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】
Tokyo government organizes food truck event to clear out delinquent/homeless teen gathering area
This Japanese vending machine doesn’t sell drinks, but you can buy drinks through it
Godiva now makes tofu in Japan, and sakura chocolate tofu too![Taste test]
Japanese onsen egg maker from 100-yen store Daiso needs to be on your shopping list
We go looking for a monkey mommy like Punch with Amazon Japan’s ultra low-rated orangutang plushy
Studio Ghibli adds new anime tumblers to its cool streetwear brand in Japan
Expo 2025 mascot Myaku-Myaku to release tastefully erotic photo book
Starbucks Japan releases new My Fruit³ Frappuccino at only 34 stores around the country
How much is Amazon Japan’s lowest-rated currency calculator worth in yen?
Starbucks Japan opens new Kyoto store in Place of Scenic Beauty
Train station platform ramen store closes its doors on half a century of history in Tokyo
Cherry blossoms begin blooming in Japan with record-early starts for sakura season
Studio Ghibli adds new Mother’s Day gift sets to its anime collection in Japan
Virtual idol Hatsune Miku redesigned with look that adds new elements and brings back old ones
The next time you’re feeling stressed out, you could relax on a Pokémon Psyduck chair from Japan
Komachi Shokudo: Japanese mum’s-style cooking for breakfast, lunch and dinner in Tokyo
When will the cherry blossoms reach full bloom in Japan this year?[Forecast]
Starbucks Japan unveils new sakura cherry blossom collection for hanami season 2026
Studio Ghibli releases Catbus pullback keychain that runs like the anime character
The 10 most annoying things foreign tourists do on Japanese trains, according to locals
Nine great places to see spring flowers in Japan, as chosen by travelers (with almost no sakura)
Starbucks Japan releases first-ever Hinamatsuri Girls’ Day Frappuccino
Japan’s cherry blossom season predicted to start earlier than we’d thought, especially in Tokyo
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
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
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
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
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
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】