[News Figures] 'Suzume no Tojimari' Director Makoto Shinkai

Writer and Director Formerly at a Game Company with a Literature Degree
Attracted Over 10 Million Viewers in Japan with 'Your Name'
Regarded as the 'Post-Miyazaki Hayao' in Japan

The Japanese animated film 'Suzume no Tojimari' has maintained its position at the top of the box office for the 12th consecutive day, increasing interest in director Makoto Shinkai.

According to the Korea Film Council's integrated ticketing system on the 20th, 'Suzume no Tojimari' attracted 296,308 viewers on the 19th alone, securing the number one spot at the box office. The cumulative audience reached 1,951,155. Riding on the film's popularity, the original novel of the same name, 'Suzume no Tojimari' (Daewon C.I.), is also gaining great popularity. The book was written by director Shinkai himself, who helmed the animation. According to Kyobo Book Centre, the book ranked 6th in the overall bestseller list for the second week of March, climbing 17 places from the previous week.

'Suzume no Tojimari' tells the story of a girl named Suzume who accidentally opens a door that brings disaster, and desperately closes doors to prevent disasters occurring across Japan. It is inspired by the Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred in 2011.

Director Shinkai, who already has many fans in Korea with works such as 'Your Name' (2016) and 'Weathering with You' (2019), was born in 1973 in Nagano Prefecture. He majored in Korean literature at Chuo University and originally worked at the Japanese game company Falcom, where he was in charge of game openings. Game openings refer to the introductory animations that appear when accessing a game. Director Shinkai participated in works such as 'The Legend of Heroes: Gagharv Trilogy' and 'Ys II' at this company.

Director Makoto Shinkai is giving a greeting at the press conference for the Japanese animation "Suzume no Tojimari" held on the morning of the 8th at Megabox Seongsu in Seongdong-gu, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

While working at the company, he continued making animations and debuted as a director in 2002 with the short film 'Voices of a Distant Star.' This 25-minute full digital animation was notable because Shinkai handled most of the work himself, including scriptwriting, directing, animation, art, and editing. Unlike typical commercial animation directors who collaborate in teams by specialty, he took on the entire animation production process alone, attracting attention. He later released 'The Place Promised in Our Early Days' (2004), '5 Centimeters per Second' (2007), 'Children Who Chase Lost Voices' (2011), and 'The Garden of Words' (2013).

Having majored in literature, Director Shinkai revealed that he was greatly influenced by writer Haruki Murakami. In an interview with in August 2013, he said, "I have always enjoyed reading books, and if I had to pick one author, it would be Haruki Murakami. I know many of his works have been translated and introduced in Korea as well. I read a lot of his works throughout high school and university, and he influenced me greatly."

Poster of the Japanese animation 'Suzume no Tojimari'.

Director Shinkai became known as the so-called 'Triple 10 Million Director' in Japan, having attracted over 10 million viewers each for 'Your Name,' 'Weathering with You,' and 'Suzume no Tojimari.' Because of this, the Japanese animation industry sometimes refers to him as the 'Post Hayao Miyazaki.' He is regarded as the successor to the animation master who produced works such as 'Spirited Away' and 'Howl's Moving Castle.' In fact, 'Suzume no Tojimari' was invited to the competition section of the Berlin International Film Festival for the first time in 21 years since 'Spirited Away,' receiving recognition for both artistic quality and popularity.

Regarding the popularity of Japanese animation such as 'The First Slam Dunk' in Korea, Director Shinkai said that there is a kind of cultural empathy formed between Korea and Japan. At a press conference held on the 8th at Megabox Seongsu in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, he said, "I think it might be because there are many cultural or scenic similarities between Japan and Korea. Sometimes when I look at the streets of Seoul, I feel nostalgic, and at the same time, I think this might be the future of Tokyo." He added, "That might be why Koreans watch a lot of Japanese animation, and Japanese people watch a lot of Korean dramas. I hope Korea and Japan continue to be strongly connected culturally."