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'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]
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]
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]
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]
Personal life
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]
^"君の名は。」新海誠監督の妻は女優・三坂知絵子だった" ['Your Name' director Makoto Shinkai's wife, Misaka Chieko, was an actress]. Nikkan Gendai (in Japanese). October 15, 2016. Archived from the original on March 8, 2018. Retrieved November 25, 2017.
^"Other voices-遠い声- » 大成建設テレビCM" [Other voices - Taisei TV CM] (in Japanese). Makoto Shinkai / CoMix Wave Films. Archived from the original on October 10, 2014. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
^"Other voices-遠い声- » Z会「クロスロード」" [Other voices - Z-Kai: Cross Road] (in Japanese). Makoto Shinkai / CoMix Wave Films. Archived from the original on October 16, 2014. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
^第26回受賞作品 [The 26th Winning Work]. Japan Movie Critics Awards Official Website (in Japanese). May 16, 2017. Archived from the original on August 12, 2018. Retrieved August 12, 2018.
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