Mamoru Hosoda & Makoto Shinkai

Ever since I got into the works of Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli back in 2005 (ish) I've been branching off and finding other Japanese film-makers that adopt a similar style and are actually close to being serious competition against Ghibli's animations.

Pictures above: Wolf Children

I consider all animation to be art but Japanese animation in particular I hold very close to my passions because the watercolour medium and traditional drawing is something I don't think the Japanese will ever let go of. I've always had a particular interest in watercolour paintings which is why I probably follow Japanese directors and animations more closely than any other form of animation. They create world's that I want to be a part of and the stories they visualise whether it be fantastical or the ordinary events that occur in family life put the meaning of animation on a whole new perspective for children. What differs the Japanese form to American or British in my opinion is there's always a reason for the story. There's a life lesson for kids to learn from watching these stories whether it's highlighting the effects of global warming and deforestation or accepting people for who they are no matter what they look like.

Wolf Children: Ame and Yuki

Two directors I follow particularly closely are Mamoru Hosoda and Makoto Shinkai who adopt the traditions of drawn animation but have also begun to mix it with CGI for background characters and locations.
Mamoru Hosoda was the first I discovered after seeing 'The Girl Who Leapt Through Time' followed by 'Summer Wars' and 'Wolf Children.' All three have a strong focus on family life, with 'Summer Wars' and 'Wolf Children' having this connection the most. Although 'Wolf Children' has a fantastical element added (two children born as half wolf, half human), there is still the meaning of acceptance and not judging people by their appearance as Hana (the mother) falls in love with Ookami (the father/wolfman) and although once revealed he is a wolf, Hana continues to love him for who he is. The same occurrence happens when Yuki (the daughter) reveals she is a wolf to one of her classmates, Sohei, who also accepts her. Not only does the story do this, but it stresses the importance of family and having the strength to continue to smile through the tough moments in life as well as to work hard to support a family.
The latter meaning is stronger in 'Summer Wars' as Kenji is asked to pretend to be the 'intended' for Natsuki over the summer break when she returns home to her large family.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

'The Girl Who Leapt Through Time' doesn't have an underlying meaning of family but instead focuses on romance and the fragility of time. Makoto discovers she has acquired the ability to leap through time and recklessly wastes them on meaningless events such as re-playing the time spent in the karaoke booth. Only when she realises she has fallen in love with best friend, Chiaki, who is in fact from the future, does she come to realise that time is a precious commodity and should be used to help others.

5cm Per Second

Then there's Makoto Shinkai who has only recently started doing big feature film productions. He's directed the films '5cm per second', 'Voices of a Distant Star', 'The Place Promised in Our Early Days', 'Children Who Chase Lost Voices' and 'The Garden of Words.'
His films always have a central male and female character with the theme of love as the ending scenario. From my own opinion, I would say 'Children Who Chase Lost Voices' (Or Journey to Agartha as it's titled in English) is his best work so far, partly because it's his second full length feature so there was an opportunity to extend character development and story but also I thought the artwork portrayed Agartha as the otherworldly land below the surface of the Earth beautifully.
His stories give people the belief that love can be between any two people, whether they are from two entirely different worlds or have a significant but not too big an age gap. Unlike Hosoda, Shinkai's work does tip further towards the fantasy side of storytelling however some ordinary, family matters do worm their way into his films.



Journey To Agartha (Children Who Chase Lost Voices)

Between the two, I'd say I'm currently more of a Hosoda fan, purely for the sensitive and endearing films he can produce from the ordinary events in a person's life, even if he adds a touch of fantasy to it. His films speak emotion and it's that quality alone that allows people to connect and relate to the character's. After watching 'Wolf Children' with actor commentary, the ADR Director asked each voice actor if they could relate to any of the characters in the film. Every one of them could name one character that reflected them, whether it was the absence of a parent or being shy or not really fitting in amongst others of their age when they were younger and it's that which makes his films so much more beautiful than anything else I've watched. Most animated films are created to entertain, to make you laugh or just to keep the kids happy for a few hours. Every one of those films I've listed from both directors have been created with a purpose to not only entertain, but to connect with the world and the struggles that people face everyday. I think you're supposed to come away after watching their films having learnt something about the world we live in, that every moment spent on it is precious, we cannot be selfish and we cannot hope to survive on our own without our loved ones around us to pick us up when times get hard.