, known as , is a Japanese animator, filmmaker, author, and

manga artist A is a comic artist who writes and/or illustrates manga. As of 2006, about 3,000 professional manga artists were working in Japan. Most manga artists study at an art college or manga school or take on an apprenticeship with another artist bef ...

. Shinkai began his career as a

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This feedba ...

animator with

Nihon Falcom is a Japanese video game developer, best known for their '' Ys'', ''The Legend of Heroes'', and ''Trails'' series. The company was founded in March 1981, making them one of the oldest active video game companies. They are credited with pioneeri ...

in 1996, and gained recognition as a filmmaker with the release of the

original video animation , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA ...

(OVA) ''

She and Her Cat , subtitled ''Their standing points'', is a 1999 Japanese original video animation created and directed by Makoto Shinkai. Shinkai's first animation work, it is a five-minute story about the relationship between a male cat and his female owne ...

'' (1999). Beginning his longstanding association with

CoMix Wave Films is a Japanese animation film studio and distribution company based in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The studio is known for its anime feature films, short films, and television commercials, particularly those made by director Makoto Shinkai. It was fo ...

, Shinkai then released the science-fiction OVA ''

Voices of a Distant Star is a Japanese science fiction original video animation (OVA) short film created and animated by Makoto Shinkai. It follows the lives of two close childhood friends, a boy and a girl, who get separated once the girl is sent into space to f ...

'' in 2002, and followed this with his debut feature film ''

The Place Promised in Our Early Days is a 2004 Japanese anime film written, produced, cinematographed, directed and edited by Makoto Shinkai in his feature film debut. Set over several years in an alternate history where the Soviet Union occupies half of Japan, it follows two c ...

'' (2004). Shinkai's second feature film, the romantic drama anthology ''

5 Centimeters per Second is a 2007 Japanese romantic drama animated film written and directed by Makoto Shinkai. It theatrically premiered on 3 March 2007. The film consists of three segments, each following a period in the protagonist Takaki Tōno's life and his ...

'' (2007), gained critical acclaim, as did his subsequent releases, the dramas '' Children Who Chase Lost Voices'' (2011) and '' The Garden of Words'' (2013). Shinkai's 2016 fantasy romance ''

Your Name is a 2016 Japanese animated romantic fantasy film produced by CoMix Wave Films. It depicts a high school boy in Tokyo and a high school girl in the Japanese countryside who suddenly and inexplicably begin to swap bodies. The film was commis ...

'' was a critical and commercial success, becoming the third highest-grossing anime film of all time. His 2019 film, ''

Weathering with You is a 2019 Japanese animated romantic fantasy film produced by CoMix Wave Films and distributed by Toho. It depicts a high school boy who runs away from his rural home to Tokyo and befriends an orphan girl who has the ability to control th ...

'', also achieved similar critical and commercial success. His seventh film, ''

Suzume is the Japanese name for the Eurasian tree sparrow The Eurasian tree sparrow (''Passer montanus'') is a passerine bird in the sparrow family with a rich chestnut crown and nape, and a black patch on each pure white cheek. The sexes are simil ...

'', was released in Japan in November 2022.

Early life

A native of

Nagano Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,052,493 () and has a geographic area of . Nagano Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture to the north, Gunma Prefecture to the ...

, Shinkai studied

Japanese literature Japanese literature throughout most of its history has been influenced by cultural contact with neighboring Asian literatures, most notably China and its literature. Early texts were often written in pure Classical Chinese or , a Chinese-Japanes ...

Chuo University , commonly referred to as or , is a private flagship research university in Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1885 as Igirisu Hōritsu Gakkō (the English Law School), Chuo is one of the oldest and most prestigious institutions in the country. The univer ...

, where he was a member of the juvenile literature club and drew picture books. He traces his passion for creation to the

manga Manga ( Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is ...

, anime and

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itself ...

s he was exposed to in middle school. His favorite anime films are '' Laputa: Castle in the Sky'', '' Nausicaä'' and ''

The Castle of Cagliostro is a 1979 Japanese animated action-adventure comedy film co-written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, with animation produced by Tokyo Movie Shinsha (TMS). It is the second feature film featuring Monkey Punch's master thief Arsène Lupin III, ...

'' by

Hayao Miyazaki is a Japanese animator, director, producer, screenwriter, author, and manga artist. A co-founder of Studio Ghibli, he has attained international acclaim as a masterful storyteller and creator of Japanese animated feature films, and is widel ...

, '' The End of Evangelion'' by

Hideaki Anno is a Japanese animator, filmmaker and actor. He is best known for creating the anime series ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' (1995)''.'' His style is defined by his postmodernist approach and the extensive portrayal of characters' thoughts and emotio ...

and '' Patlabor 2'' by

Mamoru Oshii is a Japanese filmmaker, television director and writer. Famous for his philosophy-oriented storytelling, Oshii has directed a number of acclaimed anime films, including '' Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer'' (1984), '' Angel's Egg'' (1985) ...

Career

After graduating from

Faculty of Literature in March 1996, he got a job at

Falcom is a Japanese video game developer, best known for their '' Ys'', '' The Legend of Heroes'', and ''Trails'' series. The company was founded in March 1981, making them one of the oldest active video game companies. They are credited with pioneer ...

, a

company where he worked for 5 years making video clips for games and graphic design including web content. During this time he met musician Tenmon, who later scored many of his movies. In 1999, Shinkai released ''

'', 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. 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 ''

'' by drawing a picture of a girl in a cockpit grasping a

cell phone A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive telephone call, calls over a radio freq ...

. 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". ''Voices of a Distant Star'' was followed by the 90-minute ''

'', which was released nationwide in Japan on November 20, 2004. It was critically acclaimed, winning many honors. Shinkai's next project was ''

'' and premiered 3 March 2007. It consists of three short films: ''Cherry Blossom'', ''Cosmonaut'', and ''5 Centimeters per Second''. 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". 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. His next feature, '' The Garden of Words'', was released on May 31, 2013. On August 26, 2016, Shinkai released ''

.'' The film received positive reviews, 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 worldwide of all time, overtaking Miyazaki's '' Spirited Away''. Shinkai's next project ''

'' was released on July 19, 2019 in Japan. Shinkai's next film ''

'' was released in Japan on November 11, 2022.

Personal life

Shinkai has been called "The New Miyazaki" in several reviews, including those by Anime Advocates and ActiveAnime—comparisons he calls an "overestimation". He is married to retired actress and producer Chieko Misaka, star of films including '' Versus'' by

Ryuhei Kitamura (born May 30, 1969) is a Japanese film director, producer, and screenwriter. Biography Early life Kitamura was born in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. He dropped out of high school at age 17 and relocated to Sydney, Australia, where he attended a sch ...

; they have a daughter, child actress Chise Niitsu (born 2010). An asteroid, 55222 Makotoshinkai is named after him.

Works

Film

Video games

Commercials

Literary works

Manga

Illustrations

* — Illustrator (2003–2011)

Accolades

Notes

References

External links

Makoto Shinkai's Website

Makoto Shinkai's Official Portal
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Entry
in

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' (SFE) is an English language reference work on science fiction, first published in 1979. It has won the Hugo Award, Hugo, Locus Award, Locus and BSFA Award, British SF Awards. Two print editions appeared ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shinkai Makoto 1973 births Anime directors Chuo University alumni Fantasy artists Japanese animators Japanese illustrators Japanese speculative fiction artists Living people Manga artists People from Nagano Prefecture