This amazing movie Maru and Mari was created entirely by one high school student.
An incredibly realistic stop motion short video was released online last week by a very talented final-year high school student, Kiyotaka Mizukoshi. It took Mizukoshi 10 months to produce the “Maru and Mari” film, with five of those months dedicated to creating the miniature film sets and character pieces, and the other five months taken up with filming and editing the 4-minute movie. The stunning handcrafted figurines and movie sets look amazingly lifelike.
You can check out the film here:
Maru and Mari are two robots, with Maru being the blue boy robot, and Mari being the pink girl robot. Maru has been ordered by his teacher to stay behind after class because he received a score of “10 or less” on his test. Maru receives a message from Mari reminding him that they had arranged to meet at 5:30 p.m. after school and he is “late”. Maru then proceeds to devise hilarious ways of sneaking out of the classroom without his teacher noticing.
▼ You can see from this picture how small the sets were, despite looking so real.
撮影中〜!
— Mozu 展覧会浜松〜4/2 (@rokubunnnoichi) September 30, 2016
締め切りまであと1ヶ月☆
『想定通り』終わりそうにないです笑 pic.twitter.com/zgPliS4mlv
The attention to detail in the film is stunning and you could be forgiven for thinking that the movie was filmed in a real classroom.
▼ Mizukoshi took his film set to his high school festival.
実は昨日今日と文化祭やってました!
— Mozu 展覧会浜松〜4/2 (@rokubunnnoichi) September 25, 2016
僕の制作ブースにもたくさんの方が遊びに来てくれて、驚いてくれたり、褒めてくれたり、色々お話したり、とても楽しかったです!この教室のセットは上野で開催される卒業制作展に展示する予定なのでお楽しみに!
↓来てくれた方が撮って送ってくれた写真 pic.twitter.com/dhJ6XSqLFb
▼ The filming process.
今日は王様のブランチの取材を受けていました!放送はあさって土曜日の13時〜14時の間だそうです!「1/6サイズの教室」を使ってコマ撮りしている様子を詳しく紹介しています!もちろん他のジオラマも出ますよ! 絶対見てね!!笑 pic.twitter.com/WJMEFGdRec
— Mozu 展覧会浜松〜4/2 (@rokubunnnoichi) August 4, 2016
Here is what people have been saying about Maru and Mari online:
“It doesn’t even look like stop motion – this is an incredible production!”
“You’re just a genius”
“The movements in the video are too smooth”
“I thought it was CG!”
“The detail in the classroom objects are fantastic”
Mizukoshi had previously won a TBS film festival award for a 2-minute stop motion movie entitled Out Of Order using the same Maru character. You can check out Out Of Order here:
With so much talent, we hope the creative 18 year-old creator of these stop motion projects gets to one day work for Aardman animation studio, which he says is his ultimate goal.
If you liked Maru and Mari and want to see some more good-looking stop motion videos, you might want to take a look at this video of the girls from idol anime Love Live! or this clip of Shibuya’s famous scramble crossing. The tiny details are absolutely mesmerising!
Source: KAI-YOU
Featured image: YouTube/Yabukarabou

Japanese high school students go viral with perfect Pixar logo performance 【Video】
12-year-old Japanese student makes amazing stop-motion animations【Videos】
Japanese high school students build crazy wooden roller coaster at school festival【Video】
How many favorite voice actors do Japanese high school kids have and who are they?
Awesome fan-made stop-motion video using Gundam models is a Gundam fan’s dream come true 【Videos】
What makes a good boss in Japan? Workers sound off in survey
Top Japanese cosplayer Enako returns to Comiket after 6 years, creates mayhem with admirers
The Purple Lucky Bag from Village Vanguard is an extra-large waste of money
Rakuten randomly offers 58 New Year’s osechi feasts in Japan, but did we get a star or a dud?
Things get heavy with the Gold Lucky Bag from Village Vanguard
Majority of Japanese mayors say foreign residents are essential but most see good and bad effects
Japan has an awesome one-person bento box rice cooker, and here’s what we made with ours
Time to vote for your favourite in Japan’s Sanrio Character Curry Election
Ginza Cozy Corner releases “Hanami Party” mini cakes and treats for sakura cherry blossom season
Visiting the Kikyoya Shingen Mochi theme park takes some planning–but it’s a stop worth making!
Starbucks Japan ready to get Year of the Horse started with adorable drinkware and plushies【Pics】
Japanese beef bowl chain Sukiya’s 2026 Smile Box lucky bag basically pays for itself
Hayao Miyazaki says Happy New Year to Studio Ghibli fans with new art for Year of the Horse
Cup Noodle tries an authentic Jiro-style ramen, but something’s not quite right
The best Starbucks Japan Frappuccinos we want to drink again in 2026
We revisited Sweets Paradise after a decade to see if Japan’s dessert buffet still delivers
That time Seiji called JASRAC to ask why he didn’t get paid royalties for his song being on TV
We found possibly the quietest Japanese-style hotel in Tokyo’s bustling Shinjuku district
Pizza Hut Japan’s hot lucky bags are perfect for a New Year’s pizza party
Japan’s oldest largetooth sawfish in captivity back on display in Mie Prefecture
7-Eleven Japan starts new temporary luggage storage service in over 300 branches
Disillusionment at Tsukiji’s tourist-target prices led us to a great ramen restaurant in Tokyo
Starbucks teams up with 166-year-old Kyoto doll maker for Year of the Horse decorations【Photos】
Tokyo considering law requiring more trash cans following litter increase in heavily touristed area
Tokyo’s Tsukiji sushi neighborhood asks tour groups to stay away for the rest of the month
Tokyo event lets you travel back in time, for free, to celebrate 100 years since Showa era start
Japan may add Japanese language proficiency, lifestyle classes to permanent foreign resident requirements
Sanrio theme park in Japan announces plans to expand into a Sanrio resort
Stamina-destroying “Paralysis Noodles” are Tokyo’s newest over-the-top ramen innovation
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Japan’s deadliest food claims more victims, but why do people keep eating it for New Year’s?
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
Starbucks Japan reveals new sakura drinkware collection, inspired by evening cherry blossoms
Updated cherry blossom forecast shows extra-long sakura season for Japan this year
SoraReview: Mary and the Witch’s Flower, the newest anime from Studio Ghibli director Yonebayashi
Japanese high school student repeatedly kicks his teacher while class is in session【Video】
Japanese high school student shows how to recreate cute hairstyle from hit anime Your Name
Japanese high school’s chime rings in middle of the night, freaks out countryside town【Video】
New Evangelion anime movie teaser trailer appears after six years of waiting【Video】
Amazing stop-motion artist recreates Akira anime’s most famous sequence with figures【Video】
Learn Japanese kanji with captivating stop-motion videos created by Tokyo animator
Life imitating anime: Japanese people tell us about their most “anime” moments
Japanese students learn English with help from a dating sim artist
Dateless Japanese high school students create their own anime-style dating simulator【Video】
Fourth and final Evangelion Rebuild movie finally has release date, beautiful new trailer【Video】
Leave a Reply