Shinkai is a director who has his own unique style, which is easy to recognize even for those viewers who are not fans of his work.
Behind the vivid images, Shinkai hides a reference to real environmental problems specific to Japan.
The dominant mood in Shinkai's movies is the sadness that comes from the separation of lovers.
On November 16, the anime Suzume, a new film by Makoto Shinkai, one of the most exciting directors in the history of animation, will be released on Crunchyroll. The movie tells the story of schoolgirl Suzume who, after meeting a mysterious traveler, must prevent earthquakes.
Shinkai is a director who has his own unique style, which is easy to recognize even for those viewers who are not fans of his work. Suzume, like Shinkai's other works, is not part of any franchise or universe, so no serious preparation is needed to watch his new movie. However, it will be useful to remember the master’s previous projects in order to tune in to the right mood.
What are Makoto Shinkai's movies about?
One of the main motifs in Shinkai's work is environmental disasters. Behind the vivid images, Shinkai hides a reference to real environmental problems specific to Japan. For example, in Weathering with You (Tenki no Ko), where it rains constantly, there's an allusion to the real flooding of Tokyo in 2009.
For the same reason, Shinkai often pays attention to various natural phenomena — such as water in The Garden of Words (Kotonoha no Niwa), snowfall in Five Centimeters Per Second (Byousoku 5 Centimeter) or flowering plants (almost all of his works). Shinkai enjoys admiring nature and creates hypnotic, meditative movies in which the landscape is a separate character and speaks about the characters' experiences better than words.
In addition, Shinkai regularly refers to traditional Japanese mythology and folklore. In Your Name (Kimi no Na wa), a spirit who can grant wishes and help in love affairs appears. In Shinkai's universe, such supernatural powers are very important, as they are the ones that ensure reliable connections between people.
Mood in Shinkai's movies
The dominant mood in Shinkai's films is the sadness that comes from the separation of lovers. It's no coincidence that distance plays an important role in Shinkai's work, as it becomes a real challenge for his characters. The most striking example is Five Centimeters Per Second, where the hero cannot overcome the separation with his girlfriend.
The main stylistic feature of Shinkai is the increased attention to everyday details. The director himself believes that all things have meaning, so he tries to look into the details to see the beauty of the world. Shinkai works with special care on the drawing in his movies, achieving a photorealistic effect.
All of Shinkai's films are imbued with light sadness and very special lyricism. This is not a fast-paced anime that has a lot of fun and action scenes. Rather, Shinkai's work sets a mood of melancholy and philosophical reflection. Each of his films becomes a big event for the anime industry, so Suzume is definitely worth watching.
Nothing can stop Makoto Shinkai!
Summary:
Shinkai is a director who has his own unique style, which is easy to recognize even for those viewers who are not fans of his work.
Behind the vivid images, Shinkai hides a reference to real environmental problems specific to Japan.
The dominant mood in Shinkai's movies is the sadness that comes from the separation of lovers.
On November 16, the anime Suzume, a new film by Makoto Shinkai, one of the most exciting directors in the history of animation, will be released on Crunchyroll. The movie tells the story of schoolgirl Suzume who, after meeting a mysterious traveler, must prevent earthquakes.
Shinkai is a director who has his own unique style, which is easy to recognize even for those viewers who are not fans of his work. Suzume, like Shinkai's other works, is not part of any franchise or universe, so no serious preparation is needed to watch his new movie. However, it will be useful to remember the master’s previous projects in order to tune in to the right mood.
What are Makoto Shinkai's movies about?
One of the main motifs in Shinkai's work is environmental disasters. Behind the vivid images, Shinkai hides a reference to real environmental problems specific to Japan. For example, in Weathering with You (Tenki no Ko), where it rains constantly, there's an allusion to the real flooding of Tokyo in 2009.
For the same reason, Shinkai often pays attention to various natural phenomena — such as water in The Garden of Words (Kotonoha no Niwa), snowfall in Five Centimeters Per Second (Byousoku 5 Centimeter) or flowering plants (almost all of his works). Shinkai enjoys admiring nature and creates hypnotic, meditative movies in which the landscape is a separate character and speaks about the characters' experiences better than words.
In addition, Shinkai regularly refers to traditional Japanese mythology and folklore. In Your Name (Kimi no Na wa), a spirit who can grant wishes and help in love affairs appears. In Shinkai's universe, such supernatural powers are very important, as they are the ones that ensure reliable connections between people.
Mood in Shinkai's movies
The dominant mood in Shinkai's films is the sadness that comes from the separation of lovers. It's no coincidence that distance plays an important role in Shinkai's work, as it becomes a real challenge for his characters. The most striking example is Five Centimeters Per Second, where the hero cannot overcome the separation with his girlfriend.
The main stylistic feature of Shinkai is the increased attention to everyday details. The director himself believes that all things have meaning, so he tries to look into the details to see the beauty of the world. Shinkai works with special care on the drawing in his movies, achieving a photorealistic effect.
All of Shinkai's films are imbued with light sadness and very special lyricism. This is not a fast-paced anime that has a lot of fun and action scenes. Rather, Shinkai's work sets a mood of melancholy and philosophical reflection. Each of his films becomes a big event for the anime industry, so Suzume is definitely worth watching.
