Voices of a Distant Star Recommended

Publisher
ADV
Director
Makoto Shinkai
Production
Mangazoo
Country of origin
Japan
Format
OVA
Running time
25 mins (plus 75 mins of extras)
Year
2002

Voices of a Distant Star

By John Huxley
23rd May 04

Voices of a Distant Star is a spectacular animated short that was written, directed and produced by one ambitious individual - Makoto Shinkai. Animated shorts are more often than not entirely developed by an individual; what sets Voices of a Distant Star apart from the crowd is the incredibly high standard of production that is easily the equal, if not superior, of even the most high budget studio developed animation. If nothing else it is a remarkable feat that must be admired for its technical achievement and visual opulence, and yet it's so much more.

As Makoto Shinkai is keen to point out during the interview included on this disc, the aspect of production that he strived to perfect most was not the lush visuals, but instead the story upon which the success or failure of this animation rests. The concept is simple: Mikako is chosen to join the fight against an invading alien force, taking her across the cosmos to visit new worlds and battle strange creatures in the vacuum of space while her young lover Noboru remains on Earth, relying on the text messages sent from Mikako's mobile phone for what little connection the pair now share. As the pair drift further and further apart, separated by time and space, each new text message takes longer and longer to reach its destination, bringing the ageing Noboru precious news of her young lover's safety.

It's a concept not too dissimilar to Hideaki Anno's Gunbuster in which a young girl is chosen to fight against a mysterious alien force in the depths of space, only to witness her friends back on Earth become older and older as she stays youthful due to the effects of interstellar travel. That, however, is where the similarity ends. While Gunbuster is a classic anime that (for the most part) adheres to traditional anime convention, Voices of a Distant Star chooses to play out its narrative in a much less uniform fashion, using a nonlinear timeline where much of the proceedings take place in Mikako's memories and imagination. The benefit of a short animation is that this rarely becomes too confusing as the explanation is never more than a few minutes away, giving an immediacy not afforded by the likes of Boogiepop Phantom.

There are a few disadvantages to the short format, however. Although the story is everything the creator intended it to be, I couldn't help but feel that such a great concept and lush visuals deserved more screen time. The story is almost too concise, leaving the viewer very little opportunity to do anything but sit and watch, eyes glued to the television for fear of missing a vital scene. Even a few minutes to soak up the fantastic atmosphere would have been a welcome break from the never-ending stream of information.

This condensed format also leaves little room for characterisation. Both Mikako and Noboru are underdeveloped; they rarely discuss anything except their longing to be with each other, they never interact with the people around them. I understand this is due in part to the limitations of the format, yet there's no escaping the fact that these characters are simple, single-track minded individuals. Having said that, I don't think this is really a notable detriment to Voices of a Distant Star because the characters perform their given roles well; complicating these roles may have had an adverse effect.

What it lacks in characterisation Voices of a Distant Star easily makes up for with emotional involvement. Even if you've never been through a similar situation it's easy to sympathise with their plight of lovers aversely separated. Key to this emotional involvement is the romantic, sun drenched tones of Mikako's memories of the time the couple shared together and, perhaps more importantly, the haunting theme tune that kicks in at just the right moment. The music isn't particularly memorable but it is perfectly suited to a tale of romance and tragedy such as this, effortlessly tugging away at your heartstrings as it sweeps from verse to chorus and back again.

The story may be a romantic one, but it centres around Mikako's involvement in an interstellar war against an unknown enemy. As such, Makoto Shinkai has been able to include several battle sequences between fantastic space creatures and the familiar mech that Mikako so ably pilots (whilst wearing a school uniform for some bizarre reason). These well directed scenes are produced using mostly CGI and 3D models, something that may disconcert those of you who prefer traditional animation techniques. If you are turned off by the mere mention of CGI then you'll be missing out on some superbly directed, visually opulent and damn exciting action scenes. I'm no fan of CGI, but I can't deny computers have been used to great effect here.

Voices of a Distant Star is one of those rare animations that, while far from perfect, should sit alongside Blood the Last Vampire, Evangelion, Akira and any number of studio Ghibli features. It's an animation that, even if you don't like animation, you should still have in your DVD collection. For those of you who do like animation, you really have no excuse. Quite simply breathtaking.

R2 DVD Notes

Features: English and Japanese 5.1 audio, English subtitles, 3 versions of She and Her Cat, interview with Makoto Shinkai, directors cut with alternate vocals, original production animatic, 4 original Japanese trailers, reversible cover

Notes: Being only 25 minutes in length, ADV have wisely included several excellent extras to sit alongside main feature. The first and most notable of these is three different versions of another Makoto Shinkai short named She and Her Cat, a monochrome animation about a cat and his relationship with his owner. In many ways this is more successful than Voices of a Distant Star because it never attempts to relay a grandiose tale, instead relying entirely on the cat's monologue from start to finish. It's almost like an animated poem. There are three different versions of this film, and I recommend viewing them in order from shortest to longest for best effect. Another essential feature is the interview with Makoto Shinkai himself, sitting by his computer answering questions from an invisible interviewer. This is a lengthy and revealing expose of his work that gives you new appreciation of his efforts. The production animatic, as mysterious as it sounds, in fact plays out the entireity of the main feature using storyboard sketches in place of the animation. It's no doubt fascinating for anyone even remotely interested in animation. The director's cut with alternate vocals is just that, with Makoto Shinkai and a friend providing the voice overs for the central characters. They do an admirable job and it's well worth watching if you intend to see it through twice. Also worthy of mention is the reversible cover and single page leaflet included inside the box. The first cover is obviously advertising Voices of a Distant Star, highlighting the fabulous visuals and plentiful extra features with a cover that's as classy as the animation itself. Open the box and take a peek inside and you're confronted with a monochrome alternate cover for She and Her Cat, equally well designed and featuring an interesting article written by Makoto Shinkai regarding She and her Cat. There is also a similar article about Voices of a Distant star included on the leaflet, while the other side lists the song lyrics of the main theme. All in all, an exemplary DVD which does such a fine piece of animation justice.

-- John Huxley 23rd May 04

Voices of a Distant Star Images