Makoto Shinkai

Makoto Niitsu (新津 誠, Niitsu Makoto, born February 9, 1973), also known as Makoto Shinkai (新海 誠, Shinkai Makoto), is a Japanese animator, filmmaker and manga artist best known for directing Your Name, the third highest-grossing anime film of all time[1] and 2019's Weathering With You, among other works such as The Garden of Words, Children Who Chase Lost Voices and 5 Centimeters per Second. He was listed by Variety as one of 10 animators to watch in 2016.[2]

Makoto Shinkai
Shinkai in Moscow, 2013
Born
Makoto Niitsu

(1973-02-09) February 9, 1973
Koumi, Japan
NationalityJapanese
EducationChuo University
OccupationAnimator, filmmaker, manga artist
Known forVoices of a Distant Star
The Place Promised in Our Early Days
5 Centimeters per Second
Children Who Chase Lost Voices
The Garden of Words
Your Name
Weathering With You
Spouse(s)Chieko Misaka
Websiteshinkaimakoto.jp
Signature

Life

A native of Nagano Prefecture, Shinkai studied Japanese literature at Chuo University, where he was a member of the juvenile literature club and drew picture books. He traces his passion for creation to the manga, anime and novels he was exposed to in middle school. His favorite anime films are Laputa: Castle in the Sky, Nausicaä and The Castle of Cagliostro by Hayao Miyazaki, The End of Evangelion by Hideaki Anno and Patlabor 2 by Mamoru Oshii.[3]

Shinkai has been called "The New Miyazaki" in several reviews,[4][5] including those by Anime Advocates and ActiveAnime—comparisons he calls an "overestimation".[6]

He is married to retired actress and producer Chieko Misaka, star of films including Versus by Ryuhei Kitamura; they have a daughter, child actress Chise Niitsu (born 2010).[7][8]

Asteroid 55222 Makotoshinkai is named after him.[9]

Career

After graduating from Chuo University Faculty of Literature in March 1996,[10] he got a job at Falcom, a video game company where he worked for 5 years making video clips for games and graphic design including web content.[11] During this time he met musician Tenmon, who later scored many of his movies.

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 12th DoGA CG Animation contest (2000). DoGA is an independent nonprofit company set up to encourage entry-level animators with software and advice.[12] 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 working for Falcom. 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 Manga Zoo (today a smartphone app), which 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".[11]

Voices of a Distant Star was followed by the 90-minute The Place Promised in Our Early Days, which was released nationwide in Japan on November 20, 2004. It was critically acclaimed, winning many honors.[13][14] Shinkai's next project was 5 Centimeters per Second and premiered 3 March 2007. It consists of three short films: Cherry Blossom, Cosmonaut, and 5 Centimeters per Second.[15] The total run time is about 63 minutes. In September 2007 Nagano's leading newspaper, Shinano Mainichi Shinbun, released a TV commercial animated by Shinkai.

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 it 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".[16] 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.[17][18]

His next feature, The Garden of Words, was released on May 31, 2013.[19]

On August 26, 2016, Shinkai released Your Name. The film received positive reviews,[20] including by media scholar Ram Prakash Dwivedi [21] who praised the film for its narrative, imagery, animation, music, emotional weight, and skillful use of post-postmodernist themes. The film was also a commercial success, becoming the fifth-highest-grossing film of all time in Japan and, as of January 16, 2017. Then by 2019, the film became the highest-grossing anime film worldwide of all time, overtaking Miyazaki's Spirited Away.[1][22] Shinkai's next project Weathering with You was released on July 19, 2019 in Japan.[23][24]

Works

Film
Title Year Credited as Role Notes
Director Writer Producer Other Actor
The World be Enclosed
(囲まれた世界 Kakomareta Sekai)		 1998 Yes Animator Short film
Other Worlds
(遠い世界 Tōi Sekai)		 1998 Yes Animator Short film
She and Her Cat
(彼女と彼女の猫 Kanojo to Kanojo no Neko)		 1999 Yes Yes Animator Yes Her cat (Voice over) Short film.
Voices of a Distant Star
(ほしのこえ Hoshi no Koe)		 2002 Yes Yes Yes Animator Yes Noboru Terao (Voice over) Short film
Minna no Uta: "Egao"
(みんなのうた「笑顔」)		 2003 Yes Short film.
The Place Promised in Our Early Days
(雲のむこう、約束の場所 Kumo no Mukō, Yakusoku no Basho)		 2004 Yes Yes Yes
  • Storyboards
  • Background art
  • Design
  • Theme song lyrics
5 Centimeters per Second
(秒速5センチメートル Byōsoku Go-Senchimētoru)		 2007 Yes Yes Yes
  • Storyboard
  • Art director
  • Color design
Children Who Chase Lost Voices[upper-alpha 1]
(星を追う子ども Hoshi o Ou Kodomo)		 2011 Yes Yes Yes
  • Cinematography
  • Editing
Someone's Gaze
(だれかのまなざし Dareka no Manazashi)		 2013 Yes Yes Short film
The Garden of Words
(言の葉の庭 Kotonoha no Niwa)		 2013 Yes Yes
  • Photography
  • Color design
  • Editing
Your Name
(君の名は。 Kimi no Na wa.)		 2016 Yes Yes
  • Photography
  • Color design
  • Editing
Weathering with You
(天気の子 Tenki no Ko)[26]		 2019 Yes Yes
  • Photography
  • Color design
  • Editing

Video games
Title Year Credited as Notes
Director Animator Other
The Legend of Heroes V: A Cagesong of the Ocean 1999 Yes
(Opening)		 As Makoto Niitsu
Ys II Eternal 2000 Yes
(Opening)		 As Makoto Niitsu
Bittersweet Fools 2001 Yes
(Trailer & Opening)
Wind: A Breath of Heart 2002–04 Yes
(Trailer & Opening)		 Yes
Haru no Ashioto 2004 Yes
(Trailer & Opening)
Ef: A Fairy Tale of the Two 2006

2008

 Yes
(Trailer & Opening)

Commercials
Title Year Credited as Notes
Director Editor Other
Bosphorus Tunnel
(ボスポラス海峡トンネル Bosuporasu Kaikyō Ton'neru)		 2011 Yes Background art TV commercial released by Taisei Corporation[27]
Sri Lanka Highway
(スリランカ高速道路 Suriranka Kōzokudōro)		 2013 Yes Yes
  • Storyboards
  • Photography
 TV commercial released by Taisei Corporation, featuring the theme song "Fight" (ファイト, Faito) by Anri Kumaki[28]
Vietnam Noi Bai Airport
(ベトナム・ノイバイ空港 Betonamu Noibai Kūkō)		 2014 Yes Yes
  • Storyboards
  • Shooting
 TV commercial released by Taisei Corporation[29]
Z-Kai: Cross Road
(Ｚ会 「クロスロード」 Kurosu Rodo)		 2014 Yes
  • Storyboards
  • Screenplay
  • Production
  • Supervision
 TV commercial released by Z-Kai[30]
Thomson–East Coast MRT Line

(MRTトムソン・イーストコースト線 MRT Tomuson īsuto Kōsuto-sen)

 2018 Yes Yes
  • Storyboards
 TV commercial released by Taisei Corporation[31]
New Yangon Specialist Hospital

(ヤンゴン新専門病院 Yangon Shin Senmon Byōin)

 2020 Yes Yes
  • Storyboards
 TV commercial released by Taisei Corporation[32]

Literary works
Title Year Publisher Notes
Slug 1994 N/A Picture-book
5 Centimeters per Second 2007 Media Factory Novel
The Garden of Words 2014 Kadokawa Shoten Novel
Your Name 2016 Kadokawa Novel
Your Name. Another Side: Earthbound 2016 Kadokawa Light Novel; Co-written with Arato Kanou.
Weathering with You 2019 Kadokawa Novel

Comics
Title Year Publisher(s) Notes
Beyond the Tower 2002 N/A
Voices from a Distant Star 2004 Kodansha
The Place Promised in Our Early Days 2006 Kodansha
5 Centimeters per Second 2010–11 Kodansha
Vertical, Inc. (English)
Children who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below 2011 Media Factory
The Garden of Words 2013 Kodansha
Vertical, Inc. (English)
Your Name 2016 Media Factory

Illustrations
  • I Dream to Protect You (きみを守るためにぼくは夢をみる, Kimi o Mamoru Tame ni Boku wa Yume o Miru) — Illustrator (2003–2011)

Accolades
Year Award Category Work/Nominee Result Ref.
2003 8th AMD Award Best Director Voices of a Distant Star Won [33]
2016 29th Tokyo International Film Festival Arigatō Award Your Name [34]
41st Hochi Film Award Best Director Nominated [35]
29th Nikkan Sports Film Award Best Director Won
2017 44th Annie Awards Outstanding Achievement for Directing in an Animated Feature Production Nominated [36]
59th Blue Ribbon Awards Best Director [37]
11th Asian Film Awards Best Screenplay [38]
40th Japan Academy Prize Director of the Year [39]
Tokyo Anime Award Festival 2017 Best Director Won [40]
26th Japan Movie Critics Awards Best Animation Director [41]
2020 47th Annie Awards Outstanding Achievement for Directing in an Animated Feature Production Weathering with You Nominated [42]
Outstanding Achievement for Writing in an Animated Feature Production
Tokyo Anime Award Festival 2020 Best Director Won [43]

Notes
  1. Also known as Children Who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below or Journey to Agartha.[25]

References
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  3. Taylor-Foster, Kim (14 January 2020). "'Your Name' Creator Is Approving Scripts For JJ Abrams Remake". Fandom. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
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