Apr 18, 12:28 AM
MAKOTO SHINKAI - OUR TRIBUTE POST AND COLLECTION
Anime Relations:
Hoshi no Koe, Kumo no Mukou, Yakusoku no Basho, Byousoku 5 Centimeter, Hoshi wo Ou Kodomo, Kotonoha no Niwa, Kimi no Na wa., Tenki no Ko
I dedicate this post to one of my most favorite Japanese anime authors ever, who I loved very much the same way of many other people, Makoto Shinkai.
There is something magical in his works that has completely captured my attention over time, which I believe can be summed up in the perfect combination in practically all of his works of breathtaking images, great attention to fine details, the proper use of light and colors throughout the scenes, the quality of the animations, all combined with a very respectable soundtrack and a dubbing that both in the original language and, fortunately for me, in my language of origin (Italian), has always worked perfectly. All seasoned with plots that often (and at least until now) revolve around romantic and very nostalgic background.
While I'm writing this short tribute, I'm next to finally watching his latest work, Suzume no Tojimari, which just these days is starting to be available on the Netflix platform, as well as having already been available on Crunchyroll and which appears to be another masterpiece, considering the respectable rating it already obtained on MAL.
Makoto begins his adventure with some short films, among which Voices of a Distant Star, which combines some typical Japanese traits, such as the so-called Mecha robots, to an emotional narrative context. Of course, the limited nature of the content and technique is evident from the production, but the full potential of Makoto Shinkai clearly emerges as well (especially considering the latter a one-man-only work of art), a potential which at that time only needed the right resources to be fully developed, something which will shortly happen just 2 years later with his new animation movie, The Place Promised in Our Early Days (Beyond the Clouds).
In his first works, I believe Makoto Shinkai followed an alternative path that was difficult for many to praise (at least according to the votes on MAL of his first works and various critics I've read about), but which I at least appreciated enormously, that of the visual representation of human emotions without the need to pursue any particular plot that normally in other cases keeps the watcher sticked to the screen. I found on the contrary that his idea was very effective, the very act sometimes of letting oneself go to life and its emotions, rather than necessarily pursuing some purpose that acts as a final goal.
Works such as The Place Promised in Our Early Days (Beyond the Clouds), The Garden of Words and the well-known 5 Centimeters per Second I believe perhaps fall into this approach. In my opinion, the poeticism in all these 3 works is at the highest levels. It is difficult to forget the glimpses of Gyoen National Park in Shinjuku in The Garden of Words, or the splendid train crossings typical of Japan and which often form the backdrop to the romantic moments of 5 Centimeters per Second, or even the serenity depicted in Beyond the Clouds (The Place Promised in Our Early Days) in scenes like the one in which the protagonists bathe together in an absolutely carefree context typical of adolescence.
Following its new animation movies, I found instead the plot to be more consistent, but where luckily, I believe Makoto Shinkai has still managed to maintain his fundamental principle, the representation of human emotions and feeling behind the sentiment of love. Among them, I mention one of those perhaps less known but which really should have deserved more attention, Children Who Chase Lost Voices (Journey to Agartha), an epic adventure based somewhat to the concept of hidden underground worls (somewhat recalling me the idea behind the work of Jules Verne, Journey to the Centre of the Earth) in which however, the confrontation with feeling, emotion and pain caused by the sentiment of love is still persistent, especially in the ending.
Finally, it is almost useless to mention the very popular Your Name (Kimi no Na Wa), Weathering with You and the recent Suzume. Your Name is perhaps the anime that captured me the most since it was the first movie I watched, with its dualism between the tranquility and breathtaking landscapes of the Japanese countryside and town of Itomori compared to the chaotic and modern scenario of the Tokyo, the twisted plot with the exchange of personalities between its protagonists Taki and Mitsuha, and the unforgettable soundtrack performed by the Radwimps (not to mention the impressive representation of the Tiamat comet crumbling in the sky).
The same goes for Weathering with You, where I personally perceived how Makoto Shinkai has properly corrected the aim by producing a more harmonized plot, by giving me the impression he possibily considered somewhat the criticism towards the plot of Your Name, sometimes blamed for not being easy to understand, if not for even presenting a certain degree of incoherence. I also found Weathering with You to be truly interesting and original in its plot concept with the idea of the protagonist girl (little spoiler) being able to control the weather, all seasoned with an ever greater mastery in painting scenarios and landscapes as typical of Makoto Shinkai.
We thus arrive to Suzume which I'm next to watch.....
I wish to thanks Makoto Shinkai for his great masterpieces, I enjoy very much watching them with my darling and so pleased to manage having this small collection of his animation movie.
Thanks for reading!
Mur-CuorediVirgo
There is something magical in his works that has completely captured my attention over time, which I believe can be summed up in the perfect combination in practically all of his works of breathtaking images, great attention to fine details, the proper use of light and colors throughout the scenes, the quality of the animations, all combined with a very respectable soundtrack and a dubbing that both in the original language and, fortunately for me, in my language of origin (Italian), has always worked perfectly. All seasoned with plots that often (and at least until now) revolve around romantic and very nostalgic background.
While I'm writing this short tribute, I'm next to finally watching his latest work, Suzume no Tojimari, which just these days is starting to be available on the Netflix platform, as well as having already been available on Crunchyroll and which appears to be another masterpiece, considering the respectable rating it already obtained on MAL.
Makoto begins his adventure with some short films, among which Voices of a Distant Star, which combines some typical Japanese traits, such as the so-called Mecha robots, to an emotional narrative context. Of course, the limited nature of the content and technique is evident from the production, but the full potential of Makoto Shinkai clearly emerges as well (especially considering the latter a one-man-only work of art), a potential which at that time only needed the right resources to be fully developed, something which will shortly happen just 2 years later with his new animation movie, The Place Promised in Our Early Days (Beyond the Clouds).
In his first works, I believe Makoto Shinkai followed an alternative path that was difficult for many to praise (at least according to the votes on MAL of his first works and various critics I've read about), but which I at least appreciated enormously, that of the visual representation of human emotions without the need to pursue any particular plot that normally in other cases keeps the watcher sticked to the screen. I found on the contrary that his idea was very effective, the very act sometimes of letting oneself go to life and its emotions, rather than necessarily pursuing some purpose that acts as a final goal.
Works such as The Place Promised in Our Early Days (Beyond the Clouds), The Garden of Words and the well-known 5 Centimeters per Second I believe perhaps fall into this approach. In my opinion, the poeticism in all these 3 works is at the highest levels. It is difficult to forget the glimpses of Gyoen National Park in Shinjuku in The Garden of Words, or the splendid train crossings typical of Japan and which often form the backdrop to the romantic moments of 5 Centimeters per Second, or even the serenity depicted in Beyond the Clouds (The Place Promised in Our Early Days) in scenes like the one in which the protagonists bathe together in an absolutely carefree context typical of adolescence.
Following its new animation movies, I found instead the plot to be more consistent, but where luckily, I believe Makoto Shinkai has still managed to maintain his fundamental principle, the representation of human emotions and feeling behind the sentiment of love. Among them, I mention one of those perhaps less known but which really should have deserved more attention, Children Who Chase Lost Voices (Journey to Agartha), an epic adventure based somewhat to the concept of hidden underground worls (somewhat recalling me the idea behind the work of Jules Verne, Journey to the Centre of the Earth) in which however, the confrontation with feeling, emotion and pain caused by the sentiment of love is still persistent, especially in the ending.
Finally, it is almost useless to mention the very popular Your Name (Kimi no Na Wa), Weathering with You and the recent Suzume. Your Name is perhaps the anime that captured me the most since it was the first movie I watched, with its dualism between the tranquility and breathtaking landscapes of the Japanese countryside and town of Itomori compared to the chaotic and modern scenario of the Tokyo, the twisted plot with the exchange of personalities between its protagonists Taki and Mitsuha, and the unforgettable soundtrack performed by the Radwimps (not to mention the impressive representation of the Tiamat comet crumbling in the sky).
The same goes for Weathering with You, where I personally perceived how Makoto Shinkai has properly corrected the aim by producing a more harmonized plot, by giving me the impression he possibily considered somewhat the criticism towards the plot of Your Name, sometimes blamed for not being easy to understand, if not for even presenting a certain degree of incoherence. I also found Weathering with You to be truly interesting and original in its plot concept with the idea of the protagonist girl (little spoiler) being able to control the weather, all seasoned with an ever greater mastery in painting scenarios and landscapes as typical of Makoto Shinkai.
We thus arrive to Suzume which I'm next to watch.....
I wish to thanks Makoto Shinkai for his great masterpieces, I enjoy very much watching them with my darling and so pleased to manage having this small collection of his animation movie.
Thanks for reading!
Mur-CuorediVirgo
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Mur-CuoreDiVirgo
| Apr 18, 12:28 AM |
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