Voices of a Distant Star (2003)

Voices of a Distant Star (2003)

Dir. Makoto Shinkai

A short OVA (25 mins) that was for many people an introduction to the magic of Makoto Shinkai. What it lacks in length it more than makes up for in content, specifically emotional content. It squeezes more lyrical beauty into its short running time than many full-length features can manage. And while it's sad to see it end so suddenly, I believe its brevity is part of the reason it works so well - like a flower it exists for a short time and is all the more beautiful because of it.

It's the story of two Japanese high-school students, Mikako Nagamine and Noboru Terao, distanced from each other but never far from one another's thoughts.

The gulf between them isn't just geographical, it's also temporal. The pair communicate via the only means they have, but it's a process that has limitations, the least of which is that it's text-based only.

Shinkai wrote, produced and directed the work. It's a staggering achievement that earns even greater levels of respect when you consider that it took him three years in total, and he did it working mostly alone on a Macintosh computer in his home. The character designs aren't as good as in his subsequent works, but the achingly beautiful backgrounds he's known for are firmly in place, and the heartfelt simplicity that underpins everything else is as strong in its infancy as it ever became in later years.

The music is by Tenmon. I won't go into depth about it, but will say that it's some of the most beautiful and delicate soundtrack music that I've personally ever heard in an anime, and the sentimental main vocal piece (Through the Years and Far Away) never fails to affect me.

If you're watching the film on DVD or Blu-ray, then you'll likely have the option of either the original Japanese audio track(s) or a dubbed alternate language track. I dislike dubs, so I haven't ever heard the English audio track. The nature of the plot, however, makes the subtitled version problematic. There are times when a lot of text is onscreen, sometimes spoken dialogue and translated phone messages appear simultaneously, which means you'll maybe have to pause the action if you want to assimilate it all, unless you're a super-fast reader. The pausing interrupts the all-important flow, but it'll be a necessary evil for many folks on their first viewing.

She and Her Cat (1999)

Dir. Makoto Shinkai

The Region 2 DVD and Blu-ray editions include an earlier short called She and Her Cat: Their Standing Points (i.e. viewpoints). It's 5 mins, B+W and 4:3.

The animation isn't as good as the main feature, but it's certainly not hurried and it suits the aesthetic.

It begins in springtime, then moves through the subsequent seasons to end in winter.

The V/O is from the perspective of a male cat, commenting on his relationship with the young woman whose house he shares. It's a sweet, thoughtful and often poetic slice of observation that provides viewers with a glimpse into one example of the process by which two souls can come together.

Both VoaDS and SaHC were adapted into manga. You can read about them HERE and HERE, respectively.