The Place Promised in Our Early Days 雲のむこう、約束の場所 (2004)
Really dense science fiction. Dreamlike.
On Apple TV to buy or rent in Japanese with English subtitles.
On Blu-ray in Japanese with English subtitles.
There is a novelisation by Arata Kanoh (who has novelised a number of Shinkai’s movies), with English translation by Taylor Engel.
5 Centimeters per Second 秒速5センチメートル (2007)
Three almost unbearably painful stories of unrequited love and self-control. The animation is incredibly beautiful, it may be the best animation I’ve ever seen. You can read a bit more in my short review.
On Blu-ray in Japanese with English subtitles.
On Apple TV to buy or rent in English only.
Children Who Chase Lost Voices 星を追う子ども (2011)
Would be better translated as Children Who Chase Stars or retitled Journey to Agartha. And “children” is a bit misleading, it’s really just a single lead girl.
It’s ok. It feels like several different movies with different tones mashed together.
A modern retelling of a journey to the Underworld, a timeless topic from Gilgamesh to Orpheus and beyond.
On (rather expensive) Blu-ray in Japanese with English subtitles.
The Garden of Words 言の葉の庭 (2013)
It’s good. The animation is beautiful.
At 46 minutes, it’s more of a short story than a movie. This makes for a rather abrupt ending, particularly if you aren’t expecting it. There is a brief coda after the credits.
On Blu-ray in Japanese with English subtitles.
Your Name 君の名は。(2016)
A 2017 Japan Academy Film Excellent Animation of the Year.
And indeed it is excellent.
On Crunchyroll in Japanese subtitled in English (“sub”) or dubbed (“dub”).
Apple TV – TV – Rent – Other Versions – Subtitled.
Weathering with You 天気の子 (2019)
Winner, 2020 Japan Academy Best Animation of the Year.
This was ok if a bit hard to parse cross-culturally, but then completely fell apart near the end. It’s like two different movies stuck together. It’s basically a kind of fantasy life that in the end collides with adult realities.
Apple TV – Buy or Rent in Japanese with English subtitles.
Suzume no Tojimari すずめの戸締まり (2022)
A 2023 Japan Academy Excellent Animation of the Year.
Suzume すずめの戸締まり is excellent.
Drama and humour, beautifully animated.
For more info see my brief review: Suzume Japanese film.
Streaming on Crunchyroll.
For more about Makoto Shinkai see Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makoto_Shinkai
See also:
January 10, 2022 Watching award-winning Japanese animated films
Manifesto Multilinko 2 