Shinkai Makoto’s “Kotonoha no Niwa” Trailer

There’s no one quite like Shinkai Makoto when it comes to visual impact.

Let’s see – based on the trailer it looks like a Shinkai Makoto love story, we have Miyu Irino as the male lead (and KanaHana as the female lead, if that floats your boat), and Kyoto scenery?  That’s service, right there.  The only sad thing (apart from the likely heart-shredding ending) is no music from Tenmon.

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17 comments

  1. i

    It looks so gooood.

    For me Shinkai Makoto was at his best for the best first part of 5 cms per second. I really hope this is back to that level?

    Also I agree with Enzo that KanaHana really has just one voice and I feel kind of bored when I listen to recently. Wish the seiyuu from the girl who jumped through time would be a heroine in some more movies.

  2. J

    I am also going to dearly miss the absence of Tenmon here.

    Still, this is perhaps the most beautiful work I've seen from Makoto Shinkai so far. His proficiency in the field of scenery porn is unmatched. I've read that this is going to be based on the traditional Japanese motif of love, koi (lit. lonely sadness), as opposed to the modern interpretation of love, ai, which for me is an interesting proposition. I'm so washed out on modern love stories that I'd love to see where this one goes.

  3. K

    Cautiously optimistic, after being let down by Hoshi o Ou Kodomo.

    Really gonna miss Tenmon!

  4. K

    Oh man, I just realised I'm gonna be in Japan when it opens. Exciting!

  5. l

    Funny, my favourite Shinkai flick is the one that got the poorest reviews – Kumo no Mukou Kumo no Mukou, Yakusoku no Basho.

    5cm/sec, kind of fell flat for me. First third was probably one of the best bits of visual storytelling I'd ever seen, but the second part was kind of pointless (needed more context, and the third was just Shinkai trying too hard to be Shinkai (as opposed to Shinkai trying too hard to be someone else in Hoshi wo Ou Kodomo) , plus it was ruined by that cheesy pop song at the end. He should have stopped after the first part, imho.

    Will still check this one out, no doubt.

  6. J

    I also particularly enjoyed Kumo no Mukou, Yakusoku no Basho. I also really enjoyed Hoshi no Koe. I feel like Shinkai portrayed his characters best when he incorporated sci-fi elements into an overarching theme, as opposed to falling flat with a fantasy theme.

    Still, though I think he works best with sci-fi, I think he excelled with 5cm's realistic setting (I am one of the rare folk who enjoyed all three short stories of that film) and I expect the same results with this new work.

  7. Z

    Hoshi no Koe was the only film of his that I enjoyed for what it was. It didn't rely so heavily on the visuals like his subsequent material does.

  8. T

    More Shinkai makes my day! I don't really care whether it's his best work or not; it'll still be fantastic!

  9. r

    Er, that's "niwa" not "hiwa" in the title.
    The clip looks promising to me.

  10. G

    Oh, look at that animation *faints*.

  11. J

    Gawd, I'm a sucker for these Japanese scenery animated films…and Makoto Shinkai, of course. *dies*

  12. A

    Artgasm.

    That just looks absolutely fantastic, I can hardly wait

  13. R

    The background visuals look stunning…as always. The character design has improved a lot, and I can't wait for the sub version to come out.

  14. M

    While I'm sad to see Tenmon missing from the credits, I'm more than happy to see Kashiwa Daisuke handling the composition. Everything I've heard of his sounds simply perfect for this kind of film.

    As for said film itself, I'm very much looking forward to this. While Hoshi o Ou Kodomo's visuals are very breathtaking, it's nice to see the much more "Shinkai-esque" character designs (though very much improved). Naturally, the scenery is sure to impress.

    And I have to say, I'm also thrilled to see him in a film that feels much more his element. When I saw Hoshi o Ou Kodomo, I couldn't help but feel he was trying too hard to combine his own style with the world-creating power that Miyazaki movies tend to have, to the detriment of the film's very promising (and still very "Shinkai") narrative.

  15. l

    I'm sold – hook, line, sinker and the whole fishing pole.

  16. S

    Shinkai Makoto paired with Irino Miyu and Hana Kana, and it looks like it's gonna be another romantic drama and that is right up Shinkai-sensei's forte. You couldn't get me more excited than this :3

  17. d

    It's beautiful.

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