Hoshi no koe (2002) Reviews

• Beauty in simplicity

  baseballfanjm2004-11-15

  What a simple concept for a film, executed so wonderfully. A teenage girl travels in space, and the only way for her to contact the boy she loves back on earth in through her cell-phone's text messaging. But as she drifts further from earth, the messages begin to take a much longer to reach him. He begins to give up on hearing from her again, and she grieves over what she is unable to tell him from this distance. However, the ending is extremely moving and uplifting, more so than I thought this 25-minute film would be. I need not mention how this film was made, by one man on his computer. While the visuals are surprisingly good for a film made with such sparse resources, Makoto Shinkai clearly understands that storytelling is the most important part of animation, and he made a film that is more beautiful and touching than almost anything you'd see in Hollywood, and he did it on his computer, and with a run time of under a half hour. This guy is talented, and I hope to see him directing more animes in the future. Voices of a Distant Star is a superb film by any standards, certainly a must see for anime fans.

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• A visual 'haiku' on love, separation, and war.

  GreyinBeard2003-11-05

  Not the typical 'smash and blast' mech-warrior tale. And those looking for one will probably be disappointed, even though there are a few battle scenes. A written haiku can give the fullness of something in a few words. The evocative images, minimalist dialogue, and soundtrack of this short file capture the full essence of two people in love, separated by war, in the same way. I don't believe a longer film could have done this.

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• Wonderful little film!!

  javajoe962005-02-28

  Makoto Shinkai could direct traffic and I would watch. This was an amazing anime. You could feel the distance and loneliness of the two main characters. Shinkai wrote, directed and made this all on one computer and you can feel the very personal feel that it gave this animation. I heard a lot of good things about this anime movie long before I watched it and did not think too much about actually picking it up. But I have to tell the truth when I saw it on sale that pushed me over the line to get it and I am very glad I did. It is was wonderful addition to my collection. Even the bonus that comes on the DVD version about a cat is great, it is only 5 minutes long but he makes it great. I look forward to his works, I am sure it will be tugging at the heart-strings as he weaves his tale into our hearts.

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• Poignant and beautiful

  piex2004-01-18

  This is a great amateur feature which captures emotions and imagination better than many full length studio flicks. I first watched it as a fan-subtitled release via the internet, and I think that translation stands as the most emotionally true to this point. Though the American voices are well done, some things have been added and some taken away as in any translation. I suggest watching a subtitled version instead of the American translation. None of the emotional intensity is lost... I don't know many folks who have watched it and not cried. The story of junior high sweethearts separated by war and then time is as uplifting as it is poignant. Communicating via email which becomes more and more intermittent as the combatant moves first years and then light years away, one half of the partnership grows to adulthood on earth as the other fights battles 8.6 light years away... and remains 15. It's agonizing to see one choose to move on and one still feel the immediacy of a love that just months ago shared lunch at the bus stop. It's just as powerfully lovely to see the bond remain through space and time.

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• Shinkai's warm-up

  Onderhond2008-10-17

  The anime industry is a pretty rigid one. It takes time for talent to surface, people never start off by directing a movie of their own. Even major talents like Mamoru Oshii started their careers inbetweening children's cartoons. It's the way the industry works, and there's very little room for change. Yet there are some people who are talented enough to break right through these traditions. Makoto Shinkai is one of those people. When Hoshi no Koe was released, many heads turned. Being only his second short film (and his first lengthy one), Shinkai directed a movie that not only had a unique visual style and was technically impressive, he did it all by himself. Without the help of any major studio or other animators, without prior experience in the industry, he created a 30 minute animated short film that equaled and surpassed many other professional efforts. No matter how rigid an industry is, this gets you noticed. With Hoshi no Koe, Shinkai put his name out there. While not all the work was done by himself (his wife and a couple of friends did the original dubbing), the bulk of the work was all his doing. Though he directed a short film before, with Hoshi no Koe he defined his personal style and developed an atmosphere he could call his own, crafting it to further perfection in his later films. The film is now 4 years old, yet it still looks lush. It's not the prettiest anime out there, not by far. The cgi looks pretty standard and the characters designs aren't really that good, but Shinkai knew perfectly well how to mask his shortcomings. By using strong, vibrant yet dreamy colors, applying a smart mix of 2d and 3d artwork and getting some good camera action he was able to fill each frame with a lavish setting that easily overshadowed the lesser points of his work. This visual identity has always defined Shinkai in a way. While his movies always radiate a certain grandeur, it's always in function of small, romantic elements. He has always focused on the smaller things in life, voicing his admiration of them through his characters. The setting of Hoshi no Koe also reflects this. While in the background there's space travel and mecha fighting, the film is really about two people being separated by time and space, pondering about their time together. Thinking back of walks in the rain and spring mornings, seeing the cherry blossoms fall. That's Shinkai. These conflicting elements never get into the way of each other, although a better focus might have improved the film a bit. Something Shinkai himself picked up along the way of his further career. The storyline functions as a mere setup, leaving all details and further explanations to a bare minimum. This makes the short a tad hard to follow, but in the end the atmosphere really benefits from this choice. The focus is kept on the theme of the film, instead of delving into a cliché setting not really worth exploring anyway. Hoshi no Koe really is a landmark movie. Not only because it was the first good example of how increased processor power combined with a creative and persistent mind could penetrate a rigid industry, but also because it set the bar for Shinkai's individual style, which would only improve along the way. Not many people followed in his footsteps (although there are some examples, ranking them immediately among the best anime directors out there), indicating his rare talent. With all circumstantial arguments out of the way, Hoshi no Koe remains above all a sweet, touching little short set to a rather violent and typical anime background. His later efforts would put both elements in better balance, but the effect is already here, and the short still stands proud 4 years later. 4.5*/5*

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