Makoto Shinkai | |||||
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新海 誠 | |||||
Born | Makoto Niitsu February 9, 1973 Koumi, Japan | ||||
Education | Chuo University | ||||
Occupations |
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Years active | 1996–present | ||||
Known for | Your Name Weathering with You Suzume | ||||
Spouse | Chieko Misaka | ||||
Children | Chise Niitsu | ||||
Japanese name | |||||
Kanji | 新海 誠 | ||||
Kana | しんかい まこと | ||||
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Website | shinkaimakoto shinkaiworks | ||||
Signature | |||||
Makoto Niitsu (新津 誠, Niitsu Makoto, born February 9, 1973), known as Makoto Shinkai (新海 誠, Shinkai Makoto), is a Japanese filmmaker and novelist. He is known for his anime feature films produced with studio CoMix Wave Films.
Shinkai began his career as a video game animator with Nihon Falcom in 1996, and gained recognition as a filmmaker with the release of the original video animation (OVA) She and Her Cat (1999). Shinkai then released the science-fiction OVA Voices of a Distant Star in 2002 as his first feature with CoMix Wave, and followed this with his debut feature film The Place Promised in Our Early Days (2004).
Shinkai's films have consistently received highly positive reviews from both critics and audiences, and he is considered to be one of Japan's most commercially successful filmmakers.[1] His three most recent films Your Name (2016), Weathering with You (2019), and Suzume (2022) are all among the highest-grossing Japanese films of all time both in Japan and worldwide at the time of their release.[2][3][4]
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.
After graduating from Chuo University Faculty of Literature in March 1996,[5] he got a job at Falcom, a video game company. He worked there for 5 years, making video clips for games and graphic design including web content.[6] 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.[7] 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".[6]
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.[8][9] Shinkai's next project was 5 Centimeters per Second and premiered on 3 March 2007. It consists of three short films: Cherry Blossom, Cosmonaut, and 5 Centimeters per Second.[10] 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[citation needed]. 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".[11] 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.[12][13]
His next feature, The Garden of Words, was released on May 31, 2013.[14]
On August 26, 2016, Shinkai released Your Name. The film received widespread acclaim from audiences and critics,[15] praising 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. Then by 2019, the film became the highest-grossing anime film of all time worldwide, overtaking Miyazaki's Spirited Away.[2][16]
Shinkai's next project Weathering with You was released on July 19, 2019 in Japan.[17][18] The film was also a commercial success, grossing $192.9 million worldwide and making it the tenth highest grossing Japanese film of all time.[19][20]
Suzume, Shinkai's seventh feature-length film, was released in Japan on November 11, 2022.[21][22] The film was a further critical and commercial success, grossing over $300 million worldwide.[23]
Shinkai has been called "The New Miyazaki" in several reviews,[24][25] including those by Anime Advocates and ActiveAnime—comparisons that Shinkai brushed off as "overestimation".[26]
Shinkai is married to retired actress and producer Misaka Chieko who is best known for starring in Versus by Ryuhei Kitamura; the couple has a daughter, child actress Chise Niitsu (born 2010).[27][28]
An asteroid, 55222 Makotoshinkai, is named after him.[29]
Title | Year | Credited as | Notes | ||||
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Writer | Producer | Actor | Other | ||||
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 | Her cat (Voice over) | Short film | |
Voices of a Distant Star (ほしのこえ Hoshi no Koe) |
2002 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Animator | 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 |
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5 Centimeters per Second (秒速5センチメートル Byōsoku Go-Senchimētoru) |
2007 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
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Children Who Chase Lost Voices[A] (星を追う子ども Hoshi o Ou Kodomo) |
2011 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
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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 |
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Your Name (君の名は。 Kimi no Na wa) |
2016 | Yes | Yes |
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Weathering with You (天気の子 Tenki no Ko)[31] |
2019 | Yes | Yes |
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Suzume (すずめの戸締まり Suzume no Tojimari) |
2022 | Yes | Yes |
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Title | Year | Credited as | Notes | ||
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Director | Animator | Other | |||
The Legend of Heroes III: Song of the Ocean | 1999 | Yes (Opening) |
As Makoto Niitsu | ||
Ys II Eternal | 2000 | Yes (Opening) |
As Makoto Niitsu | ||
Bittersweet Fools | 2001 | Yes (Trailer & Opening) |
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Wind: A Breath of Heart | 2002 | Yes (Trailer & Opening) |
Yes | ||
Haru no Ashioto | 2004 | Yes (Trailer & Opening) |
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Ef: A Fairy Tale of the Two | 2006 2008 |
Yes (Trailer & Opening) |
Title | Year | Credited as | Notes | ||
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Director | Editor | Other | |||
Bosphorus Tunnel (ボスポラス海峡トンネル, Bosuporasu Kaikyō Ton'neru) | 2011 | Yes |
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TV commercial released by Taisei Corporation[32] | |
Sri Lanka Highway (スリランカ高速道路, Suriranka Kōzokudōro) | 2013 | Yes | Yes |
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TV commercial released by Taisei Corporation, featuring the theme song "Fight" (ファイト, Faito) by Anri Kumaki[33] |
Vietnam Noi Bai Airport (ベトナム・ノイバイ空港, Betonamu Noibai Kūkō) | 2014 | Yes | Yes |
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TV commercial released by Taisei Corporation[34] |
Z-Kai: Cross Road (Z会 「クロスロード」, Z-Kai Kurosu Rodo) | 2014 | Yes |
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TV commercial released by Z-Kai[35] | |
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 |
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TV commercial released by Taisei Corporation[36] |
New Yangon Specialist Hospital (ヤンゴン新専門病院, Yangon Shin Senmon Byōin) | 2020 | Yes | Yes |
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TV commercial released by Taisei Corporation[37] |
Title | Year | Publisher | Notes |
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Slug | 1994 | — | 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 |
Suzume | 2022 | Kadokawa | Novel |
Title | Year | Publisher(s) | Notes |
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Beyond the Tower | 2002 | — | |
Voices of a Distant Star | 2004 | Kodansha | Illustrated by Mizu Sahara |
The Place Promised in Our Early Days | 2006 | Kodansha | Illustrated by Mizu Sahara |
5 Centimeters per Second | 2010–11 | Kodansha Vertical, Inc. (English) |
Illustrated by Yukiko Seike |
Children Who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below | 2011 | Media Factory | |
The Garden of Words | 2013 | Kodansha Vertical, Inc. (English) |
Illustrated by Midori Motohashi |
Your Name | 2016 | Media Factory | Illustrated by Ranmaru Kotone |
Weathering with You | 2019 | — | Illustrated by Watari Kubota |