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Distant Star's Makoto Shinkai Outlines Next Work

Makoto Shinkai, the auteur director behind Voices of a Distant Star, The Place Promised in Our Early Days, and 5 Centimeters Per Second, made a surprise appearance at Eminence Symphony Orchestra's concert in Tokyo on Sunday.

In his comments to the audience, Shinkai acknowledged that it has been some time since his last work (2007's 5 Centimeters Per Second), but he added, "We're making a new work now." While he cautioned that an official announcement has yet to be made, he gave a simple outline of what his team is making.

The new work will be his longest animation film to date, and the story will revolve around one heroine, a cheerful and spirited girl. Shinkai noted that most of his works in the past decade were stories about characters who have to part ways with those they hold dear, but he wants to take that theme further. Through the new heroine, Shinkai is planning to deal more specifically on how to overcome that loss.

Eminence Symphony Orchestra performed on the soundtrack for Gonzo's Romeo X Juliet anime, and members of the Australian group performed a concert at Otakon in 2007. The orchestra played in the Animate chain store in Tokyo's otaku shopping district of Akihabara to promote Promise, the December 9 album of music inspired by Shinkai's works. Tenmon (Voices of a Distant Star, The Place Promised in Our Early Days, 5 Centimeters Per Second), Shinkai's musical collaborator for the past decade, also made a surprise appearance at the concert.

Source: animeanime.jp

Update (2010-11-02): According to the official website, the movie's name is Hoshi o Ou Kodomo.

Image courtesy of animeanime.jp