# Makoto Shinkai

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 CoMix Wave Films.
Shinkai began his career as a video game animator with Nihon Falcom in 1996, and gained recognition as a filmmaker with the release of the original video animation (OVA) She and Her Cat (1999). Shinkai then released the science fiction OVA Voices of a Distant Star in 2002 as his first feature with CoMix Wave, followed by his debut feature film The Place Promised in Our Early Days (2004).
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. 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.

## Early life

Makoto Shinkai was born in Koumi, Nagano. His family runs a construction company. Shinkai studied Japanese literature at Chuo University, where he was a member of the juvenile literature club and drew picture books. Shinkai traces his passion for creation to the manga, anime and novels he was exposed to in middle school.

## Career

After graduating from Chuo University Faculty of Literature in March 1996, Shinkai got a job at Nihon Falcom, a video game company. He worked there for 5 years, making video clips for games and graphic design, including web content. During this time Shinkai 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). 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 working on Voices of a Distant Star by drawing a picture of a girl in a cockpit grasping a mobile phone. Sometime 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, Shinkai quit his job at Falcom and began to work on Voices of a Distant Star. 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 The Place Promised in Our Early Days, which was released in Japan on November 20, 2004. It was critically acclaimed, winning many honors. Shinkai's next project was 5 Centimeters per Second, which premiered on March 3, 2007 and consists of three short films: Cherry Blossom, Cosmonaut, and 5 Centimeters per Second. In September 2007, Nagano's leading newspaper, Shinano Mainichi Shinbun, released a TV commercial animated by Shinkai.
Shinkai spent 2008 in London, resting after 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 Your Name. The film received widespread acclaim from audiences and critics, 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. By 2019, the film became the highest-grossing anime film of all time, overtaking Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away.
Shinkai's next film, Weathering with You, was released in Japan on July 19, 2019. The film was also a commercial success, grossing US$193.8 million worldwide and becoming the tenth-highest-grossing Japanese film of all time.
Suzume, Shinkai's seventh feature-length film, was released in Japan on November 11, 2022. The film was a further critical and commercial success, grossing over US$300 million worldwide.

## Personal life

Shinkai is married to retired actress and producer Misaka Chieko [ja], who is best known for starring in Versus; the couple has a daughter, child actress Chise Niitsu [ja], who was born in 2010.
His favorite anime films are Castle in the Sky, Nausicaä and The Castle of Cagliostro by Hayao Miyazaki, The End of Evangelion by Hideaki Anno, and Patlabor 2: The Movie by Mamoru Oshii.
An asteroid, 55222 Makotoshinkai, is named after him.

## Works
### Films

| Title | Year | Credited as | Credited as | Credited as | Credited as |
| Title | Year | Writer | Producer | Actor | Other |
| The Place Promised in Our Early Days (雲のむこう、約束の場所 Kumo no Mukō, Yakusoku no Basho) | 2004 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Storyboards Background art Design Theme song lyrics |
| 5 Centimeters per Second (秒速5センチメートル Byōsoku Go-Senchimētoru) | 2007 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Storyboard Art director Color design |
| Children Who Chase Lost Voices (星を追う子ども Hoshi o Ou Kodomo) | 2011 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Cinematography Editing |
| The Garden of Words (言の葉の庭 Kotonoha no Niwa) | 2013 | Yes | Yes | | Photography Color design Editing |
| Your Name (君の名は。 Kimi no Na wa) | 2016 | Yes | Yes | | Photography Color design Editing |
| Weathering with You (天気の子 Tenki no Ko) | 2019 | Yes | Yes | | Photography Color design Editing |
| Suzume (すずめの戸締まり Suzume no Tojimari) | 2022 | Yes | Yes | | Editing |

#### Short films

| Title | Year | Credited as | Credited as | Credited as | Credited as | Notes |
| Title | Year | Writer | Producer | Actor | Other | Notes |
| The World Be Enclosed (囲まれた世界 Kakomareta Sekai) | 1998 | Yes | | | Animator | |
| Other Worlds (遠い世界 Tōi Sekai) | 1998 | Yes | | | Animator | |
| She and Her Cat (彼女と彼女の猫 Kanojo to Kanojo no Neko) | 1999 | Yes | Yes | | Animator | Her cat (Voice over) |
| Voices of a Distant Star (ほしのこえ Hoshi no Koe) | 2002 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Animator | Noboru Terao (Voice over) |
| Minna no Uta: "Egao" (みんなのうた「笑顔」) | 2003 | Yes | | | | |
| Someone's Gaze (だれかのまなざし Dareka no Manazashi) | 2013 | Yes | Yes | | | |

### Video games

| Title | Year | Credited as | Credited as | Notes |
| Title | Year | Director | Animator | Notes |
| The Legend of Heroes III: Song of the Ocean | 1999 | Yes (Opening) | | As Makoto Niitsu |
| Ys II Eternal | 2000 | Yes (Opening) | | As Makoto Niitsu |
| Bittersweet Fools | 2001 | Yes (Trailer & Opening) | | |
| Wind: A Breath of Heart | 2002 | Yes (Trailer & Opening) | Yes | |
| Haru no Ashioto | 2004 | Yes (Trailer & Opening) | | |
| Ef: A Fairy Tale of the Two | 2006 2008 | Yes (Trailer & Opening) | | |

### Commercials

| Title | Year | Credited as | Credited as | Credited as | Notes |
| Title | Year | Director | Editor | Other | Notes |
| Bosphorus Tunnel (ボスポラス海峡トンネル, Bosuporasu Kaikyō Ton'neru) | 2011 | Yes | | Background art | TV commercial released by Taisei Corporation |
| Sri Lanka Highway (スリランカ高速道路, Suriranka Kōzokudōro) | 2013 | Yes | Yes | Storyboards Photography | TV commercial released by Taisei Corporation, featuring the theme song "Fight" (ファイト, Faito) by Anri Kumaki |
| Vietnam Noi Bai Airport (ベトナム・ノイバイ空港, Betonamu Noibai Kūkō) | 2014 | Yes | Yes | Storyboards Shooting | TV commercial released by Taisei Corporation |
| Z-Kai: Cross Road (Z会 「クロスロード」, Z-Kai Kurosu Rodo) | 2014 | Yes | | Storyboards Screenplay Production Supervision | TV commercial released by Z-Kai |
| Thomson–East Coast MRT Line (MRTトムソン・イーストコースト線, MRT Tomuson īsuto Kōsuto-sen) | 2018 | Yes | Yes | Storyboards | TV commercial released by Taisei Corporation |
| New Yangon Specialist Hospital (ヤンゴン新専門病院, Yangon Shin Senmon Byōin) | 2020 | Yes | Yes | Storyboards | TV commercial released by Taisei Corporation |

### Literary works

| Title | Year | Publisher | Notes |
| Slug | 1994 | — | Picture-book |
| 5 Centimeters per Second | 2007 | Media Factory | Novel |
| The Garden of Words | 2014 | Kadokawa Shoten | Novel |
| Your Name | 2016 | Kadokawa | Novel |
| Your Name. Another Side: Earthbound | 2016 | Kadokawa | Light novel; co-written with Arato Kanou. |
| Weathering with You | 2019 | Kadokawa | Novel |
| Suzume | 2022 | Kadokawa | Novel |

### Manga

| Title | Year | Publisher(s) | Notes |
| Beyond the Tower | 2002 | — | |
| Voices of a Distant Star | 2004 | Kodansha | Illustrated by Mizu Sahara |
| The Place Promised in Our Early Days | 2006 | Kodansha | Illustrated by Mizu Sahara |
| 5 Centimeters per Second | 2010–11 | Kodansha Vertical, Inc. (English) | Illustrated by Yukiko Seike |
| Children Who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below | 2011 | Media Factory | |
| The Garden of Words | 2013 | Kodansha Vertical, Inc. (English) | Illustrated by Midori Motohashi |
| Your Name | 2016 | Media Factory | Illustrated by Ranmaru Kotone |
| Weathering with You | 2019 | — | Illustrated by Watari Kubota |

### Illustrations

* I Dream to Protect You (きみを守るためにぼくは夢をみる, Kimi o Mamoru Tame ni Boku wa Yume o Miru) — Illustrator (2003–2011)

## Accolades

Shinkai has been called "The New Miyazaki" in several reviews, including those by Anime Advocates and ActiveAnime—comparisons that Shinkai brushed off as "overestimation".
| Year | Award | Category | Work/Nominee | Result |
| 2003 | 8th AMD Award | Best Director | Voices of a Distant Star | Won |
| 2016 | 29th Tokyo International Film Festival | Arigatō Award | Your Name | Won |
| 2016 | 41st Hochi Film Award | Best Director | Your Name | Nominated |
| 2016 | 29th Nikkan Sports Film Award | Best Director | Your Name | Won |
| 2017 | 44th Annie Awards | Outstanding Achievement for Directing in an Animated Feature Production | Your Name | Nominated |
| 2017 | 59th Blue Ribbon Awards | Best Director | Your Name | Nominated |
| 2017 | 11th Asian Film Awards | Best Screenplay | Your Name | Nominated |
| 2017 | 40th Japan Academy Prize | Director of the Year | Your Name | Nominated |
| 2017 | Tokyo Anime Award Festival 2017 | Best Director | Your Name | Won |
| 2017 | 26th Japan Movie Critics Awards | Best Animation Director | Your Name | Won |
| 2020 | 47th Annie Awards | Outstanding Achievement for Directing in an Animated Feature Production | Weathering with You | Nominated |
| 2020 | 47th Annie Awards | Outstanding Achievement for Writing in an Animated Feature Production | Weathering with You | Nominated |
| 2020 | Tokyo Anime Award Festival 2020 | Best Director | Weathering with You | Won |
| 2023 | Celebration of Cinema and Television | International Animation Award | Suzume | Won |
| 2024 | 51st Annie Awards | Outstanding Achievement for Storyboarding in a Feature Production | Suzume | Nominated |
| 2024 | 51st Annie Awards | Outstanding Achievement for Writing in an Animated Feature Production | Suzume | Nominated |