Voices of a Distant Star (2018)

Voices of a Distant Star (2018)

Author: Makoto Shinkai | Adaptation + Illustration: Mizu Sahara | English Translation: Melissa Tanaka | Page Count: 230

'Bit by bit I'm losing sight of the edges of the world... Sometimes, I forget where I am.'

A belated English language version of the manga adaptation of Makoto Shinkai's breakthrough anime, first published in Japan in 2005. This version of the story is slightly different to the original short film.

The story is simple but deeply affecting. Mikako Nagamine and Noboru Terao are classmates who are in love but half-afraid to admit it to themselves or each other. When interstellar war separates them, their only means of communication is via long-distance text message on a mobile phone network.

But the further away the war takes Mikako, the longer it takes for her messages to reach Noboru.

If the anime was recreated as is, the manga would probably be quite a thin volume, so, in order to ensure that isn't the case, new content has been added, including a small number of subplots.

As someone who loved the original partly because of its length, I'm not completely enamoured with the idea of it being extended. However, Mizu Sahara clearly loved the original, too, evidenced by the new additions being mostly respectful to the feelings that Shinkai nurtured.

If you're a manga reader that's not familiar with the anime, I don't think the new additions will seem incongruous because like Shinkai's work they too have a poetic, considered softness that comforts and subsequently pains upon reflection.

Conversely, if you know the original film, despite the very best of intentions on Mizu's part, the additional subplots invariably change how we view each of the two protagonists. Furthermore, there are times when it feels like having extra words takes away from, rather than adds to, the perfectly streamlined emotional heart of the work as it exists on film. In short, I feel the new additions are respectful and work in context, but they change the context to fit their inclusion.

The art is equally complementary to the power of the story. The vastness of space isn't as overwhelming as it could've been, but the distance between the lovers is beautifully presented, intimate and tragic without compromising the dignity of each or the intent of the work.

The relationship between the danger to a soldier in war and the danger to an individual by living a life waiting for a message that may never come is made eminently believable. The loneliness of battle and the loneliness of a private life put on hold aren't always so far removed, it seems.

Note: at time of writing, the first chapter of the book can be read for FREE on Kodansha's website: Voices of a Distant Star (2018) - Chapter 1. It's in the traditional Japanese manga Right to Left format, so use the Left arrow to advance through the pages.