Following are some of the heartwarming responses children have had to Onami: The Great Wave:

“I found your film to be very interesting and you made it out to be a topic of self confidence.   Onami was a character of heart and won his inner battle, but around others, he was shy and his potential training from his master gave him the upper hand confidence that was needed.  A lot of people deal with this everyday for example with playing basketball, back when it was like I could do whatever.  I didn’t play organized ball but the atmosphere of having a crowd watch when I first started to play kinda felt not so comfortable.  So the film probably helped a lot of people understand they can do whatever they want.  It’s just you have to dig deep.  So keep us the good work.”

–Brett

 

“The movie ONAMI was a very fun and creative movie.  It was  a dialogue type of movie and it was very cute.   What was great about it was that it was in claymation and that requires a lot of work.  The moral of the story was very interesting and you did a great job with the clay animation.  I hope to see many more of your films.”

–Luis

 

“I liked ONAMI: THE GREAT WAVE.  The story made a lot of sense.  Some people are very good in their own environment but when they step out of their comfort zone, it becomes difficult.  My favorite this about the movie was the Monkey.  He was very funny and a lot of weird faces that made me laugh inside.  Also, the fight scene, how they ran at each other.  But most of all, I like the moral it taught me that hard work and practice pays off.  Also, that it just doesn’t come easy.”

–Anthony

 

“I liked the film ONAMI:  THE GREAT WAVE.  What I like about it was that it was fun to watch.  It kept you hooked on it and you kept wondering what Onami was going to do next.  The part I liked the most was when the Monkey was trying to wake Onami up, using all these different instruments.  The film was different from other animated films I have seen.  What I liked the most about it was that you did it all by clay.  I wish it could have been a little longer.”

–Emily

 

“I felt that the clay-animation was very well done.  I liked how you used simple materials and they looked like a house or the big wave.  I feel that children can enjoy ONAMI a lot more because of the animation.  It gives a good illustration of how the story unfolds.  I really enjoyed watching the short.  I will be majoring in film during college, so I may be doing a little bit of animation also.  Just knowing that I may become a part of these kinds of things makes me excited.”

–Sean

 

‘Personally,  I liked the short because it had a lot of heart in it and wasn’t based on flashy effects or anything.  It was just a pure story on a boy who wants to be the best.  I think you should make another video where he finds an opponent strong enough to give Onami a challenge.  Great work.”

–Kasai

 

“I really enjoyed watching your movie, ONAMI:  THE GREAT WAVE.  I really liked how you used clay to do an animated movie.  It’s really interesting to see how you played around with the clay to take out the characters.  In my opinion making animated movies and animated Clay characters is very nice, because it shows us that we could use different materials for animation.”

–Kimberly

 

“I really liked you film, ONAMI:  THE GREAT WAVE.  I like the fact that it was clay animation.  I five you my respect for it because I know and seen how hard claymation is.”

–Alan

 

“The film was very interesting.  The story was very good and so were the characters.  I really liked it.”

–Ivan

 

“Your clay animation looked pretty interesting.   I have to say that the message you tried to give out was good:  how we need to find our inner self by working at it.  The details on the characters were good and their face expression made me feel what the characters in the clay animation felt.”

–Henry

 

“What I liked about ONAMI:  THE GREAT WAVE is the story line.  How he was an undefeated wrestler, but when it came to fighting in front of big crowds, he would easily lose.  What I thought could of gone a little better was how the teacher taught onami about his inner powers.  To me, it seemed a little bit rushed on that part.  But other than that, the movie was really good.”

–Jovani 

 

“I liked your story a lot.  I understand the story.  I was comparing myself with the athlete.  The claymaking was great and the textures were cool.”

–Bernie

 

“I thought that the narration sounded very good.  The story is very interesting, because that’s a story you don’t usually hear about in animation.  Everything was done very well and the clay figures seemed to be done with great detail.  I would give the story an A and it would be an A+ if the story was a little longer.”

–Quinones

 “I enjoyed this film not only because of the characters but because the story overall was GOOD.  One of the other things that I also enjoyed was the music.  It just went well with the story.  The characters were funny but that is something that makes this film unique.  ONAMI:  THE GREAT WAVE was a really good film”

–Vernonica 

“I really liked the film, ONAMI:  THE GREAT WAVE.  There were a few things that I thought were nice.  Like even though there was no dialogue, you could tell the emotion from the facial expressions.  You also had a nice story line.”

–Josie

 

“I liked the actual story in general.  The fact that Onami was a wrestler and he wanted to be better.  I, myself, identify with that character, because I was a wrestler and I know what it feels like to lose.  Your film really brought back some memories.  It’s a great film and I hope to see more of your films in the future.”

–Roberto

 

ONAMI:  THE GREAT WAVE was a great and funny movie.  I really liked the Monkey when he was goofing off.  But what I really liked was when Onami was practicing martial arts in his house.  When he went to competitions he always loses.  But he never gave up.  So he practiced with the old man who taught him to believe in himself.”

–Oscar