This masterpiece of independent animation brings together animated worlds in an unforgettable tale from the roaring 20s.
POV: It's the height of the Prohibition in the heart of the American Deep South. A group of cats, one of which is a master performer whose family belongs to a group of bootleggers, the other being part of a rival gang out to get anyone with a stash of alcohol.
Is this a videogame? Or something that's straight out of Japanese anime that happens to be set in the West during the 1920s? Well. this does sound like one but it really isn,t.
What this really refers to is the premise of the independent animated short film Lackadaisy, based on the webtoon of the same title by Tracy J. Butler.
There are so many things that left me impressed by this short. One of these standouts for me is the artstyle of the animation. The art is for me a major aspect of this film as it really fits into every change in the plot's flow. The film's opening, a love letter to the mighty Missisipi, glows with absolute delight as it carries the charm of heartland culture. However as the plot starts to make a dramatic shift, so does the film's art style. As the intense car chase gets underway, the style changes to drastically to reflect the tension and thrill of the high intensity action sequence.
Perhaps what struck me the most about this film is the fact that Lackadaisy perfectly intertwines the worlds of Japanese and Western animation into what I consider to be a masterpiece in the world of indie toons. This perfectly blends together the magic and emotion of Studio Ghibli and many Japanese animations with the historical feels of popular period pieces such as Bridgerton, the Red Dead Redemption game series, or Spy x Family, as well as the action thriller elements that have become the hallmarks of animes like Jiujitsu Kaisen and Mob Pshyco 100, as well as their Western equivalents such as The Owl House, as there are many exciting twists and turns that pack the entirity of this half hour pilot episode.
Every minute of this is brimming with so much raw emotion and a sense of immersion into the world of Lackadaisy as they come provided with the impressive design of the characters and the setting of this pilot in which Wes Anderson would have loved to discover and explore.
With all these factors in mind, it's very easy for animation aficionados the world over have looked up to Lackadaisy since its initial upload in March. This really is a masterpiece that speaks very dearly to fans of indie animation, which makes it one of the best indie animated projects on Youtube in 2023.
No matter if you are a newcomer to the world of Youtube indie animators, or someone who has followed this Internet animation revolution for the past few years and marvelled at the progress these creators have made, or perhaps someone like me, who crossed over to the world of indie cartoons from mainstream animation whether Japanese or Western, Lacadaisy has everything you'll ever need to begin appreciating Internet indie cartoons.
If you liked this, then definitely give Hazbin Hotel, Helluva Boss, and The Amazing Digital Circus a shot in order to explore more of the wonderful world of YouTube independent animation
You can see more Lackadaisy on these social media pages.
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