Makoto Shinkai: Life and It's Little Things

Life is full of wonders, blessings and people as well as events to learn from. When we think we know and have seen everything there is to be known and be seen, we eventually learn through our continuous journey that life is a continuous journey that will nourish our path with emotions and experiences we have yet to live. Many adults often feel this way, with the passing of the years, more and more adults and even teenagers have often just been wandering through life instead of traveling through it.

What is the difference? When you travel, you are open to embracing the experiences that a new place can bring, but when you wander. You often want to find the destination instead of admiring your surroundings. Often, most people no longer feel a passion for living since every day can seem like a neverending routine, especially when going through a global pandemic. To share an equal burden and situation, already connects us to the rest of the world… but how can the whole world, or maybe just one’s self find a reason to want to keep traveling through life and its good and bad experiences when the world around us seems to be crumbling down?

Admiring the little things such as waking up in the morning, seeing the scenery outside our window, cars and people passing by, all those things could help us want to carry through and live to see the next day… and what a wonderful way it is for most artworks and their artists to remind us of the things we often take for granted. Personally, the works of Makoto Shinkai have been a treasure that as I, as a Christian, believe God and Jesus have sent which has caused a great influence on how I appreciate the little and big things that surround me, especially during COVID-19. Makoto Niitsu or also known as Makoto Shinkai ( is a Japanese animator, filmmaker and manga artist best known for directing Your Name, 2019's Weathering With You, among other works such as The Garden of Words, 5 Centimeters Per Second and more. He has been the inspiration and teacher that has impacted me greatly. His films are heart-touching and with amazingly developed characters and plot lines that can engage any viewer from any age.

Your Name or Kimi no Na Wa as known in Japanese has been one of the most popular and famous films of Makoto Shinkai, being the third highest-grossing anime film of all time. However, the complex storyline and wonderfully unique characters are not exclusive to only ‘Your Name’, for all of Makoto’s films have a certain effect that captures the hearts of many audiences from all over the world. Many people in fact have begun to compare him to Studio Ghibli’s animator and Filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki due to their similar ways of wonderful storytelling and characters as well as magnificent settings and sceneries. While both artists are one the most crucial directors in Japan and in the world, they are not to be compared. Despite their similarities in appreciating the little things that life has to offer and portraying these moments in their films and storylines, each of them has their own unique style that makes their works stand out and are associated with their respective director. Though Makoto Shinkai looks up to Hayao Miyazaki, as many other directors, he has constantly explained that his goal is not to become the new Hayao Miyazaki or replace him, his goal is to create works that will forever remain in people’s lives and help them escape from reality, reminisce certain life events, and appreciate the life around us. 

Every film certainly has something that we can learn from, such as the events of everyday life, nature, as well as people and emotions. The films transcend fiction and into our reality. The characters used in the stories are also very relatable and magnificently developed from beginning to end, they often share the struggle we encounter in our lives and what it means to be alive, with all its ups and downs. Not only are the character’s personalities beautiful to their own character but their designs are carefully thought out and uniquely created. Aside from the compelling stories that have caught the attention of many film critics and fans, Makoto Shinkai’s visuals have an ethereal feel to them. The sceneries, landscapes, touch of lighting and vibrancy in his works really capture the life and time of Japan’s most known and unknown locations.

In the official visual guide of ‘Your Name’ Makoto has a section focused strictly on backgrounds and overall sceneries. In some events of the film Your Name, the main locations are Itomori and unspoiled landscapes of Japan, as well as the lively scenery of Tokyo. However, in the most tranquil and busiest locations of Japan, Makoto manages to depict the freshness and loveliness of nature from Itomori and the gorgeous lights, time, and structure of the tall skyscrapers found in Tokyo. “In daily or everyday life, I am so impressed with tiny details, like when I look up at a street lamp falling on the street, it seems to have meaning or so much information in it.” These words by Makoto Shinkai sum up the visual feel found in each of his movies, for even the sound of thunder, water and even everyday sounds such as trains, cars, cooking or walking can strike an emotion in our hearts as if the everyday little things could give so much meaning and hold so much power for a certain moment.

It is the same for us in our lives, even as I type this, the sound of the keyboard creates a symphony that many often take for granted. Certainly, his films do an incredible job at making the little things hold more power and meaning than we usually think. However, the most wonderful lesson that I can get from watching a film by Makoto Shinkai is knowing that this world is full of adventures and that being alive is the ticket to experiencing the wonderful moments that life has to offer. Even when we have our bad days, life never stops moving and there is always something good to be found in the ending. There is always someone and something to learn from, and all of these experiences make up the meaning of what it means to fully live, rather than just being alive.

Many adults especially feel very connected by Makoto Shinkai’s films, because the emotions portrayed are universal. Most people in this world are still wandering around life, looking for something or for someone. The important thing is to enjoy every moment as we travel so that we don’t forever wander in confusion and without meaning in life. Another important lesson to be learned from his films is that no matter how long we have been alive, there will always be some new event that will teach us something and that we will never be truly alone. Makoto Shinkai once said “When you're a teenager, there are more things you don't know than you know, and more people that you haven't met than you have met. I felt that way when I was a teenager, and I think maybe, with my films, I'm targeting grown-ups who remember that feeling.” When we are younger, we often think that what we see and experience will depict our future events and seal it in stone, but Makoto tells us with his films that as we grow, situations will lead to brand new experiences and people that will teach us about life, the important thing is to journey through life and appreciating every moment, as we meet new people and live new moments. His films have so much meaning and value about the meaning of life and the people we meet, and how important it is to be open to receive the lessons we are meant to obtain from the future people we meet and the future lessons that the world has for us.