Oni Reviews Voices

Jamie S. Rich Editor-in-Chief of the excellent Oni Press was kind enough to include a review of Voices of a Distant Star with the latest Oni newsletter:

?This one-man production is a delightful short anime that stands apart from your average Japanese import. Though there are giant robots and outer-space action the heart of this story is the communication between two people. In 2046 young student Mikako leaves her school sweetheart Noboru to join a space exploration. Their only communication is through text messaging on their cell phones but the farther Mikako gets from Earth the longer it takes for her messages to get through. And thanks to light speed space travel she remains young as her friend continues to age. As the couple's isolation increases so does their heartache and things they could never express in person become safe so far away eventually bringing them closer together. VOICES is sweet and understated the essence of Asian storytelling. That Shinkai created this mini-masterpiece on his own is a testament to the will of single creator. The interview extra with him shows a scattered but passionate man who is willing to try anything as his desire to communicate is as strong as that of his characters.

The only downside is that with both voices and text coming at you at once the subtitles can go by a little fast given the sheer amount they need to translate. I recommend watching VOICES the first time with your finger on the pause button.

Also included is another short film ""She and Her Cat."" This earlier piece of Shinkai's is a romantic poetic narrative from a cat about his owner. It's cute and leaves you wondering if your own feline has that lovely an interior life.?

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Posted on Friday, June 13, 2003 (Archive on Sunday, July 13, 2003)