Directing
Makoto Shinkai
Biography
Makoto Niitsu (新津 誠, Niitsu Makoto), known as Makoto Shinkai (新海 誠, Shinkai Makoto) is a Japanese animation director, author, and manga artist. Shinkai began his career as a video game animator with Nihon Falcom in 1996, and gained recognition as a filmmaker with the release of the original video animation (OVA) She and Her Cat (1999). Beginning his longstanding association with CoMix Wave Films, Shinkai then released the science-fiction OVA Voices of a Distant Star in 2002, and followed this with his debut feature film The Place Promised in Our Early Days (2004). Shinkai's second feature film, the romantic drama anthology 5 Centimeters per Second (2007), gained critical acclaim, as did his subsequent releases, the dramas Children Who Chase Lost Voices (2011) and The Garden of Words (2013). Shinkai's 2016 fantasy romance Your Name was a critical and commercial success, becoming the third highest-grossing anime film of all time. His 2019 film, Weathering with You, also achieved similar critical and commercial success. His seventh film, Suzume, was released in Japan in November 2022.
Also known as
Макото Шінкай · しんかい まこと · Makoto Niitsu · 新海 誠 · Shinkai Makoto · Макото Ниицу · ماکوتو شینکای · มาโกโตะ ชินไค · 新津 誠 · Makoto Şinkay
Photos
Profile images from TMDB · click to enlarge
3 images
Roles across career
Titles counted once; a person can act and direct on the same film (roles merged).
9
Acting credits
18
Directing
19
Writing
18
Other crew
Most critically rated
Highest TMDB score (min 100 votes)
- 1
★ 8.5Your Name.
2016 · movie · Director
- 2
★ 8.0Weathering with You
2019 · movie · Director
- 3
★ 7.9Suzume
2022 · movie · Director
- 4
★ 7.6The Garden of Words
2013 · movie · Storyboard Artist
- 5
★ 7.35 Centimeters per Second
2007 · movie · Director
- 6
★ 7.3Children Who Chase Lost Voices
2011 · movie · Director
- 7
★ 7.1Someone's Gaze
2013 · movie · Director
- 8
★ 6.7She and Her Cat
1999 · movie · as Her Cat (voice)
Most commercially successful
Highest TMDB vote count (attention / reach proxy; not box office)
- 112,733 votes
Your Name.
2016 · movie
- 22,662 votes
Weathering with You
2019 · movie
- 32,261 votes
The Garden of Words
2013 · movie
- 42,182 votes
5 Centimeters per Second
2007 · movie
- 51,788 votes
Suzume
2022 · movie
- 6798 votes
Children Who Chase Lost Voices
2011 · movie
- 7
562 votesThe Place Promised in Our Early Days
2004 · movie
- 8
336 votesVoices of a Distant Star
2002 · movie
Career timeline
By release / first air year · movie & TV merged
1998 1 title(s)
1999 2 title(s)
2002 2 title(s)
Voices of a Distant Star
movie · as Noboru Terao (voice), Director, Producer, Editor, Art Direction, Director of Photography, Character Designer, Storyboard Artist, Animation Director, Animation, Writer, Original Concept · ★ 6.5
Wind: A Breath of Heart - Christmas Special
movie · Opening/Ending Animation
2003 1 title(s)
2004 2 title(s)
2007 3 title(s)
5 Centimeters per Second
movie · Director, Background Designer, Color Designer, Character Designer, Storyboard Artist, Producer, Editor, Art Direction, Director of Photography, Sound Director, Screenplay, Original Story · ★ 7.3
A Gathering of Cats
movie · Director
Ani*Kuri15
tv · Director, Background Designer, Storyboard Artist, Director of Photography, Color Designer, Art Direction · ★ 5.8
2013 3 title(s)
Right Places: Where I Was Meant to Be at That Time
movie · Thanks · ★ 6.0
Someone's Gaze
movie · Director, Writer, Editor, Director of Photography, Storyboard Artist · ★ 7.1
The Garden of Words
movie · Storyboard Artist, Director, Background Designer, Director of Photography, Color Designer, Editor, Original Story, Screenplay · ★ 7.6
