is filled to the brim with mystery and surealism. It is very hard to fully grasp the content, even with such a small time frame.
# The Location:
The short takes a simple approach to it's environment, being set in what is presumably the elevator of an apartment complex of which our MC resides. We don't see any of the outside world but the small and enclosed space of an elevator helps build quite a unique atmosphere: Such an ominous location can even be compared to the phenomenon of Liminal Spaces, which can often make the viewer feel uneasy and a sense of fear or wonder. For something as short and open ended as Chikin Papa, this sort of atmosphere makes a lot of sense and really fuses itself with the environment.
With this I can comfortably say the environment is a huge pro and is well done and executed. 10/10
# The Characters:
# The Protaganist:
I'll start with the Protaganist, a rooster that has no former introduction. He is a man of which is probably the most mysterious element to this entire short, being (according to the shorts description and suggestive title) a father. Although we do not get to see any of his children during this short. Although there is little dialogue, we can still have good speculation into the type of person our unnamed protaganist is.
With such a small amount of dialogue however, we can deduce that our MC is very proud of his species. As quoted:
Protaganist: "You probably ate garlic chicken yesterday" ... "You smell like garlic."
He is quick to point this out to the woman and doesn't hesitate to point it out, implying he is quite strongly emotionally bound to his species and is, at least mildly, offended to the killing and consumption of his fellow brethren. Personally, I came to a liking of this trait as it shows our MC is quite caring for those he is connected to and will not hesitate to speak off the top of his mind.
Next we'll dive into looks; being dressed in a bright patriot shirt, resembling the United States of America's flag, we can only assume that our Rooster is quite a patriotic fellow and has quite a sense of fashion and pride! I found his style to be quite exquisite but not too outlandish, as compared to other MCs in other animes where their style can be quite over the top and frankly, ridiculous.
#The Woman
I don't have much to say about the woman, as she is quite a generic person. However, her involvement within this short is nothing short of important! She helps bring out our MCs personality characteristics and views. She also seems quite apologetic, as she immediately apologises after being consulted about consuming a "garlic chicken" by our protaganist:
Protaganist: "You probably ate garlic chicken yesterday" ... "You smell like garlic."
Woman: "I'm sorry"
Being so quick to apologise made me feel a little sorry for the woman, as she seemed genuinely sorry and apologetic for her actions, making her what I think to be, quite a likeable character.
Overall I would rate the characters a solid 10/10!
#Last words: In conclusion, I must say that for a short runtime of only a minute, this story manages to cram so much room for speculation and depth! It is quite inspirational and I think that many of you reading should watch it if you haven't. And if you have, I'm sure you can agree with my words!
