posts tagged “Makoto Shinkai”
[Specials]
23 Jun 2008
Posted by Martin [Tags: Live events, Makoto Shinkai, Unashamed fanboying]
Buy Vibramycin Without Prescription, In case you're wondering why things have been quiet in recent days, I've been out of town. Given the time and expense involved I wasn't sure if I was doing the right thing in getting the train all the way to London just to see a movie (admittedly I also met up with one of my closest friends who lives in London now, Vibramycin used for, Vibramycin gel, ointment, cream, pill, spray, continuous-release, extended-release, but still...I actually booked an afternoon off work for this) but as it turns out the hassle was worth it: 5cm Per Second looks great on the big screen. Fantastic actually, order Vibramycin online c.o.d. Where can i buy cheapest Vibramycin online, Shinkai is also really modest and down-to-earth when talking about his own work, which is evident in recorded interviews but all the more noticeable when you meet him in person - I made handwritten notes of the hour-long interview that followed too, generic Vibramycin, Vibramycin australia, uk, us, usa, which I've posted on the Nakama Britannica blog for those interested.
Now imagine this projected onto a cinema screen...
Amongst the expected questions regarding his early career,
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Real brand Vibramycin online, influences and so on, there were some fascinating details regarding how he goes about making an animated feature and his plans for his next project,
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Vibramycin description, And how he misses his cat. In any case,
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Where can i find Vibramycin online, it's not only great to see a movie like this in a full-sized cinema but it was an honour to meet one of the most talented new film makers in the industry and hear him giving his own views.
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[2 Comments]
[OAVs, Movies and Full Series]
15 Apr 2008
Posted by Martin [Tags: arthouse, Makoto Shinkai, Yasuhiro Yoshiura]
Buy Diflucan Without Prescription, This post is something of an experiment. There are a few bits of anime that are too short in terms of running time to warrant a post of their own - there simply isn't enough to say about each one individually so I've decided to take on two in one go; the only common feature between them, low dose Diflucan, Buy cheap Diflucan no rx, really, is the fact that they aren't very long, is Diflucan addictive. Diflucan maximum dosage, I don't stumble on these short-and-sweet pieces very often, so I'm making no promises as to how regular this feature will be (recommendations for more are welcome, Diflucan mg, Diflucan from canada, people). First up though is Yasuhiro Yoshiura's nine minute effort Mizu no Kotoba (Aquatic Language) and my long-overdue fanboy rave of She and Her Cat, Diflucan no prescription. No prescription Diflucan online,
Mizu no Kotoba
I recently tracked down this particular film because it was the 'other' completed production from Yasuhiro Yoshiura, the creative mind behind that marvellous piece of dystopian sci-fi
Pale Coccoon; the trailer for his latest effort,
my Diflucan experience,
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Eve no Jikan (
The Time of Eve) was posted online recently in both
high and
low res, and it's shot my expectations into the stratosphere,
Diflucan over the counter. My curiousity piqued further, I sought out his first piece which I sadly could only find on Youtube and dubbed,
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found it I did and decided to share its quirky win with the rest of you,
after Diflucan.
Purchase Diflucan online, What made
Pale Coccoon so special was not just the quality of the home-grown CGI animation and the music - it was a great concept told in a short space of time. This 'succinct' approach to storytelling was just one of the factors that make me think of Yoshiura as a spiritual equivalent to early Makoto Shinkai; their themes and methods differ slightly of course but as with
Pale Coccoon,
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What is Diflucan,
Mizu no Kotoba doesn't need much time, or budget,
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Cheap Diflucan, whose topics of discussion may or may not be connected.
Buy Diflucan Without Prescription, I'm not sure what it's saying from that perspective, but half the fun is coming up with your own interpretation; it's almost as if you've wandered into one scene of a longer film, or, indeed, the mental doodling that goes on inside its writer's head.
The film is philosophical in a light and undemanding way, Diflucan samples, Diflucan dangers, with some surreal moments and a nice twist at the end; it does what Pale Coccoon did from a thematic standpoint but in a smaller, more mundane setting and on a much more modest scale (extrapolating what these films do then, Diflucan images, Buying Diflucan online over the counter, I hope you can understand why I think Eve no Jikan will be awesome). Visually it's nothing spectacular of course - it would be impressive if it were, where can i buy Diflucan online, Diflucan class, say, Yoshiura's university project or something, generic Diflucan. Online buy Diflucan without a prescription, The eyes for instance don't look 'right' and the animation is pretty basic but it's a refreshing departure from the norm; while it doesn't shout quality from the rooftops it's oozing film-making potential from every pore and is interesting in its own right.
She and Her Cat
Speaking of early Shinkai,
is Diflucan addictive,
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She and Her Cat is one of my favourite love stories, from my favourite director of love stories (and one of my favourite directors,
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Diflucan without a prescription, full stop). Okay, so it's a movie about a young woman and her pet but while the bond between cat and owner isn't romantic and isn't family per se either, there's that sense of companionship and affection existing between them that equates to some form of love,
Buy Diflucan Without Prescription. The VA performances are,
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Voices of a Distant Star, provided by the director and his wife,
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Experiencing the narrative through the cat's eyes is akin to that of a child's: its unassuming simplicity lends a kind of purity and lack of prejudices. The events of the woman's life are told from the standpoint of someone who is devoted to her but doesn't judge her as a human being would - we don't learn the exact nature of the phone calls she receives, but we certainly see how Chobi feels affection and concern for her; even to the point of affecting his relationship with a neighbouring cat, Mimi.
Although Mizu no Kotoba feels decidedly short its runtime is twice that of She and Her Cat, which is a tantalisingly brief five or so minutes. Buy Diflucan Without Prescription, Not a great deal *happens* either: even the trademark Shinkai staples of sweeping vistas and loves separated by time and space are absent here, instead focusing on everday objects and cityscapes, with plenty of still shots and sparing use of movement. It's completely in monochrome too, which equates to an unusual approach in animated film in which the visual side of things (the animation's principal raison d'être in most cases) deliberately takes second place to the story.
It's a triumph of beauty in simplicity really, because it's almost as immersive as five minutes of his other works while being much plainer and abstract. Fortunately the endearing Chobi makes cameo appearances in his later movies but this is where we hear him tell his own tale - interestingly he is drawn in an especially simplistic way, which emphasises his straightforward view of the world while drawing attention to the detailed backgrounds that Shinkai would become so well-known for. Although it's only a snapshot into two characters' lives, it instills that 'love for the world' that they share.
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[5 Comments]
[Editorials]
14 Feb 2008
Posted by Martin [Tags: ABC, Kare Kano, Makoto Shinkai, Random thoughts, Saikano, True Tears]
Buy Spiriva Without Prescription, The mission, should I choose to accept it: write a Valentines Day post without taking the Holden Caulfield-esque stance that I take towards most things IRL. Spiriva trusted pharmacy reviews, I didn't want to limit myself to a True Tears follow-up post so tried to make a list of romance anime I'm familiar enough with to write about; this didn't get very far either. It did throw up an observation that I found interesting though: my limited experience of romance anime seems to show two main approaches which, is Spiriva addictive, Spiriva used for, in keeping with the anime blogging tradition of inventing new descriptive terms, I've decided to call zoom lens and wide-angle lens storytelling, where can i cheapest Spiriva online. Online buy Spiriva without a prescription, Yeah, I know categorising things can lead to all sorts of misunderstandings but I had to call them something, effects of Spiriva. Purchase Spiriva online,
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A good example of zoom lens storytelling is the currently airing and increasingly brilliant True Tears, no prescription Spiriva online. Spiriva results, In my previous post regarding this show I was unsure of Noe's motives in terms of her feelings towards Shinichiro and couldn't really warm to her at all. Ep #4 onwards blew all my suspicions out the water though when I finally allowed myself to think: yeah, Spiriva use, Buy Spiriva from mexico, Noe's cool. For all her eccentricities it's clear that she genuinely does care about him after all, Spiriva schedule, Spiriva without prescription, and is a decent, interesting individual - she certainly isn't just a tease, Spiriva from canadian pharmacy. These plot developments were EXACTLY WHAT I NEEDED Buy Spiriva Without Prescription, in getting to like her as a character. Spiriva from mexico, That's in both caps and italics for double emphasis there.
It's hard to say what exactly overcame my cynical attitude born from years of hanging out with selfish, where can i buy cheapest Spiriva online, Spiriva pictures, immature types who have enough emotional baggage to fill a Transit van, but it worked, generic Spiriva. Herbal Spiriva, I think what True Tears does above all is allow the viewer an insight into the characters' heads or at the very least (we're only half-way through, after all) let us see the respective situations through their eyes, kjøpe Spiriva på nett, köpa Spiriva online. Buy no prescription Spiriva online, To really get attached to a character and care about them, you need some grasp of why they act and think the way they do - as with being in love in real life I suppose, purchase Spiriva online no prescription, What is Spiriva, a certain degree of understanding is needed for connecting with someone emotionally. Visual prettiness can only take things so far, Buy Spiriva Without Prescription.
In a very similar way, Spiriva gel, ointment, cream, pill, spray, continuous-release, extended-release, Spiriva price, this is why I think Kare Kano is the standard against which all similar fare should be judged. The characters aren't good or bad per se, about Spiriva, Spiriva canada, mexico, india, but flawed in a natural kind of way; thanks to Masami Tsuda's character concepts and the infamous Anno-isms, you're drawn deep into the minds of Yukino and Arima to see what they're really feeling at any given moment and see what really makes them tick, buy cheap Spiriva no rx. Spiriva dangers, The pendulum swing of adolescent feelings, fuelled by the fast-forward feeling of the growing-up teenage years, where can i buy Spiriva online, Buy Spiriva online no prescription, makes for a rollercoaster ride whose emotional impact is only limited for me by the fact that my own experiences of that time of life happened longer ago than I would like. As in True Tears, Spiriva no rx, Spiriva without a prescription, it's a realistic portrayal of romance that deals with the everyday and trivial...not that any of that sort of thing feels trivial at the time. Buy Spiriva Without Prescription, The problem with the zoom-lens take on romance, shared by the likes of Tokyo Marble Chocolate and Shinkai's output to varying degrees, is that it shows small, everyday hurdles and individual moments in exquisite detail that forgets the bigger picture that surrounds them. The zoom lens is great for the little things but misses the broader and more universal aspects of romance as portrayed in film: this means that it either resonates with you or it doesn't, buy no prescription Spiriva online, Spiriva street price, which limits the appeal in terms of wider audiences.
Can't stop the signal
The second type therefore is that of the more traditional ‘cinematic’ variety that isn't as observational but gives a broader impression of romance and the associated problems. Unlike the realistic fiction of True Tears, Kare Kano and similar, it's more of a wide-angle lens view that deals with concepts rather than individual events. There are still close-up moments in series and movies like this, such as heart-to-heart snippets of dialogue in Saikano and 5cm but the general way in which the feelings are shown differs somewhat: it's better escapism but also conveys the messages and ideas with more metaphors and symbolism than the slice-of-life types.
Voices of a Distant Star may be lacking in a number of areas compared with what came afterwards but the concept of distance and longing is so perfectly captured that Shinkai has never quite matched that portrayal of the tugging pain of loss; there are plot holes of course, such as how Mikako can pay her phone bill or top up her credit from where she is (I'm guessing her mecha had an electrical socket of some sort to plug her charger in), but unlike the zoom-lens view of realistic fiction the general ideas are more important than the details, Buy Spiriva Without Prescription. An upshot of this is that sci-fi and fantasy romances are more common in this category than drama and slice-of life, because animators can ‘get away with’ fantastical plot devices and ideas that wouldn't work in a real-life setting. Again, there are exceptions: most notably Tokyo Marble Chocolate's mini-donkey, which balances the realism and fairytale aspects so effectively, is a fantastical plot device that works in a situation that's very true-to-life indeed.
Similarly Saikano is so full of metaphors and unrealistic plot devices that it feels like an allegory when it's not in high school drama mode - there are many unanswered questions regarding the war, Chise's condition and so on but they are beside the central points the series has about devotion and human nature; the distance theme that pervades most of Shikai's work to date is evident in real life in the form of the distance between human hearts. Mikako and Noboru transimit their feelings across the light-years with cellphones: the same gadgets that everyday folk use to communicate each and every day. Buy Spiriva Without Prescription, By the same token, no seventeen-year olds I know of have experienced relationship problems due to one of them turning into a One (wo)Man Army* as in Saikano, but the break-ups and uncertainties that result from this implausible situation are very real.
There is a mixture of both approaches in most anime romance productions of course but most lean more towards one more than the other; the key to the successful ones is making use of the advantages of each, without going too far and alienating the audience. Too much wide angle makes you feel detached from the events and feelings onscreen - it stands so far back that the plight of individuals is no longer discernable. Similarly too much zoom relies on personal experience and reactions to connect with the viewer, and the plot can get bogged down in trivial issues that are blown out of all proportion by tiresome melodrama.
*It's a song by Our Lady Peace. Did you think I could write a post without the temptation of a music reference?, Buy Spiriva Without Prescription.
Now if you'll excuse me I'll celebrate Singles Awareness Day by plugging my guitar in and helping myself to a beer. Happy Valentines everyone. ^_^
Just kidding. <3
Because this post is tl;dr and rubbish, here are the bloggers who wanted to share the lurve and wrote some better ones (list will be updated as ans when I'm able, so please don't think I left your post out on purpose!):
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[6 Comments]
[Anime Reviews]
14 Dec 2007
Posted by Martin [Tags: ABC, Makoto Shinkai, Twelve days of Christmas]
Buy Ultram Without Prescription, Day 1: One More Time, One More Chance
As part of the ABC's joint 2007 retrospective, we're all taking on one post per day for the twelve days leading up to December 25th itself, each one centred around a special moment in the last twelve months...just as Epic Win did, except they started early, being the keen rebels they are. Ultram from mexico, Don't worry folks, this effort isn't synchronised so your feedreader shouldn't collapse under the weight of cross-linking and simultaneous posting, order Ultram from mexican pharmacy. Ultram pharmacy, I'll also be running through them in alphabetical order of title because I'm boring that way. First up is what is possibly my pick of the bunch, Ultram blogs, Ultram from canadian pharmacy, 5cm per second.
"Breathe in your own light/dream of your own life/I miss me/I miss everything I'll never be..." *
As the festive season nears, Ultram dosage, Ultram pictures, I inevitably end up nostalgic about the past twelve months, dwelling on what's passed, Ultram online cod, Herbal Ultram, gained and lost. It's been precisely one year since...never mind, Buy Ultram Without Prescription. Suffice to say, is Ultram safe, Ultram over the counter, 5cm Per Second resonated with me one hell of a lot. It should go without saying really that a new Shinkai movie was always going to be one of the best things anime-related that happened to me all year but his latest effort surpassed my expectations in terms of maturity of narrative as well as his eye-wateringly-beautiful visual style, Ultram dangers. Ultram trusted pharmacy reviews, Place Promised... may be my personal favourite but I didn't so much as watch 5cm as feel it...and ultimately it seems, live it too, Ultram price, coupon. Japan, craiglist, ebay, overseas, paypal, The ability to make such good movies is something that's a real rarity of course but I couldn't help but feel that this was a very personal thing being shared, which makes it feel like even more of a precious gift from an artist to his fans, purchase Ultram. Buy Ultram Without Prescription, With the doom-mongering in the industry telling horror stories of talent drying up, I'll never completely lose hope as long as there are genuinely moving and artistically impressive pieces like this one. Ultram forum, Taking a more blogosphere-centric view, there were some great posts from other bloggers regarding Shinkai's choice of subject matter, australia, uk, us, usa, Where can i find Ultram online, structure of arthouse films in comparison with mainstream ones and the sympathy/empathy debate. As an average joe whose enthusiasm for analysis exceeds the level of intelligence study required, Ultram images, Fast shipping Ultram, I found them to be englightening and endlessly interesting to read.
All that's missing is the mistletoe
This was one occasion in particular where I genuinely felt at home in the blogosphere - the posts I read either solidified my own stance (great for massaging the ego) or sent me down a train of thought I wouldn't have even considered otherwise, purchase Ultram for sale. Buy Ultram from canada, There isn't much that can be said here without repeating my lengthy post on all three episodes so this is probably all I'm able to say now. I just hope his next film is about something different, okay, Buy Ultram Without Prescription.
Memorable moment
On first viewing, buying Ultram online over the counter, Buy no prescription Ultram online, the agonising train journey Takaki makes to meet Akari, followed by a heartwarming meeting in the snow, purchase Ultram online no prescription, Buy Ultram without prescription, has ‘classic movie moment’ written all over it. The montage to the accompaniment of Masayoshi Yamazaki's classic pop ballad that ends the movie really takes a repeat viewing to appreciate fully but it sure as hell hits home, about Ultram. Ultram dose, *The song's called Rocket. Geddit, Ultram maximum dosage. Is Ultram addictive, ^_^
Other ABC bloggers' posts for the Twelve Days of Christmas
Drop your url into the comments section below if I've inadvertantly left you out. ^_^,
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[7 Comments]
[OAVs, Movies and Full Series]
22 Sep 2007
Posted by Martin [Tags: iyashikei, Makoto Shinkai, realistic fiction]
"...I can survive, I can endure/And I don't even think about her/Most of the time..."
Yep, I've finally brought my scattered thoughts together as promised. It's going to be a long one, people, and a few links/trackbacks. Sorry about that. ^_^ I've already given my first impressions on part 1 but my feelings of the piece as whole have changed a lot since seeing it in its entirety and thinking over it at length. It's the kind of movie you can think at length over, and also get a lot of benefit from a repeat viewing or two.
Chapter 1: Oukashou
This could be a stand-alone feature since its storyline and conclusion encapsulate a set of ideas, a time and a frame of mind so perfectly. I won't reiterate the visual quality at length here since it's consistent throughout all three links of the 'chain'; besides, it's stating the obvious anyway. Perhaps due to Shinkai's already-established talent for sweeping cityscapes and sunsets, I was actually most impressed with the details - textures, objects and movements that you only notice in everyday life when you're either bored out of your mind or utterly fascinated by something. I actually enjoy travelling by train and at the time of writing I live near a railway station; I find the sound to be soothing rather than annoying and the idea that a train journey offers time to reflect isn't lost on me. It isn't lost on Shikai either it seems, as he ably portrays the tension and impatience that is familiar to anyone who has embarked on a journey in which the destination and time of arrival are of great importance to them.
The concepts of shame, regret and so on are set up in this episode which presents us with what is (to me at least) a familiar sensation of nostalgia but at the same time a feeling of having irretrievably lost something precious and dwelling on the could-have-beens and "I should have..."s. I'll address this issue later but some of the feelings here echo my own experiences: naming no names (the person in question will probably never read this, but still), I didn't just understand but
felt the uncertainty for the future, the sensation of losing oneself in a moment of peace and 'togetherness' and the regret of having found a soulmate who I may never see again.
Chapter 2: Cosmonaut
The second part harks back to the
Voices... movie with the imagery of mobile phones and space rockets; nevertheless, the sci-fi themes are background details rather than being integral to the story. I wouldn't call this part weaker than the others though. Its strengths merely lie elsewhere in that it captures yet another aspect of young love: that of the unrequited variety. Kanae is a bright girl with her whole life ahead of her but adolescence is a blur of unspoken emotion and missed opportunities - this part sums up how unrequited love can feel like the time, effort and affection is wasted. The imagery didn't work quite as well here but Kanae's situation hit almost too close for comfort. The setting-up of the final segment also takes place here as we see how all those messages Takaki writes go unsent.
In a way, this is a different take on the movie's overall themes and messages but at the same time it's very similar. By the end Kanae still hasn't resolved her feelings although she's won one personal victory; i.e. in her hobby of surfing. By the end though, she hasn't found a solution to her problem: instead, she realises that there are some things beyond our control and as a result the nearest we can get to peace of mind is to understand and accept them. But then, isn't that how real life often works?
Chapter 3: Byousouku 5 Centimetre
The final part's own storyline is limited: it's mostly that of an older Takaki reminiscing and another ex-girlfriend whose appearance is merely to solidify his situation in our minds. Its main focus however is tying things up: the pivotal scene, that of the meeting on the level crossing, brings things back full circle to the meeting in the first part between Takaki and (an as-yet unmarried) Akari. The symbolism is especially strong at this point and we as the viewer finally realise that this isn't necessarily a happy ending.
I especially loved the shortened cut-style editing that showed everyday scenes and accompanied that great bit of music; it reminded me strongly of Hideaki Anno when he's on the top of his game, which I can assure you is intended to be a compliment of the highest order. Everything that has happened is re-run, expanded on then brought to an open, bittersweet but painfully true-to-life conclusion. If you find it unsatisfying, don't fret: watching it again may help you appreciate it more as I did.
Commentary
Well, those were my thoughts on the individual pieces. As a whole it sits well alongside the likes of
Voices... and
Place Promised..., although my opinion (which is shared by a number of others) still stands that it's time he moved onto new themes and ideas. This trilogy is a journey through adolescent romance but it brings us right up to date so I feel it's said pretty much everything that he's likely to say about the subject. Interestingly, I didn't get that tearful, overwhelming feeling after this movie in the same way that I did with his previous two efforts; instead, it was a feeling of understanding, acceptance and, strangely, a sort-of emptiness that lasted for a longer time afterwards.
This could be down to the unusual narrative structure that was picked up on
over at Transientem, but at the same time I wonder if the gorgeous visuals distracted me from the thematic side of things, as was
suggested by Xerox at Nirai Kanai. A repeat viewing helps with the latter issue but Shinkai is definitely trying to break out of the linear narrative structure, even one punctuated by flashbacks. Perhaps this movie feels different because the ending is open, or not happily resolved; to my mind it brings a heightened amount of realism and credibility because it has less of a 'movie ending' and more of a conclusion that comes from the closing in a chapter of one's life.One very important issue, which I've mulled over at length following
Owen's post is that of precisely how easily the viewer can relate to the characters and how this affect his or her appreciatation of the film as a whole. This is easily summed up by the subtle difference between sympathy and empathy. All good drama,
Voices... and
Place Promised... included, evokes our sympathy insofar as being able to understand why they feel a certain way. A problem that often occurs is that some details of the situation itself distance it from our own experiences - in Shinkai's case he relies heavily on science fiction themes such as parallel universes, long journeys by space ship and so on. In the case of
5cm though, it's all grounded firmly in a reality that any one of us can immediately recognise; or at least, settings that closely resemble it. I'm sticking my neck out a bit here but I'll throw out the decision that, because of this,
Byousoku 5cm makes that leap to empathy.
Another related train of thought I had, which is nevertheless quite distinct, is how open to interpretation the movie is - as in, how much entertainment value is derived from what the writer is trying to say and how much is independent thought on the viewer's part, inspired by the events on-screen. Telling a good story is one thing but what earns Shinkai my eternal respect as a storyteller is how his work evokes memories from my own life experiences. This ability that his movies exhibit gives two facets to the films' impact: that of an emotionally powerful tale and that of a flood of past events and feelings that I'd long since buried at the back of my mind. I don't know if anyone else gets this from his movies or whether it's just me; I'd be really interested to hear what the rest of you have to say.
Conclusions
I said it would be a long post, didn't I? All this has been stewing in my mind for days (some details for weeks) but in closing I still believe that Shinkai has adequately covered the metaphorical distance that separates two hearts, etc., etc. It's done brilliantly but it hits so many raw nerves in me that I'd like to see him take on something new. Besides, I want to see him stretch his talents a bit.
When I place
Byousoku 5cm alongside his earlier efforts (for some reason I view
She and Her Cat as a bit different, but I'll be blogging that little gem in due course), I see it as a purer production, able to convey its messages without the sci-fi trappings. This could be Shinkai's breakthrough into the mainstream as a result but this simplicity of storytelling is combined with an increased complexity, maturity and variety of emotions - it captures that elusive 'empathy' feeling. The artwork quality also traces a gradual but upward path which I thought had reached its zenith with his previous movie. All this leads me to one final conclusion: as a film maker I believe Shinkai has finally come of age.
[7 Comments]
[OAVs, Movies and Full Series]
13 Sep 2007
Posted by Martin [Tags: Makoto Shinkai]
I could have done an 'easy' review today but I felt like a challenge. Like my Haibane Renmei review the other day, this is a piece of anime that I find damned hard to review in any sort of objective way (what you are about to read took over a week); I even made a point of watching Byousoku 5cm to get a clearer idea of where this film stands today as part of Shinkai's body of work, hoping it would help me and also make this post relevant to the time of writing. I think it can be argued that The Place Promised...'s successor is more sophisticated and 'grown-up' but I still have what I can only describe as a sentimental attachment to this one. It isn't a perfect film, it isn't even his best and it lacks certain elements that its successor - and predecessor - have, but I'll get to those in a minute. It is, however, still special and moving enough for me to comment on it at excessive length.
I don't even need to outline how good this movie looks - after all, Makoto Shinkai made his name through making
Voices of a Distant Star, a film he animated almost on his own that still looked gorgeous so I guess everyone expects this to be a work of art in that sense.
The Place Promised... is an evolution of
Voices..., but crucially his style has been maintained even with the fuller roll-call of production staff who took a share of the workload and influence over how the end product would look. The motifs, the character designs, even Tenmon's involvement with the musical score (I'd like to draw attention to that plaintive violin piece in particular) are familiar; this still feels like Shinkai's movie, just on a larger scale. Simulated lens flares, sweeping landscapes, it's all everything you'd expect it to be: beautiful. As in, capture a random screenshot, frame it and hang it on your living room wall kind of beautiful.
Because its running time is that of a fully-fledged feature film, it has opportunity to properly introduce characters and their respective situations - it's built along a timeline in which events can unfold and progress; unlike
Voices..., which was formed around a single and not particularly linear idea, it takes the viewer on a journey. On the downside, the feelings you experience are diluted, as it were:
Voices... is memorable to me because it's a short, sweet, compact shot to the heart. If that was the demo tape, this is the full LP which allows the vision of its creator to be realised more fully but requires a bit of patience; patience that is of course ultimately rewarded.
I loved the way in which it shows people form friendships, share dreams only to drift apart later on and experience the heartache that goes with it; it's portrayed with brilliant imagery, loving attention to detail and an unhurried pace that gives the viewer time to take in and inwardly digest the significance of events. Those extended background sequences are used here for this purpose; often including Shinkai's trademark sunsets, thry give the viewer ample time for reflection. Although the 'new Miyazaki' label really is innacurate and a disservice to both directors, the technical talent for almost-photorealistic backgrounds would *hypothetically* have its creator on Studio Ghibli's employ in a heartbeat. The art style is unique and quite frankly without parallel right now but what matters is that Shinkai uses these techniques to such great effect.
Without character development of course, all this would be a hollow and futile venture. The bond between Hiroki and Takuya is shown right from the outset as they share schoolroom banter and heartfelt secrets in a way that only close friends can; despite the appearances of harmony that exist when the two of them hang out with Sayuri, there's the ominous feeling that three's a crowd. When this could fall into the love triangle cliche, it provides something more interesting: two friends who must resolve their differences to save a person who is precious to both, but precious in a different way for each of them. A potential sticking point is how Sayuri's character is asleep for quite a bit of the film so is unable to take an active part in influencing the film's course. The science fiction/fantasy theme of parallel universes and dreams comes into play here, adding as Shinkai did with
Voices..., a fantastical element to a very down-to-earth tale; here, a character is trapped, alone and in need of rescuing.
And therein lies what I can see as the movie's only flaw. The viewer's empathy with them requires plot points that echo our own life experiences very closely; this could be hampered by unfamiliar concepts or events that may confuse or distract those expecting a purely drama-driven piece that is firmly rooted in reality. Would these elements prevent a viewer from being able to relate to their own life experiences (if you're confused, check out a fellow blogger's
astute observation of this problem)? Would those outside of anime and sci-fi fandom circles, who are used to movies with parallel universes and whatnot, see it as a film that still exhibits the perceived anime quirks of colouring a movie's narrative with technobabble? Of course, eliminating the Tower, Sayuri's sleeping sickness and so on will take out a lot of the story so there's not much that can be done without essentially turning it into a different film altogether. It's strange, but if I hadn't seen
Byousoku 5cm to compare, this nagging doubt would never have occured to me (if I hadn't read Owen's post either, it still may not have. Cheers for that, pal :p) -I now believe that Shinkai is a master at evoking sympathy for his characters but this time around, it may not extend as far as empathy.
This one negative factor may be offputting for some but for me it isn't a big deal, which may explain why it's still in my top ten. The ending in particular is one of my favourites too - I'm not ashamed to admit it brought me to tears on my first viewing (thank heavens I was in a dimly-lit cinema at the time) and still gets me every time I watch it. It's the double-whammy of seeing Sayuri realise what she has lost but also what she is able to gain from here on which makes it a deliberately open ending but also one filled with hope for the future. This movie is certainly unusual but is also wistful, nostalgic, heart-rending and very personal. I still love it.
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[OAVs, Movies and Full Series]
26 Aug 2007
Posted by Martin [Tags: Makoto Shinkai]
Yeah, I know I'd reviewed it before but I wasn't too happy with the way it read for some reason. It's also a slow day so I might as well post up another oldie, but apparently 5cm Per Second will be released Stateside at the end of the year so I guess it's kinda relevant.
The idea of love traversing the infinite distance of outer space is a particularly well-used one in the realms of animated science fiction. From the seminal Super Dimensional Fortress Macross to the heart-tugging Gainax OAV Gunbuster and many others before and since, viewers have seen countless couples separated by the consequences of intergalactic warfare so the premise of Makoto Shinkai's Voices of a Distant Star is hardly an original one. Furthermore the entire OAV is little more than 25 minutes in length - scarcely enough time for a film to realise its full potential.
A walk by the railway
I know it's unusual for me to outline the shortcomings of a feature before mentioning its plus points or even a plot synopsis, but the merits of Voices of a Distant Star must be viewed with these criticisms in mind. Shinkai famously animated it on his own using Lightwave and a Mac so writing it off as being too short or a little amateurish when placed beside the likes of Madhouse and I.G. is unfair to say the least. Taking a less sympathetic view though, can it be enjoyed as a movie without using its humble origins as an excuse for its limitations?
Noboru's agonising wait
That question is fortunately easy to answer. Voices...looks, with only one or two jarring moments, utterly beautiful. Sure, the animation doesn't quite measure up to bigger budget productions but it's still polished and fluid enough: even in the action scenes in which the heroine Mikako is aboard her mecha and fighting the invading aliens, it puts some more recent made-for-TV efforts to shame (I'm looking at you, Gonzo). Shinkai's forte as an animator lies in his ability to use lighting effects to convey feelings and situations, which is a useful device when screentime is short such as it is here. The way sunlight falls on an empty classroom, or the breaks in clouds after rain, are rendered with breathtaking professionalism; the skylines in particular verge on the photorealistic.
The trademark Shinkai Sunset
The visual side of things was enough to catapult Shinkai into the limelight but what I think is an equally admirable achievement is how it is used in the characterisation. Mikako and Noboru are the only characters in the piece but we are clearly shown the awkwardness found in the beginnings of first love, before time and space that separates them. The core idea that the film is founded on, that of the two protagonists relying on sending e-mail to one another by mobile phone, is a simple one but the trick is in the execution. Considering many teenagers today exchange innane and trivial nonsense by moronic 'txt speak' on mobiles and IM, it's strangely fitting that Mikako and Noboru use the same medium to make much more meaningful conversation and keep hold of something much more precious.
Mikako on the front line
The overall message of the movie is 'love conquers all' - as Mikako travels at lightspeed to fight the Tarsians, Noboru mentally braces himself for the wait prior to her return. The messages, which take longer to arrive as the distance increases, start off as typical correspondance but soon reflect how the separation draws their respective feelings sharply into focus. In the face of an undeniable reality, that of the millions of miles between them, both simultaneously declare that even this cannot change another undeniable fact which takes on a whole deeper meaning: the final, tearjerking, "I am here."
In Summary
Voices of a Distant Star cannot be dismissed merely as a short advertisment or showcase for the talents of its creator: despite its compressed narrative and 'home grown' visual style it is a classic in its own right. The first time I saw this I was deeply moved by the eye-watering artwork and thoughtful portrayal of the characters' situations; repeated viewings don't seem to dull its power in the slightest.
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24 Jun 2007
Posted by Martin [Tags: Makoto Shinkai]
Fans of Makoto Shinkai (i.e. those of you who share my obsession) will be overjoyed to hear that its Western licence has been picked up: by, unsurprisingly, ADV. Since they have Voices of a Distant Star and The Place Promised in our Early Days already this is pretty much a given but the official announcement is always nice when you're making a mental note of when to keep a lookout for the DVD. Unfortunately then I won't be following up the series in my fansub reviews but I'll post a DVD-related rave as and when, which to my mind is even better still.
In case you need reminding why I hold this young fellow in such high esteem, here are my reviews for Voices... and Place Promised...; my first impressions of 5cm suggest that it's going to be achingly beautiful in every sense. Good luck to Shinkai in his future endeavors, and thanks for giving us such personal and impressive pieces of art. You sir are a legend in the making.
In other news my laptop is still determined to stay dead so while the factory is working out what the devil is wrong with it, I'm still watching anime but with little opportunity to publish my thoughts on this here Wired. As soon as that situation changes I'll have my initial impressions of the old fan fave Bubblegum Crisis for your reading pleasure (it gets really good after ep #4 or so) as well as Last Exile, Texhnolyze and more Eureka Seven. Thanks for all the comments in my recent posts - they do get read and appreciated (once they're picked out from the hundred or so spam additions daily). I'm just coming to realise how internet-dependent I've become in recent months!
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