Shinkai Makato's artistic signature can be examined even in one of his earliest short films, Voices of A Distant Star. Aside from the technical feat required to produce this short, the structure of this short established a common central theme in Makato's future work: characters being separated by time and space. The central characters, a boy and a girl; often will try to communicate and connect but there is always an obstacle in the way. This is prevalent in Garden of Words with their communication being limited to meeting when it rains and their age gap. This is also seen in 5 Centimeters per Second; the two characters are separated by one of moving away, however a supplementary theme is communication through letters and later email. In these films, the characters push to be together but in the end, they cannot.
There was a quite literal play of time and space in Voices of A Distant Star. Noboru must wait longer and longer to receive messages from Mikako as time dilation affects their messages. As he waits, he is in sort of a limbo, unable to know when even the next time dilation event will occur. I enjoyed the unpredictable nature of this theme used so literally.
Another theme in Makato's work is his play with the seasons. Using the seasons as a means to reflect the internal feelings of his characters, he treats the background as a secondary character on its own. Often, Makato will take pause and let the audience absorb the atmosphere of the scene, to truly feel what the characters are feeling. In Voices of a Distant Star, many times the background will just wash over the characters as an internal monologue is heard. This technique was further refined by Makato throughout his career. In Garden of Words, he often used this technique to show the contrast between nature and the modern demands of society. Contrasting the image of the park--seen as an escape--but revealing that it is surrounded by the metropolitan area of Tokyo; maintains that the characters know it is a temporary space, a fleeting moment.
To compare Makato's work with Ghibli's would be incongruent. Makato is focused on the interpersonal relationships between two people and furthering his themes by emphasizing small details within his backgrounds and such. Studio Ghibli, more often than not, undoubtedly focuses on ecological preservation through the lens of strong female characters, their relationship with nature, and the overall effect humanity has on the world. The themes focused between each studio are so different in scope and prominence. Makato's portrayal of emotion is often times too romanticized for my tastes versus Ghibli having a more idealized but honest approach to human emotion. It would perhaps be easier to compare Satoshi Kon and Makato Shinkai, but even then, where would we be going?
Visually although, Ghibli's animation is extremely loose and gestural, unlike Makato's tight movements. The backgrounds are lovely and hyperrealistic in Makato's work whereas Ghibli often chooses to throw a wash of color into the background, like a gouache painting. Both techniques are admirable.
Another theme in Makato's work is his play with the seasons. Using the seasons as a means to reflect the internal feelings of his characters, he treats the background as a secondary character on its own. Often, Makato will take pause and let the audience absorb the atmosphere of the scene, to truly feel what the characters are feeling. In Voices of a Distant Star, many times the background will just wash over the characters as an internal monologue is heard. This technique was further refined by Makato throughout his career. In Garden of Words, he often used this technique to show the contrast between nature and the modern demands of society. Contrasting the image of the park--seen as an escape--but revealing that it is surrounded by the metropolitan area of Tokyo; maintains that the characters know it is a temporary space, a fleeting moment.
To compare Makato's work with Ghibli's would be incongruent. Makato is focused on the interpersonal relationships between two people and furthering his themes by emphasizing small details within his backgrounds and such. Studio Ghibli, more often than not, undoubtedly focuses on ecological preservation through the lens of strong female characters, their relationship with nature, and the overall effect humanity has on the world. The themes focused between each studio are so different in scope and prominence. Makato's portrayal of emotion is often times too romanticized for my tastes versus Ghibli having a more idealized but honest approach to human emotion. It would perhaps be easier to compare Satoshi Kon and Makato Shinkai, but even then, where would we be going?
Visually although, Ghibli's animation is extremely loose and gestural, unlike Makato's tight movements. The backgrounds are lovely and hyperrealistic in Makato's work whereas Ghibli often chooses to throw a wash of color into the background, like a gouache painting. Both techniques are admirable.
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