Makoto Shinkai

Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Authors

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Makoto Shinkai

Full Name:	Makoto Niitsu
Born:	February 9, 1973 Koumi, Nagano, Japan
Occupation:	Director, Writer, Producer, Animator
Nationality:	Japanese
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Biography

Makoto Shinkai is a Japanese director, writer, producer, animator, editor, cinematographer, voice actor, manga artist and former graphic designer.

A native of Nagano Prefecture, Shinkai studied Japanese literature at Chuo University where he was a member of juvenile literature club where he drew picture books. He traces his passion for creation to the manga, anime, and novels he was exposed to while in middle school.

After graduating from Chuo in 1994 he got a job at Falcom, a video game company and where he worked for 5 years by making video clips for games and graphic design including web content.

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).

After winning the grand prize, Shinkai began thinking about a follow-up while he continued for Falcom. A few months later in June 2000, Shinkai was inspired to begin Voices of a Distant Star by drawing a picture of a girl in a cockpit grasping a cell phone.

Voices of a Distant Star was followed by the 90 minute long The Place Promised in Our Early Days, which was released nationwide in Japan on November 20, 2004.

Shinkai's next project was titled 5 Centimeters per Second and premiered 3 March 2007.

Shinkai spent 2008 in London, resting since the completion of 5 Centimeters per Second. He returned to Japan in 2009 to start work on his next project which would be titled Children Who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below.

His next feature, The Garden of Words, was released on May 31, 2013.

Shinkai's new film, Your Name was released on August 26, 2016. The film received critical acclaim, praised for its animation and emotional impact, and was also a commercial success, becoming the fourth-highest-grossing film of all time in Japan and, as of January 16, 2017, the highest-grossing anime film of all time, overtaking Miyazaki's Spirited Away.