The Thrasher's Word
Voices of a Distant Star
Format: OVA (1 episode, 25 minutes)
Genre: Romance, Science-fiction, Drama
Studio: N/A
Director: Makoto Shinkai
Director Makoto Shinkai has been making waves in the alternative anime community in the last few years. His 2004 film “The Place Promised in our Early Days” won several awards, and his latest project, “5 Centimeters per Second” has just received a domestic release in the US to critical acclaim. The modestly ambitious “Voices of a Distant Star,” however, is where his legend begins. Conceived, written, directed and animated by Mr. Shinkai alone, “Voices…” makes for a very personal project and a singular vision, and so much the better for it. While it clocks in at a diminutive-bordering-on-ridiculous 25 minutes long, it nevertheless trumps any number of shows with a broader scope through its sheer heartfelt sincerity. “Voices of a Distant Star” is a small gem, it’s true; but a gem it remains in a bland, uninspiring sea of quartz. And overwrought metaphors. Like this one. Ahem.
The plot is a fairly straightforward one. The year is 2046. Mikako and Noboru are childhood friends in the midst of their teenage years and about to enter high school together. Their long-running friendship seems set to flower into something more romantic, but naturally, cruel fate intervenes in the form of the United Nations. Mikako is selected as a crew member on the UN starship, the Lysithea, tasked with chasing down the Tarsian aliens responsible for attacking Earth ten years prior. Because obviously emotionally insecure 15 year old schoolgirls with no previous military experience make prime candidates for high-priority spacefaring missions. Sigh. Whatever, we’ll roll with it. Mikako’s only mode of communication with Noboru is her mobile phone, and of course, as she moves further and further out into the vastness of space, the text messages she sends back to Earth take ever longer to arrive (eight years, at one point). Worse yet, as Mikako is travelling at the speed of light, relativity turns up and bites her on the ass, with years passing for Noboru where only weeks pass for her. In spite of themselves, the two lovers find themselves drifting apart in both space and time.
It seems reasonably safe to assume that science-fiction isn’t Shinkai-san’s strong point; a couple of frustrating plot points (a planet just like Earth orbiting the Dog Star? When did this happen?) and a seemingly loose grasp of the theory of relativity affirm this. These are fairly pointless niggles however, except as a means to point out that science-fiction is not where the emphasis in “Voices of a Distant Star” is placed. It is, at heart, a love story, and in that regard it succeeds beautifully. And make no mistake, it is beautiful. The two central characters efforts to remain connected in spite of their circumstances, and their quiet desperation therein, are touching, soulful, and above all, come across as genuine. There’s something about Mikako and Noboru’s plight that we all can relate to; the feeling of being dragged apart despite our best efforts to remain together. For all its glossy, sci-fi window dressing, “Voices…” remains a tale of the human heart.
All of Shinkai’s works thus far deal with adolescence as a theme, reflecting upon it as a time of innocence through the eternally tinted mirror of nostalgia. While they all tackle the subject from a different angle, the overriding message in “Voices…” is one hope that that innocence might survive, and this message is gloriously realised in the OVA’s conclusion. Even with eight years of time and space between them, Noboru and Mikako discover love to be a force which can transcend time and space, that their connection is stronger than any force of circumstance which may try to break it. While the conclusion to the story is sad, it’s also magnificently, tremendously heart-warming. So powerfully is that message delivered, and so convincing are Mikako and Noboru as deliverers of it, that one can’t emerge from seeing “Voices…” without uplifted and hopeful for it. Far from giving us a saccharine, generic “happy-ending” story, Shinkai has crafted something really quite remarkable; a love story that actually offers an insight into love.
Does the 25-minute running time hurt it? Well, yes, if we’re honest, but only slightly, and certainly not as much as one might think. This being a one-man project, Shinkai has obviously utilised the limited resources available to him wisely, as “Voices…” doesn’t feel cut short so much as it does streamlined. Issues such as the backdrop of the story’s events, the agenda of the Tarsians, and even the outcome of the war are all… well, “ignored” would be the blunt way of putting it. The story is stripped down to its nuts and bolts in favour of focusing on its two central figures. While Shinkai has created an interesting world which I wouldn’t mind getting to know more intimately, it fulfils the purpose it’s allotted, and that’s a choice I respect. What it lacks in scale, “Voices…” makes up for in efficiency; it may be short, but it’s polished to a mirror shine.
Of course, as you would expect from a debut effort, “Voices…” isn’t entirely without its issues. The animation, for instance; although the artwork itself is gorgeous, the film doesn’t feel so much animated as it does composed from a series of near-static images, at least in terms of people. The scenes in space are much more kinetic, although the 3-D mech models seem a bit cumbersome. While this does have a very slightly adverse effect on the humanity of the story, bear in mind that this is a one man project; by those standards, production values are top notch, and the void is more than filled by composer Tenmon’s absolutely sublime soundtrack. Less forgivable though is the dialogue. While the edge of emotion shines through more often than not, you’ll find that Mikako and Noboru’s words have idiosyncrasies which can really get under your skin. For instance, Mikako often begins sentences with “Say,” and ends them with “you know?” It isn’t cute or endearing. Maybe it’s just the English translation – which at one point, gives rise to the hilarious line from the Lysithea commander, “Tarsians are existing everywhere on Agharta! Their block exists in orbit and are approaching us!” – but either way, it makes for an unfortunate blemish on an otherwise marvellous production.
All the same, I’d recommend seeing “Voices of a Distant Star” to just about anyone, even those who aren’t usually interested in romantic stories. It’s a wonderful tale, made all the more so by its concision and simplicity, which you’ll genuinely feel better for having seen. In the 25 minutes afforded it, it tells a story of star-crossed lovers (in the most literal sense, har har!) which will remain with you long after. Short? Yes, but oh so sweet.
-Thrash ‘Til Death
LAA Rating: ***1/2
Rating System:
* - Horrible
*1/2 – Very Bad
** - Bad
**1/2 – Good
*** - Very Good
***1/2 – Excellent
**** - Masterpiece