Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on May 2011
© Makoto Shinkai/CMMMY
Anime nerds across the world are trembling with excitement at the prospect of a new, feature length work by director/screenwriter/producer/animator Makoto Shinkai. Many see him as the heir apparent to the throne of master Hayao Miyazaki, and in Shinkai’s recent work (
5 Centimeters per Second, The Place Promised in Our Early Days), the similarities are obvious. Both directors have a knack for hyper-realistic depictions of the world featuring superb attention to detail and the lush beauty of nature—mixed in with a considerable dollop of magical realism. Shinkai is certainly a renaissance man like Miyazaki—writing, animating and directing—and I have ultimate respect for his craft. Still, he is no Miyazaki. Despite his technical excellence the stories he presents are a little too corny, cloying and unoriginal.
Hoshi o Ou Kodomo (
Children Who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below) concerns Asuna (Hisako Kanemoto), a daydreaming girl who spends her time listening to a magical radio received from her father—until she decides to embark on a journey to meet a boy she treasures. Shinkai fans will eat it up and kids will love it, but, unlike Miyazaki’s pieces,
Hoshi o Ou Kodomo falls short of a mature work that will enthrall adults. (116 min)
