news auch auf seiner website. Ach könnt ich das auch mit nem Apple... http://www2.odn.ne.jp/~ccs50140/profile.html
Mr. Shinkai's recent history was updated on December 24. I translated below (from http://daike.hp.infoseek.co.jp…board/newsboard.cgi?Num=2 )
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Now is the end of this year. How fast the time has passed this year! This year has passed while I've not got out from my room. As I didn't update this page, many people e-mailed me to ask my recent history. Anyway, I'm fine for now.
As I wrote in the page of "Kumo no Mukou, Yakusoku no Basho," the film's release date is decided as the autumn of 2004. Not only I couldn't release it by the end of 2003, but the date was awfully delayed. I'm so sorry for everyone who is looking forward! This is the hackneyed expression in such a situation but... I'll enrich the quality of the film to make it worth to wait. I'm happy if you waited with patience.
I guess some of you expected new trailer, but it's very sorry I couldn't release it too. Someone will say that I released many trailers in the time of "Hoshi no Koe" (Voices of a Distant Star). The key reason I couldn't is that my making style is pretty changed. In the time of "Hoshi no Koe," I was completing each cut one by one. However, we took division-of-labor system in "Kumo no Mukou-". So, a key animator and a background artist are doing their work in parallel. We have to make a film after the animated arts are colored and are combined with background. We chose to do "finishing and filming" division together at final of making, so it's difficult to make a trailer even if the schedule is progressed.
Anyway, I want to release preview films or something before the premiere. Forgive our circumstances but I'll show you some still images below. These images are from the first half of the film, their junior high age. Click them to see large images (800x450).
For your information, I'm making the film in HDTV size (1280x720). (Hoshi no Koe was 640x480.)
http://www2.odn.ne.jp/~ccs5014…_cloud/images/image01.jpg
http://www2.odn.ne.jp/~ccs5014…_cloud/images/image02.jpg
http://www2.odn.ne.jp/~ccs5014…_cloud/images/image03.jpg
http://www2.odn.ne.jp/~ccs5014…_cloud/images/image04.jpg
http://www2.odn.ne.jp/~ccs5014…_cloud/images/image05.jpg
http://www2.odn.ne.jp/~ccs5014…_cloud/images/image06.jpg
To make the film is more and more difficult than I expected at first. I'm suffering from my poor skill every day, but I'm often feeling pleasure and attraction from the division-of-labor system. Those are different from what I felt while I was working alone. We added new staff not only the key animator but also background artist who has no experience in anime industry, and we are making the film through trial and error processes. I wish to release the film to show you its results as soon as possible, but....
And, I'm expecting that I'll be able to see what and how I should make next one after I finished this work. I wish this film become such a starting point for other staffs too. This film's length will be about 70 minutes.
I'll mention some of my other recent history. I went to UNDER17's live performance on December 13th. Momoooi is good! To tell the truth, I'm a friend of Ms. Momoi. I didn't expected that Mr. Hiroki Azuma was there as audience too. *lol*
And, I go to curry restaurant near my house quite frequently. To eat curry with reading "Azumi" is one of my few pleasures.
And then, my hamster died. I'd kept her for 2 years, and she became the model of "Egao." The death of a pet is painful, really.
-Makoto Shinkai
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UNDER17: A music unit Ms. Momoi belongs.
Ms. Momoi: Singer/voice actress. http://www.momoi.com/
Momoooi: Ms. Momoi's nickname.
Hiroki Azuma: Critic/Philosopher. He had written some articles about Mr. Shinkai.
Azumi: A famous manga of ninja girl.
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Source (Japanese):
http://www2.odn.ne.jp/~ccs50140/profile.html
