Customer Reviews

Voices of a Distant Star

5 star:		(61)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

For those who say this is eye candy - well, they're absolutely right, but to say it's just that - well, they couldn't be more wrong. "Voices of a Distant Star" is a short 30 minute animation by Makoto Shinkai that uses both 3D and traditional drawings. And while the graphics are visually stunning with otherworldly effects that will keep you captivated, it's the story that did it for me. Although I do wish this film had been longer to give us viewers more insight on the depth and history of their friendship/relationship, quality rules over quantity here and you can't help but feel the strong connection they have for one another right from the start...

Nuboro and Mikako had hopes of attending the same high school together but when a strange alien force threatens the human race, Mikako gives in to her fascinations with the sky above and decides to become a pilot for the UN Forces to help save mankind. But in doing so she was forced to leave behind the one person she cared about more than anything: Nuboro. Their only means of communicating is through text messaging but the further Mikako goes out to space, the longer the messages take to reach him (1 month, 1 year, 8 years...) as he grows older and she remains young.

There's of course a sprinkle of battle scenes here and there with sci-fi imagery but "Voices of a Distant Star" mostly relies on emotional impacts to keep one entranced and Makoto has done that with misty-eyed perfection. In short, this is a breathtaking anime about one couple's heart-wrenching struggles and how they deal with being apart. It shows that no matter the distance, true love can withstand the test of time, despite how difficult it may be.

{This DVD also includes the independently produced "She and Her Cat" which won Makoto several awards}.

LOVE IS FOREVER

If you were ever looking for an anime that could be used as an introduction to the world of Japanese animation, look no further than Voices of a Distant Star.

I will not give away too much of the story other than the basic plot of the movie. First off, if you are looking or a big mech fighting melee, look somewhere else. Not to say that there isn't any of that, it is primarily a love story about two people torn apart by war. This film has just the right amount of mech fighting to balance the whole thing out.

The story is told entirely through the two main characters, one from the soldier traveling light years through space, and one from the man that she left behind back on earth.

Now, enough of the story, now onto the details of the film:

The DVD Menus:
This is one of the cleanest DVDs I've seen in a while, no excess junk on any of the menus. I'm a firm believer in the whole "less is more" concept, and this DVD adheres wonderfully to that. From the minute I put the disc in, I found my self hunting through the menus so I could listen to the music clips that were on each one.

The Music:
From the music on the title screen, you will be hooked on the perfectly fitting piano score selected for this story. Throughout the entire film the music changes to help with the emotional direction of the story. Even the battle theme managed to turn a soft piano song into a believable fight song. I found myself scouring the internet trying to find the music for download.

The animation:
The animation on this DVD is mostly computer generated. The character designs look a little choppy compared to the 3D rendered mechs, buildings, and spacecraft scattered throughout the feature. Still, they don't look out of place at all. A lot of complaints I've seen were about the lack of actual animation and the excessive use of still images. There is still a lot of animation, and the still images in no way take away from the film. In most cases, I believe it just adds to the story, it also gives you time to sit and stare at the awesome use of color. If only the real world looked as nice as this. :)

The voice acting:
This is one of the few Animes where I can honestly say that the English voices are WAY better than the original Japanese tracks. The voice actors hired for this did a top notch job and really brought forth the emotional impact to this film that I felt was missing on the Japanese track. You can truly hear the pain in the voices on the English track. Even though I don't understand any Japanese other than "hello", it just seemed to be lacking any emotion.

DVD Extras:
There are quite a few extras on this disc that will keep you from feeling that you wasted [$$] on a 30 minute DVD. There is another feature by the creator called "She and Her Cat" and an interview with the creator. Japanese trailers for Voices of a Distant Star, and a few other trailers of other releases from ADV Films.

After watching this DVD once, it has towered over all of my other Anime movies by far. Do not hesitate to add this to your collection.

So much anime is dull, and over used plots and ideas. Many are just ways to joke about sex and look at cartoons in swim suits (pathetic).

And then there is anime like Voices of a Distant Star. Also called Hoshi no Koe in Japanese this is an incredible anime. An amzing adventure, while short, will leave you breathless. More character depth than almost any other anime out their. This should be what people watch and compare other animes to. Now the most amazing fact: This enitre movie was animated, and computer graphics and colorized, and scripted by one man. Not a whole team of "pros" just one man and one Power Macintosh G4 400. The best version is to watch him and his wife do the voices(with subtitles),they get so passionate towards eachother it is amazing. I've read that this version will be inclueded on the DVD I can't wait to watch this movie with correct subtitles! The music was fantastic, I hope they release the soundtrack for America as well. Everything in this Anime flows like nothing you've ever seen, an emotional journey, breathtaking and lovey, I hope other Animes learn from Makoto Shinkai.

For those of you wondering how I saw this, an american version has been released already. It has very poor sub titles and no english voices. I wouldn't recomend it, since in 10 days the offical american version will be released.

I wish there was an extra star to give to movies like this, also if you enjoy this Anime stay alert, Makoto is working on his next anime...Andrew

Hi folks, I usually don't write reviews unless I like the anime DVD or series. ... on the work of art even though it was low budgeted and done by one man with the help of a few others like his wire.
It is a touching romantic story of two high school separated by space. The boy fails the Earth Defense exam and loses his chance to go with the first expedition force to take the war to the aliens who destroyed their colonies on Mars. However, she passes and is sent out with the expedition. It is so touching because though separated by space and time, their love continues. The only way to communicate their love is by phone messages/e-mail yet because it only travels at the speed of light, at first, it would take weeks, then months, and then years for him to receive her messages of love.
For those who are science buffs or taken basic geography like I did, you know that as you travel outside our solar system towards the middle of the universe, time seems to stay the same but from our perception, it actually speeds up. Or to be more technical, as you get closer to the middle of the universe, it is older and your existence of time which is based on our galaxy, slows down especially when you have to travel hyper speed (faster than the speed of light) so what maybe a year on Earth would be an hour of your life in space (when going farther from Earth). The movie points this concept out in the movie as the girl travels further from Earth, her boyfriend gets older and she stays young, which enhances the drama and enhance the messages of love.
For the technical parts, the DVD has great music. There aren't many lyrics or no lyrics to the music but it really reflects the personality and the emotion of the movie. For those who aren't familiar with Japanese anime, some of the scenes may be one panel and the movement is made as the camera moves along the panel, changing the perspective view of the viewers. In the movie, it is well done. It maybe only 30 minute movie but it is very deep and concise and the bonus is great too. There is another little except that doesn't really have to do with the movie but it is very touching as it focuses on a girl and her cat in different time lengths(you'll see if you buy the dvd). The graphics are beautiful especially the background details. However, the characters are simply drawn and not detailed but the scenery and music makes up for it. Overall, I'd recommend this DVD for those who appreciate anime in terms of the art, story concepts, scenery, and romantic drama story. For those who just want entertainment, comedy, or just watch anime for fun, this is not for you.

While watching this short anime movie, I was dumbstruck by its beauty and attention to detail, its vibrant colors, lense effects and flowing animation... it is one of the most beautiful animes I've ever seen. The story is top-notch; a love story set against an unusually good sci-fi backdrop. I'm still at a loss for words on how good this anime is...

However, when I went online to see if there were other 'episodes' to continue the series, I found out that ONE MAN had done EVERYTHING on the anime ALL BY HIMSELF. I feel humbled and (again) dumbstruck. Had this been a longer epic, it would be one of the best in the history of anime - EASILY on par with Evangelion and the likes. I can only hope that there is more story to tell...

Please support this man's efforts by buying this INCREDIBLE work.

I picked up this short film (~25 minutes) at an anime convention. The art is simply beautiful. About 5 minutes into watching it, I was really annoyed with the subtitles moving too fast and taking up a third of the screen; so I switched to the English dub. To my surprise, the English language track was well done. It was nicely acted and the voices matched the characters properly. This is mostly an art film. A short story about lovers separated by space and time. It reminded me a bit of Orson Scott Card's "Speaker for the Dead" (or Einstein's theory of space travel if you want to split hairs). The girl travels far out in space aging days, while her love back home ages years. The further out she travels, the longer her messages take to get back home. The pain of these two aching lovers is real and sad, and at the same time beautiful.

As usual, ADV charges a lot more than they should for this movie. The "Girl and Cat" short 5 minute story was nice little supplement, though. So even though the price may seem a little steep, I think it's worth it for this lovely piece of art.

I have the English / Japanese version.. Hoshi no Koe (Voices of a Distant Star). I first rented this from a video shop, I watched it rather bemused the first time, but I was interested. I let it rest a day or two and watched it again, following the story easier the second time, also had the subtitles on and they helped "fill in the gaps".

I came to appreciate it was not a fun or action movie, more of a study in love and relationships, and on a concept that cant yet exist, but in the future could. Love over time and space and the paradoxs this could bring.
Its only a half hour movie and that is all it needs as a short story.

They a young couple, but space war sees them separated, they communicate via text messages.
He Noboru, on earth, time moves normally,
She Mikako, a mecha pilot, travels into space, first a few minutes separate their messages. Then she space warps away and comunications take a month, The she again space warps - 8 light years away and of course messages take 8 years to travel one way!.
By the time Noboru gets the last message he is 25 years old.. Things have happened in space.. Things have happened on earth, They have one final message to each other transending space and time..

An interesting movie.. a movie to move the heart. I did not feel it was depressing as one reviewer put it, more a Romeo & Juliet type compassion and sadness for this couple. Some could shed a tear...
The animation and music are fine, but not all that important, its the story that get you, its really a dialog between two people, the sole characters are the couple, and thats it! no one else!

Probably not for every one, so try it before you buy it.. but dont be suprised however if you actualy do go and buy it! Its like that.

I would give it less stars if I looked at this DVD and was disappointed by it's short lenght, which is about 30 mins. It's not a big epic story anime with great character development or that much of any plot or action at all. I am only looking at the film for what it is. It's a short indy anime film with gorgeous art work and sheer poetic expressions of the creator. The film was almost all entirely done by one person. "Voices of a Distant Star" and it's DVD extra called "She and her Cat" are two beautiful stories of unconditional love that transcends beyond the loneliness of time, space and even words. Definitely touching and worthwhile to own.

"A love story that transcends time and space..." That is what was written on the back of the DVD cover - and that I must say is probably the best summary one can give about this hauntingly beautiful tale of love and loss.

It is set in a near-future world... It is the story of two young lovers, with their whole lives ahead of them, with seemingly endless possibilities. But their lives were torned apart by a war with a mysterious alien race, and one leaves the earth to fight as mecha pilot. The only thing connecting them are a series of text messages, sent from space via a mobile phone.

I cannot reveal anymore about the story without giving too much away, since the film is a very short and basic one, with very little plot or character development, and clocking in at just 30 minutes. But do NOT be put off by this. This film is pure poetry, with smooth beautiful animation, an amazing artistic style, a haunting soundtrack - and a bittersweet, timeless story, that once experienced, would stay with you for the rest of your life.

But be warned - dispite the mecha, the aliens, and the sci-fi setting, this is purely a tale of romance. If you are space battles and action, or even sex and violence, then this is not for you.

I saw this about six months to a year ago and was blown away. When I read the discription on On Demand, I thought, "It sounds kinda interesting." But it's WAY more than interesting. A better adjective would be PHENOMENAL!

Hoshi no Koe (Voices of a Distant Star) is the story of fifteen-year-old Mikako who is in love with her best friend, Noboru, who has feelings for Mikako as well. However, the two never confessed their love, so they stayed as friends, not knowing that the other is in love with them. Does it sound like an anime you might know? Well, the OVA is more than just a normal romantic-drama.

You see, it's set in the future, where scientists have set up a place on Mars. However, aliens--called the Tarsians--attack, annialating the people who live there. Thus, a war breaks out that mankind has never seen before: man against aliens. Mikako signs up to fight up in space at the end of middle school. She fights in a giant robot and keeps in touch with Noboru by text messaging on her cell. However, time is different in space. She ages slowly, and a couple weeks is really a few months on Earth. Not only that, but texts take forever to reach Earth, leaving Noboru to wonder if she's still alive. Will she ever come back to Noboru? Will he move on?

Voices of a Distant Star is one of the most remarkable anime I have ever seen, and it's only thirty minutes long. The creator, Makoto Shinkai, or Shinkai Makoto in Japanese, created this entirely on his computer. And the music is so gorgeous! It's almost completely piano music, and it only has one song that has lyrics: the ending song, "Through the Years and Far Away", performed by a Japanese singer, but sung in English!

It's a touching story of drama, love, giant robots, and sci-fi. I watched this three times in two days, and I nearly cried each time. I urge you to see this; borrow it from a friend, rent it, buy it...it's too good to not see!!