Kappa Diary (河童日記): 2D hand-drawn animation

a story about a girl who befriends a mystical creature known as a "kappa", inspired by japanese folklore, and made as an homage to older animations from the 90s. intended for audiences of all ages, done for the UCA year 3 "final film" unit.
featuring music by @tapacat (on instagram)
began around october of 2023 and completed 6/14/2024, used audition, photoshop, tvpaint, after effects and premiere.
i hope you like it.
VHS version (the way it was NOT meant to be experienced):
• this VHS tape i found ...
vimeo version (better image quality):
vimeo.com/980071181
please contact me via instagram @neiljeuss_ for a better response time
/ neiljeuss_
website:
neiljeuss.weebly.com/

[@neiljeuss]

I want to clarify and respond to a few things since this got a lot more popular than I anticipated, and I might edit this as more things come to my attention. This might ruin some of the magic of the animation though, as I will also be answering some questions about the storybeats and the making of.
1. The title of the other video.
No I wasn't trying to clickbait. I don't like analog horror, so it didn't even cross my mind people would associate a "found VHS" with it. The reason I titled it that way is literally just because it seemed like a fun interesting way to title it, especially since I was also uploading this version simultaneously, I didn't want to just put "VHS version" behind the same title for that upload. I occasionally like to roleplay with these uploads, most evident in my Instagram posts, so I figured I'd do the same for the title. I also didn't expect these uploads to reach anybody at all, I had like

[@IIllillIIl01234]

Wow this is fantastic...

[@robberandbouquet4041]

lovely watercolor skills btw!

[@galacgacwatson3102]

Anyone else find this cute animation after getting the VHS version recommended?

[@sanachanto]

Yep, haha. I had been recommended this one with the actual title a day or so ago, thought it looked cute and interesting but didn’t click. Then just now I was recommended the “VSH tape found in my attic” version, was amused by the title change (hoping it wasn’t a re-upload) and watched it. It 100% worked on me and now I’ve enjoyed both. What a delightful little film .

[@cookierat]

Yeah, is this the og?

[@sanachanto]

@@cookierat Yep. If you look at the channel you’ll see both uploads one after another.

[@soop3r872]

Crazy how the other version got more push than the original, I guess the title does alot

[@isiahwoodard]

Yeah

[@fishdubx]

This feels like a Ghibli movie, i love it!

[@xaviert.123]

THE WAY HE ACTUALLY EXISTS AT THE END OMG

[@suvorovoleg9325]

That is a VERY NICE work! Wish you to bring us more, humanity needs that type of animations. Also I have to mention, that 'VHS'-version looked more charming to me. And here are my additional congratulations for that. But placing '2024' in last frame revealed the trick :-)

[@-Monty97-]

AHHH this is so cute, I loved this wholesome ghibli-isc art style and the animations are so
well made and expressive
wish you all the best!

[@gumgrunt]

this is such a beautiful and charming story!!! I love the watercolor style backgrounds, it really adds to the overall feel of the film ❤

[@thecallumvibes]

This was amazing!! Definitely had those 90s vibes, and the animation was beautiful! Not to mention the music and the story! :0 THIS is the kind of stuff they should air in theaters!

[@fashion-baller3399]

I love the water color backgrounds, especially the pink one at 1:11 because it feels so magical. I loved everything but that was my fave part!

[@FLATEM]

So inspiring🤍

[@NotAGeySer]

After getting recommended the "vhs version"
and reading the description of both.
I guess I'll now be watching this on Vimeo.

[@Ana-sz]

amazing animation!!! ❤

[@Saiarts_yt]

This is an awesome work, honestly I thought I never heard about this short 90's anime before. Shortly after I went to my closet to see that the vhs tape wasn't there but also went through some databases online. But I looked both the credit and description to see this was a very recent animation. I was deceived by the quality of this animation.

[@Splat654]

YOU TRICKED US ALL AHAHA nice one😂❤

[@josephsiar]

Saw the VHS version first. I did thing it was a playful thing and reading how much you thought about every detail was really interesting. Thanks a lot!!
(Loved the kappa-gel, pretty great solution and clearly explained ;-D)

[@macaroon147]

I'm glad you found a way to get your film seen with the VHS idea

[@fishoew]

THI SIS S IS SO COOL Oh my gosh!! i am glad this was recommended to meand i do hope it gets more attention in the futrue!!

[@LordFanor]

Very nice

[@yowatchie]

Man this was fucking phenomenal. A genuine little gem.

[@TheTOMONSX]

とても素敵です。全体に日本らしさが出ていて色の濃淡で表現するとかすごいです。魚が池に落ちるシーンの水しぶきとか上手いし。
最初の校門前のカットで「ウェストミンスターの鐘」使う辺り、作者は日本人なのかな？だとしたらとても誇らしいです。これからも頑張ってください。

[@familiaabulafia9216]

Loved it :D

[@jordanezell5132]

So sweet! You are a talented artist. 😊

[@takitogr]

that was beautiful :) thanks

[@krampuszero]

SOOOO NICE ❤

[@SnufflySpy]

Fantastic animation ❤

[@hooper_animation]

So goood 🎉

[@1R4MgMYl7a]

KAPPA DIARY BEAUTIFULLY MADE HAND DRAWN 2D ANIMATION - 6.7K VIEWS
VHS I FOUND IN MY ATTIC - 124K VIEWS
the absolute state of youtube right now

[@user-lr3un3wb2g]

cool , wanna see more

[@YaBoiTheDecentGuy]

A truly wonderful work

[@Scetileaf]

Beautiful

[@noodlesoup_qwq]

The CZcams algorithm is so weird, I like both versions of this animation but it’s strange that one gets pushed more than the other especially since they’re essentially the same video

[@yumii3_3]

Underated

[@bijoychandraroy]

this was movie quality.

[@Luna_moona457]

woahhh

[@neurosev]

WHY IS THIS SO UNDERRATED WHYYY

[@Manki-fu4ts]

Vhs version is way better