Tsuji Naoyuki doesn't animate stories so much as trap you inside someone's breaking point. The charcoal scratches and puppet movements aren't decorative, they're the sound of the mind coming apart, each frame deliberately wrong in ways that make you feel the weight of what's being shown rather than just see it. This is a film that knows the difference between darkness and nihilism, and it chooses to break your heart instead of just your mood.

Wake Up is a short psychological film from animator Tsuji Naoyuki, whose work is known for animating with charcoal and puppets. For this piece he pairs pen drawing with puppetry. Calm, peaceful worlds and childlike images sit beside darkness and nightmarish scenes, so serenity keeps giving way to dread. The result is a dark, brooding short that captures his signature way of telling a story, built to unsettle anyone who wants something brief and disquieting.