Fireworks

Fireworks, officially titled Fireworks, Should We See It from the Side or the Bottom?, was produced by the acclaimed animation studio Shaft and released in 2017. The project originated as a feature-length adaptation of the 1993 live-action television drama by Shunji Iwai, which had originally aired as part of an anthology series. The film serves as a high-profile entry in the studio's portfolio, marking a notable departure from their typical television production model to explore a cinematic narrative involving time-loop mechanics and adolescent longing.

The creative direction was spearheaded by director Nobuyuki Takeuchi, a veteran animator known for his long-standing collaboration with Akiyuki Shinbo, who oversaw the project as chief director. The film's design aesthetic leans heavily into the signature Shaft style, characterized by surreal architectural geometries and stylized lighting effects. While it received significant anticipation due to the pedigree of the source material and the involvement of screenwriter Hitoshi One, the film drew varied reactions from critics, who praised its striking visual experimentation but frequently debated its narrative pacing and structural deviations from Iwai’s original work.