Product Description

From Makoto Shinkai the man hailed as Japan s new Miyazaki come two unusual and evocative tales of love and relationships. In Voices of a Distant Star when a mysterious alien force begins to attack Earth young Mikako feels compelled to join the resistance. But when she does so she leaves behind the young man that she loves. As she flies further into deep space the time between her messages to him becomes days then months and finally years. While she ages a few days he grows years older. Can love transcend time and space?The Place Promised in Our Early Days follows the lives of three young people as they grow from middle school into adulthood. A mysterious tower provides a powerful magnet for their ambitions and dreams but when Sayuri suddenly disappears Hiroko and Takyua find themselves on divergent paths. It will take time and the threat of war to draw the friends back together again. But will it be too late? Or will love provide the key to conquer all?System Requirements:Running Time 120 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ANIMATION/ADULT SWIM Rating: TV-PG UPC: 702727144028 Manufacturer No: DTPP/002

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #25877 in DVD
• Brand: ADV Films
• Released on: 2005-12-06
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Animated, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, NTSC
• Original language: Japanese
• Dubbed in: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: .70 pounds
• Running time: 120 minutes

Customer Reviews

A Truly Mixed Bag
Fans of mature love stories rarely venture into the anime section of their local video store for their latest fix. Most anime is shallow, violent and immature. It cares more about big breasted women fighting ninja robot vampire aliens than about deep character development and involving dialogue. An exception to this norm are the works of Makoto Shinkai. His beautiful love stories are immaculately developed, although his first full length film, The Place Promised in Our Early Days, is at times very disappointing. As part of the Shinkai Collection, though, it has many merits. The Collection also includes Shinkai's first short She and Her Cat, the 20 minute short Voices of a Distant Star, and the Voices of a Distant Star soundtrack. I will review each of these four components separately and then rate the package as a whole.

She and Her Cat
4/5

This short is available in three versions, as a one, three, or five minute piece. The full film is five minutes, although I find the three minute version to be more rewarding. The simple story tells about the love a cat has for his owner, She. It manages to convey a series of situations and emotions through simple black and white stills (With some minor animation) and a voiceover provided by Shinkai himself. Those interested in studying Shinkai should take note of three distinct aspects of She and Her Cat that continue throughout the rest of his work. First, note that even in black and white Shinkai uses very realistic lighting usually not found in anime. His later works use this lighting in conjunction with highly saturated lighting for a very realistic and beautiful effect. Secondly, even at this young age, Shinkai's monologues are excellent. Finally, take a special note of the final line. This small, seemingly irrelevant, quip becomes deeply meaningful on repeat viewings, and the final line is always the most important in a Shinkai film. Don't shrug off this short as an extra, as it is actually a much better piece than the full length The Place Promised In Our Early Days.

Voices of a Distant Star
5/5

This has to be the single most heart wrenching cartoon I have ever seen. In a mere 23 minutes Makoto Shinkai delivers a story that will pull at your deepest heartstrings and honestly brought this reviewer to tears several times. Voices is about two middle school sweethearts who dream of being together forever. Due to an alien attack on humanity's Mars colony, though, the girl is drafted into the military and eventually sent lightyears away to the alien's home planet. Though space travel is common in this future, sending messages across space is not. In fact, the only form of communication the girl has with the boy is text messaging. As the girl gets farther and farther away the messages take longer and longer to reach earth, moving from a month, to a year, to eight and a half. Meanwhile, on Earth, the boy grows older, and patiently awaits the texts from the girl.

Anyone who has waited for news of a loved one who is off fighting a war knows the feeling of longing, or worry, or sometimes futile hope as you wait for that loved one to send word that he or she is still alive. In this way, and especially at this time, Voices rings as true as any story can. This is really an emotional journey that will tear into your soul and leave you pondering just how far love can travel, and just how long.

As before, watch for Shinkai's beautiful use of color and lighting. While the shoestring budget (He did this whole thing himself) kept him from using complex animation, the still images here are simply some of the best around, and those scenes that do feature a lot of animation are simply stunning to behold. As others have stated, Shinkai's weakness is his character designs, but even these outstrip many of the cheap anime junk that is released these days.

As always, the monologues that each character gives are simply beautiful. Make sure to listen to both the English and Japanese audio tracks as both provide a very different translation. The voice actors though do a great job, and the people at ADV were kind enough to include the original voicetrack done by Shinkai and his wife. As far as the writing and performances go, my only complaint lies in the translation of the written material onscreen, or lack thereof. When watching the English dub, the Japanese writing does not have a translation onscreen. This is a terrible oversight as at one point several newspaper clippings deliver some major plotpoints that will be missed by those not watching the subtitled version. Finally, pay careful attention to the final lines of this piece, as like She and Her Cat, they are truly deep and moving.

Voices OST By Tenmon
3.5/5

In most situations I would not recommend buying this soundtrack but since it is included here for free then be sure to give it a listen. Voices truly has some of the best music I have ever heard in an Anime. Obviously the length of the film keeps the number of tracks, and their length from going on to long, but the theme song, and the second, third and fourth tracks are all great listens. All the other songs are essentially remixes of these four, but they all are beautiful and relaxing.

As a side note, the music in She and Her Cat is also very good and it is upsetting to see that one of the songs here is not from that. Also there is no soundtrack for The Place Promised in Our Early Days, which has a couple very good numbers, and features another heartbreaking theme song with lyrics written by Shinkai himself. I guess we can't ask for everything, and the Voices soundtrack is by far the best of the bunch but it would have been nice if the music from all three films were included.

The Place Promised In Our Early Days
2.5/5

I really wanted to like this film. And in many ways it is the best film out of the three, but in many ways it falters. First off, the setting of this film, an alternate reality Japan split into two countries, one free one controlled by the US, is more unique than an alien infested future or modern day Tokyo, but it feels very underdeveloped. I understand Shinkai's desire to keep the focus on the characters, its just hard to justify their actions when the politics of their surrounding world is so muddled. The story, another love story, tells the tale of three middle school kids who form a great friendship over one summer before they are torn apart by the disappearance of the girl of the group. The two boys are broken hearted and split ways, one becoming a genius studying alternate universes and the other, and the romantic interest of the girl,travels to Tokyo where he hopes to leave behind his misery. Three years later unexplained politics bring the boys together again. It is here the story starts to crumble. Supposedly the tower that looms in the background of almost every shot is some sort of experimental complex where the enemy is trying to open the door to alternate dimensions. The science behind this doesn't sound plausible, and when the girl becomes somehow connected, the entire explanation just dies. I wont ruin anything more, but be sure to ask yourself at the end why anyone would have kept the tower running, what its purpose was, and so forth, as none of this is explained and due to circumstances I wont reveal, it seems that anyone involved would want to dismantle the tower as soon as possible.

However, like in his previous works, Shinkai's characters are well developed. Still, it seems that he is recycling the characters from Voices for the two leads here. They both have their own quirks, and the relationship with the third boy adds a wrinkle (although his motives are not clearly defined) but all in all the gist of this story is the same as Voices. As I said before, some aspects of this film are great. First off are those monologues that Shinkai writes so well. They return here and are delivered with an equal amount of force and beauty. As always they drive the story forward when the dialogue starts to sound awkward. Of course, the ending here is satisfying, and while it doesn't pack the same punch as Voices or Cat, it's still moving and uplifting.

The best part of this film though is not the story but the artwork. Finally having a large budget and a full crew to work with, Shinkai takes his scenic work to the next level. Really, at times these vistas are even greater than those of a Miyazaki film. The character designs were handled by a specialist and the improved modeling is evident throughout. In fact the artwork in this film really is peerless. Shinkai has been called the next Miyazaki, and while I wholeheartedly disagree with that in general, I can say that the scenery in Shinkai's work at least equals that of a Studio Ghibli piece, and at times even surpasses it. Moreover, with a full team animating, there are few if any still shots here, and literally dozens of pieces are animating in any one shot. If you are a fan of art than this piece will astound and amaze you.

Overall Place is a disappointment. It doesn't deliver the depth or emotional oomph of Shinkai's previous work, and the confusing setting disrupts the beauty of the characters living in it. Maybe if the piece had been a little longer, and greater care had been put into explaining the science and politics behind its world, Place would have been a success. As it stands, it is still better than the majority of anime out there, but as far as the comparison to Miyazaki goes, well this is not even on the same planet as the master's worst work.

Package:
2/5

The Shinkai Collection comes in a flimsy plastic box that doesn't even have a back on it. Though two books of interviews and artwork are included, good luck in keeping them from falling onto the floor. This really isn't much of a Collection as much as two DVD's wrapped into one case. If you are expecting some sort of collector's keepsake item or nice commemorative box then you will be disappointed. The two DVD cases themselves are nicely built. Both DVD's contain both American and Japanese Soundtrack, as well as interviews with the cast and Shinkai and previews for ADV's upcoming films and series. The only reason I suggest getting this collection is because I don't believe the soundtrack comes with Voices when you buy it alone, but I could be wrong. Since both She and Her Cat and Voices are contained on the same DVD, It wouldn't be a huge loss just purchasing that alone. If you want to get Place with them though then this is a great value for your money, as they will cost you a good ten dollars more when bought by themselves. So my overall comment on the package would be F for the box and collectables, D for the disc extras but B for the value.

Overall:
3.5/5

I can't give a half star on Amazon officially but if you've read this far than you'll know how mixed I am on the content of this Collection. She and Her Cat is great in all three versions, and Voices is a short that will stay with you for the rest of your life, but the feature length film of this collection is only average at best. The packaging is poorly done, and the lame artbooks don't really make up for it. I would give this three stars if Voices didn't deserve six. As it is, with that included, you really can consider everything else just padding, and you do get the full Shinkai experience up to that point in time. (He has since made 2 cm Per Sec) If you are fan of beautiful artwork though, then Place really delivers, and even if you just want to watch it as an aside it is worth spending the extra ten bucks to see Places. Just remember, if you are spending conscious that the main attractions of this Collection are available together without Place. If you are a collector though, then be sure to get this due to the excellent value. Enjoy!

Not great movies, but definetly worth owning.
These are two seperate reviews for the two different movies found in this box set.

Voices of a Distant Star. 4/5. Up to Miyazaki's Standerd? No. Good on its Own? Definetly.

Okay, first I would like to put to rest the lie that this movie is of the same standard as Miyazaki's films. It is not. It's a start for an upcoming director, but still not up to Miyazaki's greatness. This is not Miyazaki, so don't expect a Miyazaki type film.

The film itself is great. A young female joins the UN army to help fight off an alien race that has attacked a colony on mars, leaving behind her childhood friend and love. As her fleet moves farther and farther away from earth the time it takes for her messages to get to him take longer and lounger. First its six months, then a year, and then eight. Can their friendship and love survive as he gets older but she remains 15? Will she survive? Will they see each other again?

This isn't so much of a movie than one long dialoged with both characters reminiscing on how they miss each other. They are they only two characters in this whole movie, and for the most part is just them thinking to themselves. This isn't much of a problem however because the movie is so short and doesn't need secondary characters to help the flow of the story.

THE GOOD: first of all the artwork is really, REALLY good. For a guy that made this movie on his Mac, by himself, in his basement, this looks amazing. Whatever you have to say about this anime, good or bad, you have to admit that the animation is top notch. Another great part of the story is the fact that the characters are so well done. Even my none anime sister felt very sorry for the main characters in this film. They might not be as good as some characters in other amines I've seen, but I blame that on the fact that this movie is only 23 minutes long. Also the music is great. I love the music for Miyazaki's movies and I have to say that this music is almost as good.

THE BAD: well let's start with the obvious. It's too short. 23 minutes is not nearly enough time to make a great movie. If only it were lounger this could have been a truly great film, as is it's just a really good short. That's really the only complaint I have, everything else is top notch.

One bit of advice though. Watch this movie in English and then watch the original Japanese version with subtitles. The reason for this is that the subtitles go so fast that it's hard to read them and watch the screen at the same time. If you watch it in English than you will know what the story is and then read the differences in the Japanese version. I think its better in Japanese, the dialog is more real and the text messages make the two characters seem more like long time friends, but I had a devil of a time keeping up and kept missing parts.

Overall this is a very good film that deserves to be watched but not up to Miyazaki's greatness.

Re-watch value; Very high.

Place Promised in our Early Days. 4/5. Beautiful, Poetic, and Moving visuals, but Bad Pacing Keeps this from Being Great.

The Place Promised in Our Early Days plays a lot like what Voices of a Distant Star could have been had it been a full length film as opposed to a 23 minute short. Set in an alternate world where Japan has been split in two after the Second World War, the US controls the southern end, while a mysterious government known as the Union controls the north. Located in the north is the mystical Union Tower, an enormous structure jutting into the sky like a beam of light, a symbol of love and hate for those who gaze upon its magnificent height. This is the coming of age story of three middle school children Hiroki, Takuya, and Sayuri, who grew up their whole lives dreaming of visiting the tower and spent their time building an airplane in order to do just that.

The first thirty minutes of this film are very stunning, both visually and emotionally. It plays out almost exactly like Voices of a Distant Star does, with stunning animation, peaceful and touching music and the characters relationships with each other being the focus of the film. although the story itself doesn't stand up to scrawny and seems as if it were hacked together without much thought put into it, the combination of the visuals and the musical score are very moving. Few animes have actually wowed me with their animation, Spirited Away was one such movie; this took the cake. This movie has the most stunning animation I have ever seen in an animated film, bar none. its hard to explain with words just what I mean, the sun setting behind the glow of the Union Tower, far off streaks of light shining off an airplane, a small white dove flying in a cool breeze as trees sway around it, its all done with such dedication and detail that it left me speechless. Combined with one of the best soundtracks ever composed for a feature film and this movie have the power to bring people to tears on its sheer beauty alone. Could this be the new Miyazaki? I said no in my Voices of a Distant Star review, but if this is what this new director is capable of then he may be.

Unfortunately, this movies story is very hacked up, as if during many points of this film the director intended to end it and just decided to add more later. This movie has more endings then The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King (Widescreen Edition). While I love the ending this movie had, the rest of the film didn't flow the way a feature length film should, it didn't transfer smoothly from one scene to the next; instead it simply ended a scene with a black screen, and started up somewhere else completely without setting up the next shot. This caused the story to feel clumsy, as if the director didn't know where he wanted to go or what he wanted to do once he got there. The middle part of this movie just sort of plods along without any real sense of direction. It's like he wanted to make a short film, like Voices of a Distant Star, but decided to stretch it out as far as he could. The movie really could have been half and hour, or more, shorter then it was. Not to say that most of it is filler, but if he managed to fit a story the size and scope of Voices into 23 minutes, then I'm sure he could have fit this movie into 40. Also, a lot of the movie is never really explained. What is the Union Tower exactly? What is the Union? Why is there such a desire for the two nations to go to war? All these questions are left unanswered at the end of the film. It is only when this film focuses mainly on the story instead of on creating beautiful images and developing its characters that it gets dull. there really isn't much story to hold this movie together during its slower and less grand moments, which becomes a problem 3/4ths of the way though when the story takes front stage in all its hacked up glory. Fortunately, the director seems to know this and keeps the story in the background as much as possibly, only bringing it into focus when he needs to get the characters from point A to point B.

What saves this movie from being nothing more then a good looking and sounding mess (Akira (Special Edition))was the relationships between the characters involved. Much like in Voices, this story is a romance of sorts but doesn't fall into the "chick flick" category. It's about the love three friends have for each other, and the length they were willing to go for each other in order to fulfill a promise they made while still little kids. It's very interesting to watch how each slowly fell into depression and felt like their lives were losing meaning when they weren't with each other. When one of themes disappears, they lose their dreams, ambitions, and slowly drift apart. Like any good piece of fiction, the characters are what make this movie so touching.

If you enjoyed Voices of a Distant Star, then you will enjoy The Place Promised in Our Early Days. Its visuals, characters, and soundtrack make this movies a must see for sure, but its hacked up story prevents it from being a truly great film. If this director can learn how to write a story that can match up with his amazing animation, then watch out world, anime might very well have a new director to take the place of the great Miyazaki when he finally retires. I look forward to seeing more movies by this upcoming guineas.

Re-watch value; high.

The Future of Anime Starts Here
OVERVIEW:

While I think these films deserve 4 stars, this package deserves 6. This is one of the best packages I've ever seen in anime. At the current price I feel this is a real bargain for all the content that is here. It may be expensive on a per-hour basis (the films are about 2 hours total), but the extras are worth every penny. Beyond the value, these films are definitely worth owning. What you get with this set is:

*Both Films
*Soundtrack for Voices of a Distant Star
*Two incredible booklets for each film, Commenting on every detail of the films (from story to production to music)
*A ton of extras including director's cuts, interviews, and Shinkai's first animated project in She and Her Cat

VOICES OF A DISTANT STAR / HOSHI NO KOE:
8 / 10

This is a short film: 24 minutes in length. But what it lacks in length it makes up for in quality. Produced entirely on Shinkai's home computer with himself and his wife doing the voices (though there is another cast in the "official" version, the original version is here as well), it is one of the most marvelous achievements you'll ever see. Shinkai blends a superb science fiction story with an even better moving love story. This film centers around a young couple, Mikako and Noboru who fall in love. Mikako is sent to fight in an interstellar war that leads her light years away from Noboru. Their only method of communication from this distance is cell phone e-mails. As she gets further away from Earth, messages take days, weeks, months, and finally years to reach Noboru on Earth.

Ultiminately, this is a film about love transcending time and space, which is told through some of the most amazing animation and visuals you've ever seen. Shinkai blends traditional 2D handrawn art with real life environments and 3D CG to create a truly stunning vision. This is animation at its most visually captivating and finest. Thankfully, this is not a case of "superb animation, terrible story", as the story is one of the most touching ever in anime. Beyond the animation, the music - composed by Tenmon - is equally beautiful, and I'm extremely grateful the soundtrack is included.

My complaints are few, mostly centering around its short running time. With it, Shinkai is able to keep the narrative extremely sharp and focused. It doesn't feel as if anything is wasted, which is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing, as it makes re-watching this terrific film multiple times easier. A curse, as I feel an even better story could've been rendered in an extended format. My only other complaint is a personal one and that's Shinkai's extreme romanticism. In crafting a beautiful story, one must also realize how very unrealistic it is - even from a thematic perspective. However, film and animation are a vehicle for imagination and idealism. Keeping that in mind, it's not so bothersome.

This is one of those animes that must be seen. I've never seen a debut work show as much potential as Shinkai showed here.

THE PLACE PROMISED IN OUR EARLY DAYS / KUMO NO MUKO, YAKUSOTO NO BASHO
7 / 10

This is Shinkai's first forray into feature length. Promised is at the same time a success and a failure. This paradox is due to the number of levels this film succeeds and fails on. The story is about a future where Japan is divided into two opposing sides. In the center sits a huge, mysterious tower, which is also the central point of the conflict. Takuya and Hiroko are two boys who dream of building a plane to fly to the tower. They also have an interest in a girl named Sayuri. These three spend an unforgettable summer together, and make a promise to all fly to the tower when the plane is completed. It's not long before life and war tears them apart. Within this new and dangerous world, only the lasting promise still binds them.

Promised's biggest flaw comes with its pacing and focus. While Shinkai was able to keep extremely sharp focus in the 24 minute Voices, he drifts too much with Promised. The first 30 minutes is a most beautiful and poetic beginning which establishes the bond between the three main characters. After that, the narrative begins to fall apart. As we move 3 years into the future, the focus shifts from these characters to the conflict and mystery behind the tower and an advent war. This splits up the main characters, and where Shinkai fails is keeping a rhythmic pace between these diverging storylines.

Along the way, many mysteries are introduced and never properly explained: such as Sayori's sudden coma-like state and her connection with the tower. The idea of alternate dimensions is introduced, but we don't get a cogent explanation behind them. The nature of the war is also not elaborated on. It's hard to feel a sense of conflict when you don't know what it's about. I'm not sure whether Shinkai needed more time to flesh this story out, or less time in order to keep him focused on what was there. Shinkai also fails at making smooth transitions and edits. This makes the narrative flow all the more jagged and uncomfortable. The ending is also unsatisfying with little resolution. Ultimately, it's not the length or ending which dooms this film, but merely it's pace, rhythm, and timing.

Much like Voices, where Promised succeeds is with its breathtaking animation and visuals. If one were to mute it and ignore the dialogue, the visuals would perhaps tell an even better story. Shinkai has developed a near mastery of this animation style that's thoroughly spellbinding. The music, again by Tenmon, is only slightly less accomplished as in Voices. However, the main theme is superb and the variatons on it help maintain a link throughout the film. Much like in Voices, Shinkai maintains a nostolgic and mesmeric tone throughout, which creates a superb sense of unfulfilled longing. A kind of elegaic reminiscence of past days that's both uplifting and somber. Shinkai presents very romantic fantasies and tranfixes optimism within the context of realism. This combination is truly beautiful and one I hope he continues.

CONCLUSION:

Shinkai has been hailed as the next Miyazaki. As where Miyazaki succeeds as a supreme storyteller of modern fantasies through animation, Shinkai is more about tone and atmosphere. He captivates you with the most astonishing animation and settings. He seems to love to tell very romantic stories set in sci-fi worlds. This is a superb combination that I can only hope he learns to master with time, as these two films show an infinite amount of promise and likely represent the future of anime.