Makoto Shinkai
Encyclopedia
, better known by the stage name , is a Japanese anime
director
, animator
, and voice actor. A native of the Koumi
Nagano Prefecture
in Japan, he studied Japanese literature at Chuo University
. He traces his passion for creation to the manga
, anime, and novels he was exposed to while in middle school. His favorite anime is Castle in the Sky
by Hayao Miyazaki
. Shinkai has been called "The New Miyazaki" in several reviews including Anime Advocates and ActiveAnime, comparisons which he calls an "overestimation".
, a five minute short piece done in monochrome. It won several awards, including the grand prize at the 2000 DoGA CG Animation contest. The short details the life of a cat, entirely from the cat's perspective, as it passes time with its owner, a young woman.
After winning the grand prize, Shinkai began thinking about a follow-up while he continued to work as a graphic designer
for Falcom
, a video game company. Some months later in June 2000, Shinkai was inspired to begin Voices of a Distant Star
by drawing a picture of a girl in a cockpit grasping a cell phone. Some time later, he was contacted by Mangazoo, who offered to "work with him," giving him a grant to turn his idea into an anime they could sell. In May 2001, he quit his job at Falcom and began to work on Voices. In an interview, Shinkai noted that production took around seven months of "real work."
Voices was followed by the 90 minute long The Place Promised in Our Early Days
, which was released nationwide in Japan on November 20, 2004. It was critically acclaimed, winning many honors. Shinkai's next project was titled 5 Centimeters per Second and premiered 3 March 2007. It consists of three short films titled Cherry Blossom, Cosmonaut, and 5 Centimeters Per Second. The total play time is about 63 minutes. In September 2007 Nagano's leading newspaper, Shinano Mainichi Shinbun, released a TV commercial animated by Makoto Shinkai. Aside from his own projects, Shinkai also assists in animating visual novel
opening movies for Minori
, a visual novel
company.
Shinkai spent 2008 in London, resting since the completion of 5 Centimeters per Second. He returned to Japan in 2009 to start work on his next project. He released two concept drawings for this film in December 2009. Shinkai noted that this film would be his longest animation film to date and described the story as a "lively" animated film with adventure, action, and romance centered on a cheerful and spirited girl on a journey to say "farewell". In November 2010, he revealed that his next work would be titled Children Who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below
. A teaser trailer was released on November 9, and the film was released on May 7, 2011.
) - Director / Writer / Producer / Storyboards / Background art / Design/Modeler / Theme Song Lyrics, 2004 - Computer Animator, 2004 (TV anime) - Director / Writer / Producer / Storyboard / Art Director / Color design, 2007 - Director / Storyboards / Background art / Color design / Photography, 2007 (TV short film featured on Ani*Kuri15) - Director / Writer / Producer, 2011
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, animator
Animator
An animator is an artist who creates multiple images that give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence; the images are called frames and key frames. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, video games, and the internet. Usually, an...
, and voice actor. A native of the Koumi
Koumi, Nagano
is a town located in Minamisaku District, Nagano, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 5,747 and a density of 50.33 persons per km². The total area is 114.19 km²....
Nagano Prefecture
Nagano Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Nagano.- History :Nagano was formerly known as the province of Shinano...
in Japan, he studied Japanese literature at Chuo University
Chuo University
Chuo University is a one of the Japanese leading universities. Thus it is competitive in several rankings such as shown below.-General Rankings:The university has been ranked 27th, 25th, 34th during 2008-2010 respectively in the ranking "Truly Strong Universities" by Toyo Keizai.-Research...
. He traces his passion for creation to the manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
, anime, and novels he was exposed to while in middle school. His favorite anime is Castle in the Sky
Castle in the Sky
All compositions by Joe Hisaishi.#"The Girl Who Fell from the Sky" – 2:27#"Morning in Slag Ravine" – 3:04#"A Fun Brawl " – 4:27#"Memories of Gondoa" – 2:46#"Discouraged Pazu" – 1:46#"Robot Soldier " – 2:34...
by Hayao Miyazaki
Hayao Miyazaki
is a Japanese manga artist and prominent film director and animator of many popular anime feature films. Through a career that has spanned nearly fifty years, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as a maker of animated feature films and, along with Isao Takahata, co-founded Studio Ghibli,...
. Shinkai has been called "The New Miyazaki" in several reviews including Anime Advocates and ActiveAnime, comparisons which he calls an "overestimation".
Career
In 1999, Shinkai released She and Her CatShe and Her Cat
, subtitled Their standing points, is an independent five minute anime OVA about the relationship between a male cat and his female owner told from the cat's perspective. It was created mostly by Makoto Shinkai, except the soundtrack, which was done by his friend Tenmon. She and Her Cat is also the...
, a five minute short piece done in monochrome. It won several awards, including the grand prize at the 2000 DoGA CG Animation contest. The short details the life of a cat, entirely from the cat's perspective, as it passes time with its owner, a young woman.
After winning the grand prize, Shinkai began thinking about a follow-up while he continued to work as a graphic designer
Graphic designer
A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, printed or electronic media, such as brochures and...
for Falcom
Falcom
is a Japanese computer game company. The company was founded in March 1981 by Masayuki Kato. Falcom has played a definite role in the growth and development of the Japanese personal computer software industry. The company released the first Japanese computer role-playing game in 1983 and followed...
, a video game company. Some months later in June 2000, Shinkai was inspired to begin Voices of a Distant Star
Voices of a Distant Star
is a Japanese anime OVA by Makoto Shinkai. It chronicles a long-distance relationship between two close friends who communicate by sending emails via their mobile phones across interstellar space...
by drawing a picture of a girl in a cockpit grasping a cell phone. Some time later, he was contacted by Mangazoo, who offered to "work with him," giving him a grant to turn his idea into an anime they could sell. In May 2001, he quit his job at Falcom and began to work on Voices. In an interview, Shinkai noted that production took around seven months of "real work."
Voices was followed by the 90 minute long The Place Promised in Our Early Days
The Place Promised in Our Early Days
is a 90-minute Japanese anime film created and directed by Makoto Shinkai, following his previous work Voices of a Distant Star. As in the previous film, the soundtrack was composed by Tenmon...
, which was released nationwide in Japan on November 20, 2004. It was critically acclaimed, winning many honors. Shinkai's next project was titled 5 Centimeters per Second and premiered 3 March 2007. It consists of three short films titled Cherry Blossom, Cosmonaut, and 5 Centimeters Per Second. The total play time is about 63 minutes. In September 2007 Nagano's leading newspaper, Shinano Mainichi Shinbun, released a TV commercial animated by Makoto Shinkai. Aside from his own projects, Shinkai also assists in animating visual novel
Visual novel
A is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art, or occasionally live-action stills or video footage...
opening movies for Minori
Minori
is a Japanese visual novel company which created the games Bittersweet Fools, Wind: A Breath of Heart, Haru no Ashioto and Angel Type. Their latest game as of 2009 is Eden*...
, a visual novel
Visual novel
A is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art, or occasionally live-action stills or video footage...
company.
Shinkai spent 2008 in London, resting since the completion of 5 Centimeters per Second. He returned to Japan in 2009 to start work on his next project. He released two concept drawings for this film in December 2009. Shinkai noted that this film would be his longest animation film to date and described the story as a "lively" animated film with adventure, action, and romance centered on a cheerful and spirited girl on a journey to say "farewell". In November 2010, he revealed that his next work would be titled Children Who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below
Children Who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below
is a Japanese anime film created and directed by Makoto Shinkai, following his previous work 5 Centimeters per Second. This film is planned to be his longest animation film to date and is described as a "lively" animated film with adventure, action, and romance centered on a cheerful and spirited...
. A teaser trailer was released on November 9, and the film was released on May 7, 2011.
Filmography
- Director / Animator, 1997 (short film) - Director / Writer / Animator / voice of Her Cat, 1999 - Director / Writer / Producer / voice of Noboru Terao (original voice), 2002 - Director, 2003 (Music Video for Hiromi IwasakiHiromi Iwasaki (singer)
is a Japanese female singer debuted in 1975. Her younger sister Yoshimi Iwasaki is also a singer. In 1981 she was awarded the Silver Prize at the Tokyo Music Festival for her song "Koimachigusa"....
) - Director / Writer / Producer / Storyboards / Background art / Design/Modeler / Theme Song Lyrics, 2004 - Computer Animator, 2004 (TV anime) - Director / Writer / Producer / Storyboard / Art Director / Color design, 2007 - Director / Storyboards / Background art / Color design / Photography, 2007 (TV short film featured on Ani*Kuri15) - Director / Writer / Producer, 2011
Manga
- Beyond the Tower, 2002
- Voices from a Distant Star, 2004
- The Place Promised in Our Early Place, 2005-present
- 5 Centemeters per Second, 2010-2011