Shinkai Makoto

A famous Japanese animation director, screenwriter, writer, and producer.

He was born on February 9, 1973, in Nagano Prefecture. While still a student, he was passionate about drawing and creating animation. He studied Japanese literature at Chuo University in Tokyo.

Shinkai created his early works entirely by himself — from writing the script to handling animation and voice acting. His first directorial work was a five-minute monochrome story about the relationship between a cat and its owner, told from the cat’s perspective. In 2016, «She and Her Cat» (Kanojo to Kanojo no Neko, 1999) was adapted into a full-color version and manga.

His first short film, «Voices of a Distant Star» (Hoshi no Koe, 2002), was made almost entirely on his own, with Shinkai voicing the main characters together with his then-girlfriend, Shinohara Miko. The anime brought him recognition in Japan. His subsequent works, including «The Place Promised in Our Early Days» (Kumo no Mukō, Yakusoku no Basho, 2004) and «5 Centimeters per Second» (Byōsoku Go Senchimētoru, 2007), cemented his reputation as a master of poetic and visually refined animation. Shinkai achieved worldwide fame with the feature-length anime «Your Name» (Kimi no Na wa, 2016), which became one of the most successful and highest-grossing anime films in Japan. In 2019, «Weathering With You» (Tenki no Ko) was released, followed in 2022 by «Suzume» (Suzume no Tojimari), both of which also received international acclaim and enthusiastic reviews.

Shinkai’s works stand out for their attention to detail, picturesque landscapes, and themes of love, loneliness, and the inevitability of fate. His style is often described as «lyrical realism».