1、Makoto Shinkai 新海誠(chéng),Makoto Shinkai (新海 誠(chéng), Shinkai Makoto?), born as Makoto Niitsu (新津 誠(chéng), Niitsu Makoto?, born February 9, 1973) is a Japanese director of anime and former graphic designer. A native of the Nagano Prefecture, Shinkai studied Japanese literature at Chuo University where he was a member

2、of juvenile literature club where he drew picture books. 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

3、 Advocates and ActiveAnime, comparisons which he calls an overestimation.,Careerr,After graduating from Chuo in 1994 he got a job at Falcom, a video game company and where he worked for 5 years by making video clips for games and graphic design including web content. During this time he met musician

4、 Tenmon who would later collaborate in all of his movies by providing the music score. In 1999, Shinkai released She and Her Cat, 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,

5、 entirely from the cats 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 for Falcom. A few months later in June 2000, Shinkai was inspired to begin Voices of a Distant Star by drawing a picture of

6、 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 producti

7、on 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. Shinkais next project was titled 5 Centimeters per Second and premi

8、ered 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 Naganos leading newspaper, Shinano Mainichi Shinbun, released a TV commercial animated by Makoto Shinkai. Aside from his own p

9、rojects, 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

10、 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.2 In November 2010, he revealed that his next w

11、ork 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,His three famous works,Voices of a Distant Star The Place Promised in Our Early Days 5 Centimeters per Second,1.Voices of a Distant Star,Voices of

12、 a Distant Star (, Hoshi no Koe?, lit. Voices of a 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. It was originally released to DVD on February

13、2, 2002, and has since been broadcast across Japan on the anime satellite television network, Animax.,2.The Place Promised in Our Early Days,The Place Promised in Our Early Days (雲(yún)、約束場(chǎng)所, Kumo no Muk, Yakusoku no Basho?, lit. Beyond the Clouds, the Promised Place) is a 90-minute Japanese anime film c

14、reated 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. Unlike the previous film which was largely created by Makoto on his own, Kumo no Mukou was a full scale production as reflected by the better a

15、nimation quality and the longer overall length. It has been broadcast across Japan by the anime satellite television network Animax.,Tensions continue to grow between the Alliance and the Union, as it becomes apparent that the Union is attempting to use the Tower as a weapon to replace the existing

16、world with a parallel universe. Things are further complicated when it is discovered that Ekusun Tsukinoe, who constructed the Tower, was Sayuris grandfather, and that the only thing preventing the Tower from activating is Sayuris coma (the closer she comes to wakening, the greater the radius of the

17、 area affected by the Tower), forcing Hiroki and Takuya to choose between saving the world or saving Sayuri. After fighting over the decision, Hiroki convinces Takuya that Sayuri is worth risking the world. Takuya steals the body of the still-comatose Sayuri from the military hospital. The boys fini

18、sh building the Velaciela just hours before the United States plans to declare war on the Union. The plane only seats two, so Takuya allows Hiroki to pilot the plane and fulfill their childhood promise. Hiroki manages to fly the plane across the strait to the Tower carrying Sayuri and a missile prov

19、ided by the Uilta Liberation Front. When Sayuri finally awakens while the plane circles the Tower, the Tower activates and immediately begins to transform the surrounding area; the area under transformation grows to encompass much of Hokkaido. In the last few minutes of her coma, Sayuri realizes tha

20、t when she awakes she will lose all her memories of her dreams of the past 3 years, and thus upon waking she weeps because, unknowingly, she lost the memory of her love for Hiroki. Flying back, Hiroki fires the missile, destroying the Tower and stopping the matter transformation. The film ends with

21、Hiroki vowing to Sayuri that they will start their relationship anew.,3. 5 Centimeters Per Second,The Story is set in Japan beginning from the 1990s and ending in modern day, with each segment centered on a boy named Takaki Tno. It is important to note that the first episode takes place during a tim

22、e period when cell phones are uncommon and email has not yet reached the general populace.,Episode 1: Cherry Blossom Takaki Tno quickly befriends Akari Shinohara when she transfers to his elementary school. They grow closer to each other due to similar interests and attitudes; for instance, they bot

23、h prefer to stay inside during recess due to their seasonal allergies. As a result, they form a strong bond; they speak to each other using their given names without any form of honorifics, which is very unusual in Japan, even among people who are romantically involved. This fact is lost in the movi

24、es translation to English and other languages, which reduces the implied closeness of their relationship. Upon graduating from elementary school, Akari moves to Tochigi, due to her parents jobs. The two keep in contact by writing letters, but eventually begin to drift apart. When Takaki learns that

25、his family will be moving to Kagoshima, he decides to personally go see Akari, since they will be too far apart to visit each other at all after moving. He also prepares a letter for Akari, containing his feelings. However, during the journey he loses the letter and a severe snowstorm continuously d

26、elays Takakis trip for several hours. As the two meet and share their first kiss, Takaki realizes they will never be together again. Stranded in a shed due to the snowstorm, they fall asleep after talking late into the night. Takaki departs the next morning, and they promise to continue writing to e

27、ach other. As the train rolls away, Takaki regrets the loss of his letter, while Akari silently looks at her own letter addressed to Takaki.,Episode 2: Cosmonaut Takaki is now in the third year of senior high in Tanegashima, where the Tanegashima Space Center is located. Kanae Sumida, a classmate of

28、 Takaki, had fallen in love with him ever since meeting him in middle school, but does not have the courage to confess her feelings. She tries to spend time with him, waiting long after school for the chance to travel home together. However, Takaki appears ignorant to Kanaes feelings and treats her

29、as a good friend. Kanae observes that Takaki is always writing emails to someone, or staring off into the distance as if searching for something far, far away. It is later shown that Takakis emails are not being sent to anyone, and he has had recurring dreams which feature Akari. Despite Kanaes feel

30、ings, she eventually realizes that Takaki is looking at something far beyond what she can offer and decides against telling him how she feels.,Episode 3: 5 Centimeters Per Second It is 2008, where Takaki is now a computer programmer in Tokyo, and Akari is preparing to get married to someone. Kanae i

31、s not strongly depicted in this segment. Takaki is still longing for Akari to the detriment of his lifestyle, which is acknowledged by an ex-girlfriend. This leads to Takaki on the verge of a breakdown and leaving his job. Akari goes through her old possessions and finds the letter addressed to Taka

32、ki. Takaki and Akari have a dual narration, both recalling a recent dream depicting the events of their last meeting in the snow, and hoping to watch the cherry blossoms together again. One day while walking down a road, Takaki and Akari appear to pass and recognize each other at a train crossing. At opposite sides of the tracks, they both stop and begin to look back, but the passing trains cut off their view. Takaki waits for the trains to pass, but