《枚與若庭》是一部探討**友情、競爭與自我認同**的短篇手繪動畫。故事圍繞兩位熱愛繪畫的學生——小枚與若庭，她們因共同興趣成為好友，卻因為繪畫能力的差距逐漸產生矛盾。隨著若庭的進步，小枚開始感受到比較帶來的壓力，對創作的熱情逐漸消退，最終，她的畫紙被蠟筆塗黑，象徵內心的焦慮與低落。而當若庭撿起這張畫時，她被吸入**幻想世界**，踏上一場面對小枚內心怪物的冒險。
本作品透過**現實與幻想世界的雙線敘事**來展現角色的內心轉變。**現實世界**以溫暖柔和的色調營造日常氛圍，透過場景與角色互動，表現友情因比較與壓力產生裂痕的過程。而**幻想世界則以黑底蠟筆刮畫的形式呈現**，透過強烈色彩對比、粗獷筆觸與不斷變化的怪物形態，具象化小枚內心的混亂與壓抑。隨著劇情推進，場景從破碎與不安，逐漸轉變為充滿創造力的畫面，象徵兩人關係的轉變。最終，她們以共同創作擊敗怪物，將畫面從黑暗中點亮，重新找回彼此的理解與支持。
本作品採用**無聲敘事**，透過角色表情、動作與畫面視覺設計來傳遞情感，讓觀眾能從畫面中感受角色的心境變化。這部動畫不僅探討競爭與自我認同，也希望**鼓勵熱愛創作的人**，不要因為與他人的比較而失去熱情。每個人的畫風與特色都有獨特的價值，創作應該是一種自由的表達，而非競爭的負擔。
### **"Mei and Ruoting"**
*"Mei and Ruoting"* is a short hand-drawn animation exploring **friendship, competition, and self-identity**. The story follows two students passionate about drawing—Mei and Ruoting. They become close friends through their shared love for art, but as Ruoting's skills rapidly improve, a gap begins to form between them. Mei starts feeling pressured by comparison, gradually losing her passion for creation. Eventually, she covers her drawing with black crayon, symbolizing her anxiety and self-doubt. When Ruoting picks up the darkened paper, she is pulled into a **fantasy world**, embarking on a journey to confront the monster born from Mei’s inner turmoil.
This animation uses a **dual-world narrative** to depict the characters' emotional transformation. The **real world** is portrayed with warm and soft colors, reflecting an ordinary and nostalgic atmosphere, while interactions between characters reveal the cracks in their friendship caused by pressure and comparison. In contrast, the **fantasy world is visualized through a black-background crayon scratch technique**, using bold color contrasts, rough strokes, and an ever-changing monster to embody Mei’s emotional chaos. As the story unfolds, the environment shifts from disorder and distress to a space full of creativity, symbolizing the restoration of their bond. In the end, through a collaborative act of creation, they defeat the monster, illuminating the darkness and rediscovering their mutual understanding and support.
This film adopts **silent storytelling**, conveying emotions through character expressions, movement, and visual composition, allowing the audience to experience the emotional depth solely through imagery. Beyond exploring themes of competition and self-worth, *Mei and Ruoting* aims to **encourage creators** not to lose their passion due to comparisons with others. Everyone has a unique artistic style and perspective; creation should be an act of personal expression rather than a burden of competition.
