Makoto Shinkai

1996–2000: Early career

After graduating from Chuo University Faculty of Literature in March 1996,^[7] 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.^[8] 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).^[9] The short details the life of a cat, entirely from the cat's perspective, as it passes time with its owner, a young woman.

2000–2016: Rise

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".^[8]

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.^[10][11] 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.^[12] 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.^{[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".^[13] 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.^[14][15]

His next feature, The Garden of Words, was released on May 31, 2013.^[16]

2016–2022: "Disaster trilogy"

On August 26, 2016, Shinkai released Your Name. The film received widespread acclaim from audiences and critics,^[17] 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.^[3][18]

Shinkai's next film, Weathering with You, was released in Japan on July 19, 2019.^[19][20] The film was also a commercial success, grossing US$193.8 million worldwide and becoming the tenth-highest-grossing Japanese film of all time.^[21][22]

Suzume, Shinkai's seventh feature-length film, was released in Japan on November 11, 2022.^[23][24] The film was a further critical and commercial success, grossing over US$300 million worldwide.^[25]

Films

Video games

Commercials

Literary works

Manga

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)