Makoto Shinkai: A Genius Hack Filmmaker

[@Koubles]

My takeaway from this video is that Makoto Shinakai fails to constantly ask the two most important questions in creative writing. "Who?" and "Why?" Which is ironic since his most successful film involves that first question as a reoccuring theme. His storyline writing seems to be constantly blocked by these two things, at least from what I gathered here. Plotlines often make little sense or have holes that can easily be questioned and he doesn't address core elements that are supposed to drive his plots forward. He knows how to create great emotional moments and breathtaking scenes, but there is no backbone in the writing to support these feelings where they don't hit you as hard as they probably could if there was better fleshed out characters, setting and story. Your Name is a good example of everything else Makoto Shinakai is good at, while maintaining just enough story to get praise from it's viewers. I can't explain how hearing that opening music play with the absolutly breathtaking shot of Mitsuha looking up at the comet now turned meteor makes me feel, or the magical feeling of them both standing atop that mountain as the sun fades behind the clouds and they both finally see eachother. It's just so damn pretty and well done. If it weren't for the fact that the characters weren't half-baked and their reasonings for doing what they do is just unanswered this scene would make sense within the full context of the story, but because things happen in an "and then this happened, and then this happened" story structure, the why's and who's are lost. Who exactly are our characters? And why do they feel for eachother? While Mitsuha gets far more of this fleshing out Taki is mostly left without it and when one character in a duo has that much to be answered you then have to put into question why the other character bothers. I think he could have some real masterpieces up his sleeve, but it would require some writers to come alongside him and really show him how to craft a cohesive story where the viewer isn't left with important questions about integral plot elements.

[@warcrimesfootage9384]

This is very characteristic to Japanese narrative imo. It's not necessary a failure. It depends on how your perception of stories is tailored. Where you look at while percepting a story.

[@k-ondoomer]

Dude you nailed it like crazy. 5cm per second as short and focused enough to be my favorite but his bigger titles, after the visual shock and awe I'm left asking why? There's movies like disappearance of haruhi suzumiya that leave me so satisfied visually and with its writing, end of eva with its crazy artsy expression, or ghost in the shell with it's introspection, but shinkai I'm always left feeling like I watched a movie baiting for an Oscar that the whole family can enjoy, not an exploration of the space where truly great films reside. He plays it so safe with the writing it kills me, but his visual style is sooooo good

[@xSTARRYxEYESx]

Re: choosing emotional resonance over narrative coherence: "Nobody knows what it means, it's provocative! It gets the people going!"

[@MadAnime963]

Watching this after watching susume is eye opening lol. His movies are the definition of shutting your brain off. You literally can't think about his movies too much or they fall apart. Just gotta enjoy the ride

[@NoArtisticLimitation]

1:14:50 - I mean... Considering the crater around the shrine, and the crater lake the town is built around, the whole “happened before” thing was always there. You just don’t notice at first viewing.

[@NowWeAre6]

the business suits at the end with the guys signifies the process of Job Hunting or shūshoku katsudō, almost a coming of age ritual for Young Japanese people typically at the end of or last semester of University. If you google the term it is in fact normal to be wearing matching suits like that, in groups in fact. It signifies that the character has just started to grow up and would only really mean 3-4 years since they were in high school so not that much time has passed so the group of friends having food together at the same restaurant is understandable as I'd imagine a lot people would do this during this process. @1:17:08

[@smackmmk]

You know that a youtuber is good when you spent a hour and a half watching two videos of Japanese directors you had no interest in, and was entertained throughout the whole thing. Good job digi awesome stuff

[@haviick1014]

are you kidding me. The guy has no sense of what art is, and half the time i feel like he doesn't even hear what he himself is saying . . .

[@smackmmk]

I respectfully disagree it is very clear through the majority of his videoes that he has a deep appreciation for both art and anime, given how extensive and content filled each video is , how can you said he "doesn't know anything about art or anime"?

[@haviick1014]

the fact that you compare the amount of content in his video to his appreciation . . . also i never said the words "doesn't know anything about art or anime" . . . so i have actually not an idea about what you are saying...

[@smackmmk]

excuse me, not he doesn't know anything about art, but "no sense of what art is,", and it's not the quantity of content but the quality of content, and what the content consists of that show that he has a clear understanding of what art is. of course, having content that is filled with information and a clear passion for what he's talking about shows that as well.

[@haviick1014]

my point exactly...

[@GenJotsu]

Here's my review on your review: Fair.

[@wad2513]

Loved the Naoko Yamada shout out. Such an overlooked director.

[@moresoduh]

Thank you for re-enabling comments on this, just wanted to say this: As Makoto Shinkai is one of my all-time favorite directors, I may have needed this analysis to fog up my rose-tinted glasses regarding the quality of his films. You offered some compelling arguments, and I now feel like my opinion of his work is a bit more well-rounded as a result

[@kauswekazilimani3736]

Christopher Mosby that’s rare on KZbin, sensible comment from a sensible outlook

[@gh3ttoduCanada]

the rarity makes all the more precious to see.

[@Xirbtt]

Wait, he disabled comments? Ha.

[@bevrosity]

these comments should be the norm and not noted for being precious to see. alas, that is not usually the case. i see the dumbest most obvious comments getting thousands of likes and pure gold going unnoticed. i encourage everyone to do themselves a favor and look at the comments with the newest comments being shown first. i usually find better content in the comments when i do that.

[@craigharrison1274]

WOW WE ARE ALL SO WISE AND MATURE AND DEFINITELY DEFINITELY DEFINITELY MODEST.

[@modern-day_warrior]

"mom can we get GunBuster"? "no honey we have gunbuster at home".*Gunbuster at home* (voices from a distant star)

[@Kingalen01300]

I really don’t understand the complaints regarding this video. Sure I’d agree he may have been a tad overly critical in some regards, but digi gave credit where credits due in every film and their positives. I don’t think this video was intended to be a “why this director sucks”, but rather to show that he’s overhyped in digi’s eyes. And to be honest, anyone being called “the next Miyazaki” is probably being overhyped. Anyway, great video as always

[@ColorOfSakura]

I think its partially the fact that it's literally nearly 82 minutes long.

[@ineednochannelyoutube5384]

He is a basically competent director. Everything else is shit , that makes him a genious in comparison.

[@BiigiieCheeese]

TBH Miyazaki rushes resolutions to complex situations; all in the span of last fifteen minutes of nearly all his movies. The most egregious example of his directing "quirk" is Spirited Away. Even great directors have major flaws.

[@Sakaki98]

Alen Basically, Digi is criticizing someone they like and identify with, so they just look for ways to invalidate his opinion("You're biased" with zero evidence or specific examples or "You don't like anything because the thing I like isn't a thing you also like"). It's kind of silly how unwilling people are to assimilate new information, or at the very least respect people who disagree with them, especially when said people actually have education and experience over them in both writing and criticism.

[@Gervaj79]

Lol a tad. He nitpicks on every little thing and then acts like Miyazaki is a god when he does the same things.

[@HomeCookinMTG]

I think his less flashy character designs are a nice change of pace compared to most anime where you can tell immediately who all of the relevant characters are going to be because of the color of their hair or whatever.

[@akiyukishinbo7553]

I AGREE! This is probably one of the things I like most about shinkai and disagree with digi on. His characters actually feel real instead of some spiky pink haired cliche

[@akiyukishinbo7553]

@@THE_CORNELIUS ignore my hypocrisy please 😅

[@s3studios597]

That's not nearly as unique as you seem to think it is. Shit tons of anime have more grounded character designs.

[@HomeCookinMTG]

@@s3studios597 it's pretty unique dude the majority of anime have a cast full of girls with different colored hair, and dudes with shonen hair and dumb unrealistic looking outfits. For every anime you can name that has realistic looking character designs I can name about 50 that don't.

[@s3studios597]

@@HomeCookinMTG Hair colors MAYBE, but that's it, and even then, there're still a metric fuckton of anime with grounded designs, so it's still nothing remotely special. The "dumb shonen hair and unrealistic outfits" on the other hand, are primarily limited to fanasy/sci-fi settings, battle shonen, and kids' anime.

[@arathduiliath9074]

I would say Garden of Words is a masterpiece, fight me. My appreciation in it comes from likely subjective interpretations of symbolism and nuanced details that may or may not be intentional but the largest difference in interpretation I have than Digibro's is how unlike most of Shinkai's other works, this one in no way strikes me as a romance and instead plays off of misinterpreting feelings as romantic for the sake of its themes of social connections and meaningful friendships instead. Takao never develops any form of social intimacy despite having friends and an older brother who isn't estranged because he puts all of his time and effort into leaving the state he's in, developing his shoe-making and building a future around it. He never attempted to share his hobbies or time with others and so never experienced any deep personal connections with someone. When he opens up to Yukari and they slowly become closer they each develop a better understanding on how to live life from each other in opposite ways, Yukari realizes her depression (symbolized by all her scenes alone taking place in the dark or at night and hinted at more with inability to taste and her escapist mentality) is due to her settling for her situation and not trying to reach a future she wants while Takao learns how even adults have problems and that just working towards a future without a clear goal can lead to disaster and it's okay to get help from someone else. Takao mistakes the emotions he has as love for Yukari and even states his uncertainty when he confesses to her which she then immediately rebukes by stating she is his teacher (the first time they acknowledge the social structure which separates them and is until then symbolically hidden by overcast clouds). Yukari hesitates then runs after Takao after he storms out to explain how significant he is in her life with words and by showing action, physically running instead of leaving things as is to avoid confrontation like she did with the rumors at school which prompted her to transfer and previous forms of inaction that lead to her dissatisfaction with her life. The clouds clearing up while still raining when she tells Takao how he saved her symbolizes their relationship becoming clear, that despite their age difference and them being student and teacher they can still be happy because each other's company, symbolized as rain throughout the film, and that they have a deep relationship with each other even though it's not romantic. The change in music at this time is to mirror how they both grew as people, Takao realizing how impactful relationships can be without being romantic and Yukari being able to act on what she wants for her happiness. I also interpret Takao leaving behind the shoes he made for her as him not getting caught up in the past with how he thought of Yukari, instead continuing to grow as a person and wanting to see her as a friend instead of a love-interest. I could ramble about this film for longer but I think this is the main difference in how this video's conclusion on the film differs so drastically than mine. TLDR: The story is closer to 'a student boy mistakes his feelings of friendship for love and the severely depressed teacher is inspired o fix her life by student's ambition' than 'forbidden foot-fetish love between student and teacher sparks from mutual escapism'.

[@sureshshukla2476]

Great read. Totally agree

[@L3_MufF1n]

Shaswat Saincher do you mean the rest are amazing or garbage to you?

[@shaswatsaincher4641]

@@L3_MufF1n I mean, in my opinion, the rest are garbage...chiefly in terms of character development. I don't like his films because he cannot create endearing / unique characters...he can't create the kind of characters one would root for. You could switch male leads across his different movies and still nothing would change.

[@theonewhoruineditall5572]

Oh, yeah sure whatever

[@yanling60]

Totally agree. Garden of Words is a masterpiece. It is so much deeper and clearer than the themes of his previous films.

[@Oring573]

This video was great. 5cm per second then Garden of Words were my first Makoto Shinkai films. And I have always been surprised how I could never get into his other films and I was surprised they were ranked so high on MAL. I thought Your Name was good but not the greatest film of all time. It feels great to see a video and be able to put into words or at least hear an honest "I was bored" because that's what I have been saying (on the inside).

[@AbhishekChaudhary-uq4xo]

Makoto Shinkai started out as a promising film maker. But afterwards every movie of his is either tragedy of lovers separating or lovers facing supernatural together. Even in later case, it has lovers separating and hoping to meet one day. He has become stagnant. The main reason why people (including me) look forward to watch his movies is because of their animation and look.

[@martineza5012]

Shinkai's films are aimed at young teens and their feelings.making characters simple makes them relatable while the backgrounds are realistic to make the world feel more realistic.

[@DeadPig325]

Zero :re 🎯 but also 🌚🖕🏻 🗣(fucking duh)

[@BirdUpFR]

Children who chase lost voices is a great example of something that i can totally understand is flawed, but i still enjoy it. Idk i found it charming

[@nabilamisilushafirila4130]

I know I'm late (5 years late), but this video explains well why I'm not as excited as others about Your Name. It was an introduction movie for me since I never watch any of his older movies, a lot of people praise it, it beats Spirited Away in highest grossing anime movies, but after that movie I become hesitant to watch his other movies. Yes it's visually pleasing, yes the background art, the animation, the voice acting are all good, but the story felt like there's something missing in it. I kept wondering why, and as far as I feel the supernatural aspect of the story just doesn't fit well in the romance part. The characters are bland and uninteresting, the chemistry between two main character are minimal, and somehow they fell in love?? 'The beautiful background became an annoyance'

[@sdstuff4937]

Somewhat surprised this got liked by YGG Studios considering how new this comment is. But anyways I do really like it when she does extensive reviews on a certain director's filmography or does things of that nature instead of just analyzing one specific piece of entertainment(don't get me wrong I do still enjoy it when she does make those videos).

[@Dell-ol6hb]

I agree, I never really got why people loved Your Name so much, it was good, I enjoyed it but it didn't feel very impactful or meaningful to me and I felt as though the story was missing something

[@Seviexe]

Miyazaki's work was beautiful. Shinkai's work is aesthetically beautiful. That is the great disparity between the two... Nostalgia, longing, sadness are the artist's go-to emotions when they're out of ideas, as they are the easiest of all to portray and have that portrayal resonate with the viewers. Miyazaki had an amazing grasp on the whole range of emotions, he was able to tell wholesome stories, create worlds that viewers didn't want to leave long after the movie ended. He wasn't taking the easy way out with uppercase NOSTALGIA written over it. He conveyed awe and amazement, which are the exact opposite and require much more work to pull off. Shinkai's latest work is visually stunning, more so than most of Miyazaki's movies, but there are no characters and no worlds that would stay with the viewer. It's more fitting as a background image for your PC, which I actually did have for a long time.

[@Gervaj79]

You can sense the amount of bias you have lmao.

[@kostajovanovic3711]

+Ger Vang oh, you really don't like Myazaki

[@Gervaj79]

Kosta Jovanovic Nah I love his movies but him and his movies are extremely overhyped lol.

[@Seviexe]

Ger Vang my only bias is of someone who works with visual storytelling.

[@fridabu.b6761]

I agree with ur comment so much! Miyazaki's story telling is on a different level, not just pretty pictures...great director..i dont see makoto shinkai is up on that level of story telling with the legendary directors like hayao, satoshi kon, tezuma etc.

[@VerbenaHA]

I'm really glad this vid has a plot twist twenty minutes in with 5 centimeters a second. I was about to point how heartless digi sounded.

[@fbjkatsuu]

Having seen all but his very first film, I can't help but agree completely. I respect Shinkai deeply as a creator, but one of the highest forms of respect is being able to clearly and honestly dissect someone's work. This is a great dissection. And that pronoun gag was the best.

[@MelonShala]

Best video essay I have ever watched. I dont think ive ever watched something over an hour long that wasnt a movie. Tremendous breakdown. Unbiased intelligent commentary.

[@alysshart7522]

The reason I’m watching this video six years after it came out is because I just rewatched Children Who Chase Lost Voices yesterday, and the reason I rewatched that film after so many years is because I have complicated feelings about The Boy and the Heron. Even though this is very implausible to the point of being laughable, The Boy and the Heron made me feel as though Miyazaki watched Children Who Chase Lost Voices and said to himself, “I could make a film like that… except good.”

[@unique_mushroom]

watches mother's basement video on makoto shinkai. nice 20 min vid, easily digestible. presents glowing praise of shinkai. thinks to self "i bet digibro has a contrarian opinion let me see if he's made a makoto shinkai vid recently" first search result is a one hour and twenty minute video titled "makoto shinkai: a genius hack filmmaker" that's so funny and exactly what you'd expect from digi in contrast to said mother's basement video.

[@jeniferjoseph9200]

Unique Mushroom I thought both analyses were fair in different ways

[@unique_mushroom]

i agree, was just funny seeing the immediate contrast between them. hard to expalin

[@fjbz3737]

Unique Mushroom It's funny and true, but it's definitely his actual opinion.

[@carterpadrick6029]

I'll never understand how I can be so immersed in a youtuber's content as to sit here and watch an hour and a half long video about a guy I didn't know existed

[@Wildstag]

To comment on the whole "the world is watching" part you touch on at 1:14:00, if you care to take a look at the confirmed fatalities by extra-terrestrial objects, it's surprisingly low. If a whole town, or in this case a village, were to be wiped off the Earth in one tragic scene like in the movie, you can bet that the entire world would be hearing about it because it's so extraordinary an occurrence.

[@DeadPig325]

Wildstag yeah I thought the same thing. Like, even if a whole middle eastern town got bombed by the US their propaganda networks would still have to say something,,, *probably(🎭?).*

[@BologneyT]

Digi your content changes my life philosophy. Thank you for making it.

[@poppysmic856]

I love the idea of Makoto Shinkai movies more than the actual movies themselves. I have watched 5 Centimeters Per Second at least twice now, and each time it was an absolute bore and a drag. And this coming from someone who generally loves slow-burn storylines. I wanted so desperately to like it because of the gorgeous cinematography, but alas. On the other hand, I found The Children Who Chase Lose Voices, whilst far from perfect, very enjoyable. Interesting how your experience was completely the reverse.

[@poppysmic856]

@@scotta4564 Yeah, it does surprise me. It's rare for opinions to be this far apart. Does happen of course, but just a reminder of how differently we do perceive things.

[@AkiRie-bi3ek]

No, he is not satoshi kon, Mamoru Hosoda, isao takahata, mamoru oshii, katsuhiro otomo, hideaki anno, Shin'ichirō Watanabe or Naoko Yamada, he is just Makoto Shinkai. People really need to stop comparing him to others directors (and I am looking at you critics and media from the west)

[@_swesters_]

Meh

[@_swesters_]

I never compared him to any anime director but your name severely disappointed me

[@_swesters_]

Convoluted story with seemingly no message and I feel the characters are very static both literally and metaphorically

[@_swesters_]

I don't think it deserved all the hype, pretty? Yes. But it lacled substance.

[@zachmontminy]

Naoko Yamada doesn't belong in that sentence.

[@carteljameson8395]

Your interpretation of The Garden of Words is spot on in some instances and out of pocket in others. For example, I think you nailed what they saw in each other. Which was aspects of themselves, who he wants to be and who she feels she still is. But I think your statement about the ending song being out of place because it makes it seem like they're starting a relationship comes off more like blissful ignorance. Especially considering their relationship doesn't actually end like you claim. But I'm assuming you think so because you didn't watch past the credits. He's literally reading a letter Yukari wrote to him(they still keep in touch), he made her shoes(expectation of gifting them to her), and says outright that he'll go find her when he gets a little older. Pretty clear what Shinkai was getting at. That's of course all without even considering the novelization written by Shinkai himself that makes it even more apparent. But this is a video about movies, not novels so I'll just stop there. The Garden of Words is very much about what most of his movies are about. Distance and love. In this case, the distance is their age gap. But say, unlike 5 Centimeters Per Second, distance isn't the end of their relationship. Its only temporary, putting it on hold for now. Anyway, I'm not particularly interested in Shinkai's other works as I don't really like any of them. The Garden of Words is the only one that has stuck with me. But I do find the change in style with Your Name to be quite jarring. Not that I have a hatred for the movie. I'm mostly indifferent. Except I do feel there was something lost with it. Because despite my disinterest in his other movies, they're still distinctly him. Your Name felt almost analytically driven. Like it was built on a conveyor belt of ideas. Perhaps that's harsh but as 5 years have gone by since this video, I can't say that I'm wrong as he's only really tried to replicate it after. It's kind of bizarre to see. The difference in style pre Your Name and post Your Name is so different that I'm not entirely sure Shinkai will ever be remembered for the movies that are so distinctly him. But, I guess I can't hate on the success.

[@yourmom9931]

The cat monologue thing kind of just sounds like it's talking about heat death(sciencey stuff about how the universe will inevitably cease to be) and how basically everything will die. Not shockingly deep but I think Shinkai is talking about how it's best to live in the moment and all that given the films context and his personal philosophy.

[@flowersforjoy]

I've honestly rewatched this video approximately too many times. I've never seen any of Makoto Shinkai's films, mainly because I'm not a fan of movies that are overly visual, or overly emotional. Basically this video is so wonderfully constructed and written, as per usual and I'm glad it exists. Funny enough, every other review I'd ever watched all held these films to near perfection! Which to me, just didn't seem right. I'm glad this video existed to clarify all this so I never have to watch these films myself. I wish I had money to donate to your Patreon for more lengthy videos like these!

[@GSNRecords]

I mean, he made a 25 minute feature on his own. Regardless of it being more toward the mediocre end, that is something employers would fucking love. He made the pinnacle of a portfolio piece in order to break into an industry. Him getting a directing gig would only have needed him to prove to a studio that he isn't some crazy recluse who can't communicate or work with a team.

[@zokya6822]

It's a great piece of portfolio for an Animator, but it's not showing of his skill as a director. Many many of the greatest and most popular Animators don't direct Anime, because these are infact two different skill sets. What is a sign that he had the potential of becoming a director is that his movie did end up becoming popular. People in the Anime Industry can judge and value Animation by looking at it, but judging directorial work isn't that simple. So... you have to look for success.

[@YuutaTop]

I'm a simple man i see makoto shinkai. And i click suscribe and like video

[@inigmianstudios2771]

The film adapts a "time is convoluted in Lordran approach" And that, my friend, is when I could contain my laughter, no longer

[@xSTARRYxEYESx]

But time IS convoluted in Lordran!

[@jobdylan5782]

@@xSTARRYxEYESx Holy moly I was going to comment exactly that down to capitalizing "is".

[@Horesmi]

20:03 you can find them fairly easily on Ebay. You can do insane things in your own garage with enough dedication and skill. Problem is, these are things that are virtually impossible for high-schoolers to obtain. Kids are stupid and easily distracted.

[@YaBoiDoi]

I plan on watching this video after finally watching the other shinkai films online and making getting as much shinkai into my body before wrecking it

[@betadrive3357]

4:57 "writing which aims to sound deep, but isn't really saying anything" So, the entirety of the Kingdom Hearts franchise?

[@ginolerebours6466]

this was so needed -- thank you for making this

[@davettover]

What Shinkai managed to pull off with Your Name is equivalent to a magic show where the audience is enthralled by the spectacle, failing to notice the little tricks and movement of hands which would have otherwise broken the spell. His methods for distracting the viewers during the film can only be called 'genius' and one cannot feel anything but respect to the man for pulling it off. A great video for a great director. Thank you for the amount of effort you put into this. It must have been a lot and I appreciate it. You are a great KZbinr man.

[@DSTkunn]

This was such a treat to watch/listen to!

[@orihalchon]

The topic aside, i'm more fascinated in how many hours you took in editing this. The condensing the raw footages into an hour+ long, play it, reedit, replay it again, reedit it again. It must've been nuts!

[@tomasroque3338]

orihalchon He didn't edit it. He has an editor, The Davoo (link to his channel in the description). You will easily be able to tell when he does edit videos, because the editing is much worse. Not garbage, they are mostly ok, but Digi admits that he is a writer, and that he doesn't consider editing to even be a part of his job

[@dogwalk3]

i remember finding voices of a distant star at a blockbuster back in the day. it & a place promised were two of my favorite animes. he was still seemingly a pretty niche director online to the west & never heard much about him. i watched & loved his preceding films & being so excited for when 5cm was released here (states). when children who chase lost voices came out, there was sooo much hate towards it for "ripping off miyazaki," & the attitude was pretty universally negative & everyone was pretending that he wasn't going to grow his audience - not even big enough to be able to "fizzle out." it wasn't until your name was released years later that he finally sparked his career on a large scale (again, at least in the west) & it's just been a rocketship since then. very grateful he ended up catching on the way he did & im glad i discovered him when i did. i always felt like people were missing out, but we all know how large he is now 😌 he deserves it.

[@Cobalt360Degrees]

Shinkai strikes me as a superbly talented background artist who decided to become a director. And while there's absolutely no reason why he couldn't be successful in making that transition work, it just currently feels like he's not really working to his strengths. Yes, his films lately have been drop dead *gorgeous,* but holy shit could I ever not give a single shit about anything actually happening in any of them.

[@TheVoltaire1]

I never thought I would have the patience to go past the first 10 minutes. This was a great video. Kudos.

[@guaguaqu3475]

This is my first youtube comment ever. Thank you, Digibro, for all your content. Having only seen The Garden of Words and Your Name, I thought Shinkai was the most amazing, forward facing Japanese director alive until this video. I never quite understood why my other Otaku friends didn’t like his work much. This contextualizes their opinions, and I have a much more nuanced appreciation of his work now. I will say that I think Shinkai probably sees himself as something like the Yasujiro Ozu of anime, more of a philosopher than an artist. He focuses on traditional Japanese aesthetic principles, makes references to classical literature and folk beliefs, in general wants the viewer to walk away with a feeling rather than an entertaining experience. Garden of Words especially is like a visual haiku, with simple characters juxtaposed against gorgeous backgrounds, austerity in character and set design, and subtle implied beauty in words and fleeting images. But if you’d ask me before I saw this video if I thought Shinkai’s works were masterpieces I’d have wholeheartedly said yes. I realize now that he’s still got a bit more maturing to do to reach his lofty ambitions. Thanks again.

[@TheRealOtakuEdits]

You're wiser than most of the commenters here, maybe even myself.

[@arenkai]

That's exactly what I thought and it's the same feeling I have from video games such as NieR:Automata. Except that one truly is a masterpiece.

[@SJNaka101]

Okay so holy shit, a story about two people sending each other daily messages that take longer and longer to transmit over time sounds like an idea that really needs to be tapped into. Wow that could be so interesting

[@Eclipsed_Archon]

Maybe it's just because I relate to it so very much, but 5 Centimeters Per Second is one of my favorite animated movies of all time, definitely in my top 10... That being said, at least 2 Miyazaki films list above it, and I'm sure anyone can guess which ones. Still, I'd say some of Shinkai's movies come close to the term "masterpiece" since that point in his career. Even in 5 Centimeters Per Second, that same vague wording is used throughout, but I think Shinkai fully grasps the subject matter and is expressing it emotionally in words and not logically... If the man can get an emotion through in his words, whether they have logical meaning or not is unimportant, they've served their purpose. He writes with a lot of creative freedoms, and more like a poet than an author, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The kiss scene in 5 Centimeters, for example, resonates deeply with me as I've felt strongly the emotions that he's conveying, and he manages to express things with his vague metaphors so much better than any real logical phrasing could ever hope to... I think the man is a misunderstood genius, and he deserves a second look. Cock your head, tilt your view and look from another perspective, as a poet and a muse, he's a genius who deserves praise. Though I can see all too well why Digi wouldn't have a taste for him... P.S. Didn't have time to finish this hour long video yet, so I apologize if Digi said any of this in it, I only caught the first 10 minutes and had to save the rest for later... I'll comment on this for any corrections... Also, thanks for another awesome video Digi, we don't always agree, but I can always see your point at the very least...

[@chipskylark5500]

I appreciate your opinion and how respectfully you've expressed it!! Thanks for sharing!

[@alfie4234]

1:13:58 “it feels a bit Taki” lol dunno if that was intentional or not.

[@monkadude15]

Just got done watching Suzume and have seen all of his other movies (I think), I love hour long videos like this. I'm looking forward to it!

[@elfireii328]

Watching digi absolutely and reasonably rip Shinkai to peaces is hilarious and informative. A great video.

[@StephenLoftonCounselor]

Voices From a Distant Star is a strong piece of drama, it’s moody, violent, passionate, sad, dark, and celebratory. It is everything modern anime wishes it could be. Fuck you for tearing it down for what it should be when we should be building it up for what it is and what we can be. I love this piece and even after seeing it as a child it still resonates with me today. Do I see, now, the shoddy character designs for what they are ? Sure. Do I love them all the same? You’re god damn right. I love this film. Whether the director deserves to sit in his chair is debatable and whether the music is a masterpiece is debatablebe but this movie god damn MOVED ME. Oh. Wait, there are other movies besides Voices From a Distsnt Star in this review? Never mind.

[@cravis123]

This guy is OVERHYPED!!! I still don't understand why his films are so great, apart from the visual side, which is its only strong point...I have watched all his 3 hyped films (your name also) from him and it's just not a great director. I still don't understand why he is compared with Myiazaki...crazy to think about it... For me Makoto Shinkai is the ultra ambitious guy who conquers the audience only visually and some moments inspired from reality in which everyone finds themselves. That's it! As a scenario it is almost naive, romantic, sweet, even kitschy and limited. I apologize if anyone is upset, but he still has a lot to learn. He wants to be a kind of Miyazaki but it's impossible, even if some would contradict me. Please, guys, don't ever compare Shinkai with Miyazaki! I appreciate Shinkai's evolution as an animation film director, but it does not have the subtle poetry of art that miyazaki has...I even saw Weathering with you far 20 minutes and I stopped watching. The same recipe, visually conquering, lots of clouds, lots of rain, but the script is poor and the animation is just ok ... I apologize if I offended someone, but this is just my opinion. I'm not so young anymore(on to 30 years old), so maybe it's related to age, but Shinkai's movies seem to me that their target are the younger ones ...A good analysis! Cheers!

[@fujifilm5127]

still just an amatur compared to famed mangaka Kishibe Rohan

[@leaderofthebunch-deadbeat7716]

@Hatwox Joe

[@workingtitle7049]

@@leaderofthebunch-deadbeat7716 Joe mama?

[@jameslong9921]

@@workingtitle7049 lol...Joe Manga

[@Naetrox]

God, Shii the cat, I remember that being a huge meme around the time, like ACTUALLY a meme as in ridiculed, but that's the only reason I remember it haha

[@rcv826]

He's not the next Miyazaki. He simply is... the first Shinkai.

[@frankjaeger2565]

Weebs: "ShInkAi iS thE bESt aNimE dIrecTOr oF oUr TimE!" Masaaki Yuasa: "am I a joke to you?"

[@shufukillah6772]

People these days can't discern the difference between what they like the best, and the actual candidates for best in class. Probably due to having a sparse viewing catalog and underdevelopment of tools for critically analyzing the medium. Anyone wanting to be taken seriously for their opinions on anime should try to watch the top 100 films and learn what made them good, then apply that cinematic lens to a viewing of the top 50 anime works.

[@aymbaut9361]

@@shufukillah6772 you sound like a loser, of course the best is the one i like the most, what else would it be?

[@someoneelse3921]

I never thought about how easy it would have been to look at a calendar, or the phone, or anything, and see that the year was "wrong." But despite knowing this now, it doesn't personally detract anything from the movie. If I don't ever notice or think about a plot hole, because it's so wonderfully covered up, then I think it's acceptable. I always worry that if I watch an opinion piece like virtually all of your videos, for example, my opinion on something I loved so much would change. I'm glad that my opinion of Your Name, and I suppose Garden of Words too (it's so beautiful), hasn't changed at all. It was nice to learn about Makoto Shinkai's earlier work, though.

[@miniaturelabyrinth7765]

Tbh i really like the weird camera angles. But yes the characters look like ass but HOT DAMN the man's bob ross times 10. God fucking damn the nature and detail to everything is insane. Also i feel like all of these just....They aint supposed to have any deep meaning and such, i feel like its just....life.

[@angryyordle4640]

Yes, Your Name has some plotholes, but more so you actually just reminded me of why that film is such a masterpiece. It manages to bring across the lovestory amazingly well and watching it in the cinema, even alone, cause apparently all my friends had stuff to do, was such an amazing time. Like, really, while I'm not a fan of cinemas at all, there's just something about this film that makes it better when played in that kind of atmosphere. Probably the mix between great audio quality, beautiful backgrounds and amazing directing.

[@georgespiggott5615]

Have you seen "Why I Hate Your Name (Kimi no Na wa)" by GoatJesus? It's a really great analysis that I think you would appreciate.

[@Tvirus12]

That part where you go in on "Voices Of A Distant Star" for the director not being able to predict the iphone is not fair. You're looking at the movie from a 2017 perspective. When you saw it as a kid, just like I did, nokia bricks and interstellar battleships didn't feel out of place.

[@k-ondoomer]

5cm is an excellent focused film love that movie to death The rest of his work.... movies for people who don't engage film outside of the summer blockbusters

[@kelly1195]

For me the “sparkle” song made the movie even better

[@xxEzraBxxx]

I noticed the plot problems in Your Name rather immediately. A rewatch only compounded it.

[@yanling60]

I LOVE this review. I'm so glad you made this. I've been watching anime for nearly 2 decades now and I've always felt that it's incredulous when they put shinkai at miyazaki's level. It has not sit well with me and I've spoken up how Your Name topping the box office records does not mean in anyway that it's a better film than Spirited Away, which is what many people use as argument that he is the next miyazaki. I was never able to articulate my critical view of shinkai so clearly and boy did you hit so many points that I felt were "off". From the unnecessary and incessant monologue/narration in his first films, to his weak storytelling through the anime medium and dull character expressions - you said it all. He is so different from miyazki who relies not upon exposition but using characters expression. Miyazaki sets his characters in a fantasy setting but shinkai primarily grounds his character in real life emotions and situations (dk how to put this clearly). But anyway they have different styles altogether and I HATE that western media has portrayed them to be similar just based on superficial things like sales, popularity of their movies, and their insane growth as directors. It's as absurd as putting satoshi kon on the same plane as hayao miyazaki. They are just different, the only thing they have in common is that they are both genius directors. However, i would like to disagree with you on garden of words, another comment has already stated why so i won't go into it too much but i feel that you are criminally oversimplifying it and missing a lot of the emotions it tries to convey =/ in that film, finally I was able to feel for the characters in more than a one dimensional manner (melancholy), you mentioned that there was very little to connect with on an emotional level and honestly i was kinda mad at that point. I could feel Yukari's pain/conflict so immensely as well as Takao's determination/frustration...are you a robot?? And oh boy the soundtrack. I would go as far as to say that garden of words soundtrack is more fitting and poignant than your name, yes, even that ending song fits the climax so well. It is definitely not the end of their relationship, it signifies how they have each kind of resolved and expressed the emotions they had for each other. Just listening to the ost can make me play the whole movie in my mind. This film will remain as one of my best films of all time. And yes I feel it's a definite masterpiece.

[@e_9140]

The first long Digibro video where i sat through the entirety of-- is this one. Every other video i had to stop and watch it later.

[@gjergji15]

I enjoy the visuals and the calm feeling of his films but I always feel like I'm waiting for the point when something actually happens in the story. Great video. I agree 100%. Haven't seen Your Name tho

[@MonkeyHero]

I'm SO glad you did this. Subscribed.

[@linvol20]

Ima give this a like for the long runtime. My respects!

[@beelzemobabbity]

I didn't even realize this was like over an hour long until I was halfway through.

[@bodonif3150]

Holly shit this video is so good. Well done digi!!

[@anthonyzheng7004]

Pro, this is a damn good video. Thanks for enlightening me with ur perspective, you have given me a lot to think about

[@aaronslaton9733]

I don’t think you got Your Name very well. The meaning behind the rituals that Mitsuha’s family carryout were lost in the fire of Itomori, but her family still passes down that ritual to please the shrine god. That’s how they body swap as a warning that a comet is going to hit. That’s why her grandmother claims the same thing happened to her when she was Mitsuha’s age. They did not realize this though. The shrine god is the reason the text messages disappear and the reason for them never seeing the actual date. They both claim that while they are in each other’s body it feels fuzzy like a dream like state so that can also explain it.

[@aaronslaton9733]

Also, why were you surprised it turned into a romantic movie towards the end? It had the undertones throughout the entire movie with the red string of fate. I can’t really explain them not thinking to call each other I agree it’s pretty dumb. I liked the video though it was a pretty good breakdown of his career.

[@jngx80]

Someone recommended Your Name to me and I am shocked that it is the highest grossing anime or that it's rated 90+ on so many review websites. All of your critiques are spot on. There is so much stuff going on in the movie, the characters aren't that interesting, and like you my interest in the movie was waxing and waning throughout. The father daughter relationship just came out of nowhere, as well as the generational dreaming stuff, when they revealed that they're 3 years apart I was like that's stupid, then there's the whole scene about them trying to remember each other's name, or when was it that they started to fall in love with each other. Instead of feeling like Shinkai is a genius, I felt like he didn't know what he wanted to do or was over complicating stuff just so that the movie seems deep. It's not that I don't like the movie, I'm going to rewatch it, but that it just spent time on stuff that didn't seem all that important.

[@uiluj13]

I think "genre" might be better word than "trope" to describe time travel and bodyswapping. It's like calling futuristic dystopia a trope.

[@christinatarracino8092]

So happy to see this again ❤❤❤❤

[@tomboy2980]

How did I end up watching this full video this is like when I binged the asterisk war sucks in like two days and didn't even realize it

[@LameLoura]

54:48 - 54:52 : I can easily put msyelf into his * intentionally dramatic pause* shoes LOL great editting. I don't know why but I laughed way tooo hard at this. Caught me by surprise

[@lawrenceanderson2741]

You know after watching the video I get it. I get why his films are popular it actually a combination of all the things you said and one other thing his secret sauce... consistency, If you make the same film ever so slightly differently then people will gravitate to you better, I mean he uses the same colours every time: blue, green, pink, purple and tones of black and white every time of god sakes.

[@BarioIDL]

13:50 watch gun buster

[@volbla]

Yeess! I've never had any great awe for Shinkai's works. If anything i've been more annoyed than pleased by it. This was a really enjoyable listen. Although now i should probably go watch Your Name, cause it's like the only big one i haven't seen and from he first 10 minutes of this video talking about it it sounds pretty watch-worthy.

[@nightazday7988]

I say Shinkai had an unfair advantage in foreign distribution. Anime films outside of Japan came along way even from when Miyazaki was really big, so packing seats are a bit easier.

[@adityapermana9651]

Idk why I spending 1 hour 20 minutes to watch this video rather than doing something else. BTW, nice video and commentary. GJ for always talk in 1 hours 20 minutes.

[@luigi_border]

Your name was a masterclass in storytelling, regardless of genre, theme or vehicle, it is amazing.

[@myujokt733]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gqO5q4uHp86Ardk

[@awkwardorangedrawz5914]

People have different opinions, thoughts, and tastes.

[@Matt_Kole]

46:25 good shout out, that cgp grey vid is great

[@thetranspanzer3692]

I got "Voices of a Distant Star" from a hole in the wall video game store my buddy runs at a farmers market. Didnt even know this guy made it but it was a good movie.

[@richardaaron3901]

Nice to see the vid up again inspite of your "hate" for digibro. Maybe erasing the past may not be way here. Perhaps getting all the main channel videos up again, and getting those follow-ups regurlarly will bridge the space between the two personas (and subscribers) and help both you and us understand the maturing of your opinions as the "We accepted mediocrity - We forgotten love" duo. Best wishes.

[@Muffinocalypse]

Just like with all of your videos I am now binge watching, I entirely agree. I rented and watched both of his early movies in much the same way and immediately forgot about them (more than likely I ALSO heard about them from Anime Insider, funnily enough.) They were forgettable, amateur and not very good. HOWEVER, I was impressed that it was done by one man and I do LOVE She and Her Cat. She and Her Cat is deeply personal, however, as to why I enjoy it so I can completely understand why someone who does not have the same connection may not understand it. Put simply, I have pet cats, one who I have had through thick and thin and is now 14-years-old and they are VERY important to me. Cats are very important to me as a person. As for the heat escaping bit, I always took that as a lofty way of talking about entropy and death. I have not finished your video quite yet before I felt the need to ramble a moment, but my opinions on Garden of Words is that it is gorgeous but kind of boring and I felt... Nothing towards the characters. But that might just be because I didn't connect with the concept. Your Name. is the opposite though. Your Name. is probably relateable to everyone and their grandma and really gets me. It is generic and predictable but hits all the right feelings. Shinkai said it best himself, I believe, that he SPECIFICALLY created Your Name. In a way to manipulate his audiences emotions at specific times with specific scenes and predicted the reaction people would have each and every minute of the movie. Which is all well and good but his answer to the interview question sounded very cold and as though he didn't create Your Name. for a love of the film or idea, but to make a quick buck KNOWING that millions of people would find it 'OMG SO BITTERSWEET.' Genius marketing and I suppose there is nothing wrong with it but he is completely right in his denying of being as great as Miyazaki. I don't feel his passion for the art. He did Your Name. in much the same way I feel the anime based off She and Her cat was done. Yes, the ending of the anime was sad af but it felt as though it were put there for shock value and not to bring anything to the anime itself. I could go on but I am sure you hit these points yourself and this is already fucking essay territory. Lol Sorry.

[@kaokoki5983]

hey editor, good job on your name's intro. Really made me laugh no matter how many times i watch that

[@mikeyu8915]

"But they don't exactly have giant blood-sprays from dudes chopping monsters in half, or a guy's eye like- exploding out of his face because he put his dead wife's soul into the body of a 12 year old girl." The most hilarious thing I've heard all day.

[@Pokemonleafmon]

This has been a very fascinating review of the work of Makoto Shinkai. I feel smarter coming out of this, and although I disagree with a few things in the "Your Name" section of the analysis, much of it was warranted. Though I suppose my lack of opinion on theother subjects may be attributed to me having never watched any of the other films. I have some more research to do. A great analysis overall.

[@DCesaran2]

Blood-splatter on the plane's windscreen--watch Memphis Belle. Shinkai turned it up to 11.

[@nicolasmak2508]

54:44 "I can easily put myself into his shoes"

[@RallForeman]

Holy shit he made the cutscene's for the Falcom Y's series games. I loved those games and have most of them on Steam. Im shook

[@TheFlawedPlan]

I remember when A Silent Voice came out and Makoto Shinkai said something to the effect of "EVEN I couldn't replicate something this good", and I thought it was such a pompous, self-serving comment. Yeah, you couldn't replicate this because A Silent Voice is absolutely amazing and all you've ever made is pretentious garbage that fancies itself deep and introspective and philosophical. It'd be like a Christopher Nolan movie releasing and Uwe Boll saying he was impressed, as if it means literally anything.

[@calvin3000]

Thank you so much for your work.

[@sylinmino]

Shinkai is awesome, but to me there are a couple things that he does not do that are core to Miyazaki that make the two incomparable: - Subtext and saying something deeper about our world. Miyazaki nails this--it often feels like everything is a parallel, or a metaphor, or a statement to the real world, which makes his fantasy tales constantly feel surprisingly real. It's similar to the nature in which Game of Thrones seems eerily real despite how fantastical the setting is. Shinkai's plot complexity is definitely there, but the narrative density is not. - Art and animation style. Anytime you see a split second of a Ghibli film, you know it's a Ghibli film. Even more so when it's a Miyazaki film. His art and animation style are so unique and idiosyncratic that they always stick out. Most Shinkai films look great and the animation fluidity in Your Name is fantastic, but they are pretty indistinguishable in art and animation style compared to dozens of other major works. It's generic-done-incredibly-well.

[@karamazov9610]

Wow, from the comments I expected this video to be absolutely shitting on Shinkai, but there was a whole lot of praise here. It's almost like the KZbin comment section tends to overreact about things.

[@limeyfigdet7460]

This reminds me of Clannad. The stories have logical plot issues, but this all makes me think that good media doesn't always have to make sense. They're enjoyable. There's just something about them. They make you feeeeellll amazing. That has value, and not everyone is able to produce atmospheric, feeeelllls content with mass appeal. Idk. It's like relaxing in a hot shower after a long day: I don't break down each sensation of why it's nice. It's just, "Ahhh." I think these types of shows are best appreciated if you're in a go-with-the-flow kind of mood, and you just allow yourself to be swept up in the hyper-emotional nonsensical-ness.