Makoto Shinkai is well-known for his films Your Name, Weathering with You, and Suzume. Though he has other films, these three gave him worldwide renown. But why is Makoto Shinkai seemingly obsessed with natural disasters? Is it going to be his trademark?
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Makoto Shinkai's Esteemed Works
Makoto Shinkai is a Japanese animator, manga artist, filmmaker, and author. His first work is an original animation video entitled She and Her Cat, which came out in 1999.
It was followed by Voices of a Distant Star, The Place Promised in Our Early Days, 5 Centimeters per Second, Children Who Chase Lost Voices, and The Garden of Words.
But his popularity and career skyrocketed when he released Your Name, Weathering with You, and Suzume.
In fact, all these three works are known for being among Japan's top highest-grossing films at the time of their release.
While his works are magnificent, with plots that capture viewers' hearts and minds, coupled with in-depth cinematography, many noticed that the recent films are all related to natural disasters.
Is there a reason behind this? Did Makoto Shinkai intentionally use disasters to guarantee the success of his succeeding films after Your Name?
So, Is Makoto Shinkai Obsessed With Natural Disasters?
In an interview with Insider, he mentioned that natural disasters were not originally part of his plan when he made Your Name and Weathering with You.
His objective was to show Japan’s state at the moment, and for some reason, disasters completed the plot for him.
The feedback and criticisms he received from the two previous films helped him create Suzume.
Instead of making it seem like he was rewriting history, which was expounded on in Weathering with You, Shinkai embraced grief in his latest work.
He also explained why he used teenagers as his main protagonists in all three movies.
He said that he used his own memories as a basis for what the characters are going through.
He used his own feelings to express grief, sadness, and even anger, making his characters even more relatable.
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Will Makoto Shinkai Make More Disaster Films?
It is too early to tell if Makoto Shinkai will keep creating films with this theme. After all, it has become his trademark.
It will be interesting to see Shinkai use another genre, but it might also feel weird, considering that he gained a tremendous amount of fans because of the three films.
What we can say for now is that with Shinkai’s creativity, talent, and great imagination, fans can expect to see more brilliant films from the director, even if they are not based on natural disasters.
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