This review might contain spoilers. You may proceed if you can handle the truth... https://anilist.co/anime/126623/MoeruButsuzouNingen/ Gekimation is a Japanese form of cutout animation many anime fans have never seen or heard of despite its almost 50 years of existence. Unlike conventional animation techniques where separate still images form an illusion of motion the animators record the movement of the paper figures in realtime. Because gekimation is less timeconsuming than the traditional approach the method is a perfect choice for independent animators without the support of a studio. Another benefit of this animation technique is that the artists can set distinctive accents with liquids slimes fire smoke and light similar to liveaction movies. In contrast to stopmotion techniques it is impossible to move individual body parts and change the facial expression of the cardboard puppets within a shot. Consequently gekimation works need many brief shots and separate paper models for particular circumstances. Surprisingly only a handful of gekimation works exist even though the roots of the animation concept the European toy theatre go back to the late 18th century. Like gekimation a toy theatre consists of a paperboardprinted stage scenery and characters. As with any other form of media the toy theatre had its ups and downs in popularity. While more and more households could afford a television the toy theatre fell into obscurity. In 1976 the adaptation of the dark fantasy manga CatEyed Boy used a mix of liveaction and cardboard figures an early instance of gekimation. The author Kazuo Umezu was part of the gekiga movement which aimed to increase the age of the manga readership since its target audience was still children in the 1960s. Apart from providing more mature themes some gekiga authors also wanted to shock the audience with disturbing repelling and frightening elements. The geki in gekimation refers to this adult manga movement and emphasises the intention to repulse the watchers. The Burning Buddha Man by independent animator Ujicha honours its origin the toy theatre with its opening of a young adult recreating the first animated scene with cardboard stages and figures. Furthermore the first gekimation films gross deformed Buddhas are a homage to the body horror of the CatEyed Boy. By sacrificing a cohesive plot and wellwritten characters Ujicha focused on the ambition to make his work as unconventional as possible. Against all odds he succeeds in creating not only an artistic statement but also an entertaining movie. The combination of the amateurish art style messy plot and outofplace special effects i.e. the realistic fire smoke and slimes excellently harmonises because it fits the works grotesqueness. Another addition enriching the works bizarreness is the silly and inappropriate facial expressions of the characters in many scenes. Unfortunately Ujicha did not experiment with the dialogue sound effects and score to enhance the absurdity but they are all polished and decent. In summary the Burning Buddha Man is one of the rare instances of a bad movie being a superb work of art. Undoubtedly the film is only for a niche group of animation fans who adore weird experiments within the medium. Nevertheless the distinctive animation technique deserves more recognition. Hence it is a mustwatch for any serious anime fan. While writing the review the film is not on a streaming service but you can buy a physical copy online.