group_inou / HAPPENING 

This work is a kind of music video called “music GIF manga.” The manga frames in GIF format that move in a loop are seamlessly connected and read vertically, scrolling in a unique format called “GIF manga” to which musical elements are added. This is based on a structure in which the lyrics of the song “HAPPENING” by group_inou flow as a manga line at the same time as the song is sung. The manga frames were applied there so that the images evoked by each lyric were drawn into the frames. The frames of the manga evoked by each phrase of the lyrics are connected with each other by subtle nuances, not as a single story. We aimed for an expression that gently expanded the perspective of the song.
In addition to automatically playing at a fixed speed, it can also be viewed by flicking the screen, stopping and looking at a particular frame, or scratching the sound and image, etc. It suggests the possibility of a new spatio-temporal expression through the crossover of the time scale of manga and the time scale of music. (AC-bu, Toru Adachi)

Client: N/A

AC-bu, Baku Hashimoto, group_inou

The creative team AC-bu is well known for its activities in the fields of advertising, animation, and contemporary art for more than 25 years. Intense and profound visual expression and “discomfort” are the main characteristics of their work. group_inou is a musical unit of imai and cp, whose unique music with creative electronic sounds and rap music has been highly acclaimed with their scene. Baku Hashimoto, a filmmaker, has independently created highly experimental videos, including the development of tools and methods for video production. The prize-winning interactive music video was the result of a collaboration among the three parties, with AC-bu, who directed and animated the video, and Baku Hashimoto, who designed the app based on the work “HAPPENING,” as group_inou’s first release in nine years.