News

Makoto Shinkai has hinted at plans to reveal details of his latest anime film in 2025.

Shinkai made this announcement in his New Year’s message on his official X account, where he reflected on his creative journey over the past year, revealing that 2024 was dedicated to crafting a brand-new film.

“Happy New Year! 2024 was a year I spent working on a new movie. It’s a great joy to build a new world that no one has seen before from scratch with my colleagues. I’ll do my best to announce it in some way this year. I hope that 2025 will be a peaceful year for all of you.“

2025 will also see the release of the live-action adaptation of Shinkai’s 5 Centimeters Per Second anime.

Makoto Shinkai is a Japanese filmmaker and novelist.

Shinkai began his career as a video game animator with Nihon Falcom in 1996, and gained recognition...

The anime industry has a lot of popular creators who have earned recognition, but none of them compare to Hayao Miyazaki, anime director and co-founder of Studio Ghibli. Miyazaki is a legend in Japan and an inspiration for practically everyone who is trying to make it big in the anime industry, as he has helped shape the community on a global scale.

Hayao Miyazaki | Credit: Oscars YouTube channel

But with the passage of time, Miyazaki’s opinion about anime has changed a lot. While he is the biggest contributor to the global success of the entertaining art form, he is also the one who, in a way, essentially pointed out that anime was actually a big mistake. It was one of his biggest controversial statements and, to this day, affects a lot of fans.

However, Miyazaki’s statement about anime being a mistake was proved wrong by another popular anime filmmaker.

Ever since Netflix’s One Piece live-action has achieved success, the craze of adapting an anime series into a live-action adaptation has taken over the Japanese and Hollywood industries. Almost every prominent series is being adapted into a live-action, hoping for a success like One Piece. A similar thing is happening with Makoto Shinkai’s 5 Centimeters per Second.

5 Centimeters per Second | Credit: CoMix Wave Films

It was recently announced that 5 Centimeters per Second, which was released almost two decades ago, is now getting a live-action adaptation. 5 Centimeters per Second is a romantic drama animated film that was quite popular during its release in 2007. Even today, it is deemed one of the most prominent pieces of romantic stories ever produced.

The news about the movie getting a live-action adaptation has ignited a fire within the hearts of anime fans who admired 5 Centimeters per Second. With the release date set...

Makoto Shinkai’s 5 Centimeters Per Second anime will be adapted into a live-action film scheduled to release in Fall 2025.

SixTONES’ Hokuto Matsumura has been cast as the protagonist Takaki Tono.

The screenplay is written by Ayako Suzuki, with Yoshiyuki Okuyama serving as the director.

Shinkai expressed his excitement about the upcoming adaptation, stating, “The animated film 5 Centimeters Per Second, which I directed almost 20 years ago, is an incredibly raw and unfinished work. But perhaps because of that very incompleteness, it has remained beloved for so long. I could never make a film like that again today, nor could I replicate it. That’s why I’m so excited that a passionate young team, led by Director Okuyama, is once again embracing 5 Centimeters Per Second. I also feel a sense of life’s strange wonder that Hokuto Matsumura, the actor I trust the most, will be playing the lead role.

A live-action film adaptation of Makoto Shinkai's 2007 anime film 5 Centimeters per Second is set to release in Japan in the fall of 2025. The film's official website opened and revealed the news today. As the third original anime film work by Shinkai following Voices of a Distant Star (2002) and The Place Promised in Our Early Days (2004), 5 Centimeters per Second was released in Japan on March 3, 2007. Comix Wave Film's official website describes the synopsis as below: After transferring to the same elementary school, Takaki and Akari became best friends.However, their lives change when the families of both are forced to relocate. After a year of separation, Takaki is about to reunite with Akari. As he sits on the train from Tokyo, memories of the past rush through Takaki's head, his meeting time with Akari drawing ever closer. Takaki and Akari begin to wonder if they will ever be able to see each other again,...

Cinephiles will have plenty to celebrate this April with the next slate of additions to the Criterion Channel. The boutique distributor, which recently announced its June 2024 Blu-ray releases, has unveiled its new streaming lineup highlighted by an eclectic mix of classic films and modern arthouse hits.

Students of Hollywood history will be treated to the “Peak Noir: 1950” collection, which features 17 noir films from the landmark film year from directors including Billy Wilder, Alfred Hitchcock, and John Huston.

New Hollywood maverick William Friedkin will also be celebrated when five of his most beloved movies, including “Sorcerer” and “The Exorcist,” come to the channel in April.

Criterion will offer the streaming premiere of Wim Wenders’ 3D art documentary “Anselm,” which will be accompanied by the “Wim Wenders’ Adventures in Moviegoing” collection, which sees the director curating a selection of films from around the world that have influenced his careers.

Contemporary cinema is also well represented,...

April’s an uncommonly strong auteurist month for the Criterion Channel, who will highlight a number of directors––many of whom aren’t often grouped together. Just after we screened House of Tolerance at the Roxy Cinema, Criterion are showing it and Nocturama for a two-film Bertrand Bonello retrospective, starting just four days before The Beast opens. Larger and rarer (but just as French) is the complete Jean Eustache series Janus toured last year. Meanwhile, five William Friedkin films and work from Makoto Shinkai, Lizzie Borden, and Rosine Mbakam are given a highlight.

One of my very favorite films, Comrades: Almost a Love Story plays in a series I’ve been trying to program for years: “Hong Kong in New York,” boasting the magnificent Full Moon in New York, Farewell China, and An Autumn’s Tale. Wim Wenders gets his “Adventures in Moviegoing”; After Hours, Personal Shopper, and Werckmeister Harmonies fill...

At the 19th edition of Seoul Indie-Anifest, Han Ji-won’s work is hard to miss. From brochures to tote bags, her pastel, luminous illustrations are plastered everywhere here. In a way, the ubiquity of her work positioned her well for the screening of her latest feature, “The Summer.” On Saturday night, audiences packed theaters, hoping to catch a glimpse of her filmic adaptation of the eponymous novel by Choi Eun-young.

“The Summer” is screening at Seoul Indie-Anifest

“The Summer” recreates the tender, rose-tinted atmosphere that comes with adolescent romance. Here, Lee-Kyeong (voiced by Yoon Ah-young) looks back at her first love, Soo-i (Song Ha-rim). From the get-go, the two could not be more different. While Lee-Kyeong is quiet and studious, the hardy Soo-i aspires to be a professional soccer player; while Lee-Kyeong is excited about their blossoming relationship, Soo-i keeps mum for fear of judgment. Nonetheless, in the sweet summer days in the countryside,...

Partnership

Entertainment One (eOne) has solidified its collaboration with U.K. independent production company Hardcash Productions through an exclusive first-look agreement. Under the deal, brokered by Kate Cundall, eOne’s VP of acquisitions, and Robin Barty-King, Hardcash’s business affairs consultant, the partnership aims to develop and produce investigative factual content for the global market. eOne will handle international rights for all projects resulting from this collaboration.

Previously, eOne and Hardcash worked together on the distribution of award-winning documentaries such as “Inside China,” “Fearless: The Women Fighting Putin” and “Outbreak: The Virus that Shook the World,” which have been sold to over 160 territories worldwide.

Cundall said: “Through this collaboration, we’ve secured a unique access to one of the most prestigious documentary makers in the world of factual and documentary programming, and we look forward to continuing to provide award-winning unscripted storytelling to audiences worldwide.”

Esella Hawkey, creative director at Hardcash Productions,...

Makoto Shinkai, one of Japan’s biggest animators, filmmaker and author is all set to visit India for the release of his latest movie – ‘Suzume’. The acclaimed Japanese director is known for his visually stunning and emotionally powerful anime films that touch upon themes such as love, loss and the impact of technology on society.

Some of his most well-known works include ‘Your Name.’ ‘Weathering With You’, and ‘5 Centimeters Per Second’. The film, brought to India by PVR Pictures, the motion picture arm of PVR Inox is set to hit theaters across India on April 21st, 2023.

PVR Pictures has been instrumental in bringing Makoto Shinkai’s films to Indian audiences. Their previous collaboration included the release of ‘Weathering with You’, which was a box office success in India.

The company has recognized the gap in the anime market and has taken steps to bring anime content to Indian audiences in a more accessible way.

Anime isn't a genre. It's a medium, one that's still fighting for mainstream acceptance in the West. Its hold on American audiences is stronger than ever, with Studio Ghibli blockbusters and franchises like "My Hero Academia" earning critical acclaim and global adoration. However, too many people still associate animation with children's viewing. While there are plenty of great anime films that parents can show to their kids, this attitude still leads to confusion. Not only is some anime emphatically not child-safe, but if you dismiss it as kids' stuff, you're missing out on some great movies.

If you've never watched an anime film before, rest assured that it's not all sailor uniforms and jiggly bits, just like how action movies aren't all gravelly-voiced men and sexy ladies. There's something for everyone, although we also confess that you're going to see a lot of Hayao Miyazaki and Mamoru Oshii here, and for good reasons.

With one week to go before the 25th edition of the Fantasia Film Festival begins we turn our attention to the closing night of the festival, on August 25th. We already know that Takashi Miike's The Great Yokai War - Guardians will close the festival. Now we get word that another special treat from Japan will also help close out this year's festival.    The audience at the screening will be the first to see a special World Premiere teaser of the anime series Deiji Meets Girl. The series is directed by Tazawa Ushio, an animator who has worked on some impressive projects; Your Name, 5 Centimeters Per Second, and Mind Game, to name a few.    If you have a ticket for that in-person...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Collecting two stories based on the works of director Makoto Shinkai with “5 Centimeters per Second” penned by the iconic director himself. The release is accompanied by Children who Chase Lost Voices adapted by Asahi Akisaka.

“5 Centimeters per second When Takaki meets Akari in elementary school, they are as thick as thieves. She always teaches him the important things, while he does his best to protect her. After they are separated in middle school, though, they have to find their paths in life without each other…”

Children Who Chase Lost Voices Asuna is a shy and diffident girl who lives in the mountain town of Mizunofuchi. One day, she meets Shun, a boy who claims to be from a mythical land known as Agartha. However, just as a bond is beginning to form between them, Shun vanishes. As Asuna wishes she could see him again, she encounters Shin, another boy who looks just like Shun,...

One week ago, Shinkai Makoto's Weathering With You opened in U.S. theaters and is already among my favorite films from the past 365 days. It's also been widely acclaimed by critics, as noted at Rotten Tomatoes, and has proven to be a popular success, as calculated by Box Office Mojo. The story "takes flight into the fantastical while never losing sight of earthbound realities," as I wrote in my review, and thus fits well within the director's oeuvre, including his features Your Name (2016), 5 Centimeters Per Second (2007) and The Place Promised in Our Early Days (2004), as well as the shorter Voices of a Distant Star (2002). Among those fine films is The Garden of Words (2013), which is now being mounted in...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

“Weathering With You” (Tenki no Ko) is a fable about friensdhip and climate, written and diected by acclaimed director Makoto Shinkai (“Your Name”. “The Garden of Words”, “Journey to Aghartha”, “5 Centimeters per Second”)

Produced by CoMix Wave (same studio behind “Your Name” and “Flavors of Youth”) the film premiered in Japanese Cinemas on the 19th of July and it’s already a huge hit.

The two protagonists are voiced by Kotaro Daigo (Hodaka) e da Nana Mori (Hina), and the them song “Ai ni Deikiru Koto wa Mada Aru Kai” is composed by popular j-rock band Radwimps that had greatly contributed to the success of “Your Name”.

Other members of the crew include Masayoshi Tanaka (“Your Name”) in charge of the character design, Atsushi Tamura head of animation, and artistic director Hiroshi Takiguchi (“The Garden of Words”, “Ajin”).

Considering the well-known passion and ability for weather rapresentation that director...

Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday.

Last Friday saw the release of Laika’s “Missing Link,” a singular and exquisitely crafted piece of stop-motion animation at a time when generic, computer-generated fare is dominating the market (IndieWire’s positive review can be read here). Naturally, it bombed.

This week’s question: In an attempt to call attention to the films that treat feature-length animation like the art form that it is, what’s the most beautifully animated film ever made?

“5 Centimeters Per Second”

Hoai-Tran (@htranbui), SlashFilm

Makoto Shinkai may be best known as the director behind the 2017 global mega-hit “Your Name,” but he has long established himself as a singular anime filmmaker whose pensive metaphysical plots are only bested by his gorgeous photorealistic renderings of modern-day Tokyo. While his 2013 short film “The Garden of Words” is objectively...