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Voices of a Distant Star Directors: Makoto Shinkai, Steven Foster Number of Items: 1 Format: Animated, Color Running Time: 30 minutes Studio: A.D. Vision Product Group: DVD Release Date: 2003-06-10 Buy from Amazon

Customer Reviews: Total numer of reviews: 69 Average rating: 4.0 "Excellent animé (4 stars), poor translation (-1 star)" I was very intrigued with this animé ever since I first saw some trailers on Newtype DVD's. I grew even more intrigued when I heard that the animation and CG graphics were all done by one man. So, when I heard this had been released, I picked it up and immediately watched it upon my return home. What I saw was a stunning work of moving art. The animation, at face value, is absolutely incredible, and the fact that it was all done by one man makes it even more so. The music isn't remarkable, though it works and suits the mood welle nough. The director is able to weave a grandiose story quite well within a timnefarme of a half hour. I was afraid that, in this animé's short amount of screentime, the characters would not be developed well enough and that the story would feel incomplete or unfinished. Luckily, however, Makoto Shinkai proved me wrong. There are some ludicrous moments in the story, however. I find it hard to believe that either character would continue to subscribe in a long-distance relationship without fail or without looking at the other options around them (particularly, even when the distance between them can be measured in light years. Even though I'm sure there will be great advances in technology within the next few decades, I still find it hard to believe that a cell phone can actually transmit a signal over the course of eight light years. But, I suppose it's safe to say that a good love story isn't created with rationalists in mind. If you can suspend belief in what makes logical sense, or in other words, you're a romantic, you'll enjoy the story. One reviewer compared it with the greatness of Evangelion, though I'm not sure if this is an appropriate comparison. Evangelion and Voices of a Distant Star are both astounding works, but they are also completely different. I would classify this as a moving story with a remarkable emotional punch, one that will be viewed by few people, yet will undoubtedly profoundly affect the few who do watch it. Thus, I would compare it to the greatness of "Grave of the Fireflies" or "Now and Then, Here and There." The short animated film, "She and Her Cat," which was directed by Makoto Shinkai as well, is unique, mildly perplexing, and an excellent addition. As it is, I would give this remarkable DVD 4 stars. However, the reason why this got a three and not a four is the responsibility of ADV films, the distributor of this film. I'm not one for english voice dubs; I hardly ever choose dubs over subs (Cowboy Bebop being the unique exception), thus I haven't heard the dub. If you're one for dubs, then go ahead and pretend I gave this 4 stars. Before I continue, let me just say that I'm not one of those otaku that gets offended if "what was that" is used in place of "nani" (which is what in Japanese). I don't look for a perfect translation, simply one that conveys the story in general well enough. The tempo of the subtitles here, though, drove me crazy. Some were far too verbose to be read in time, while others were quite terse. As erratic as the timing may be, I was still able to notice numerous misspellings. Considering how I've never had this problem with the 43 other animé DVD's that I have, I think it's safe to assume that whoever translated this didn't spend enough time making sure that the timing and the content of the subtitles was as good as the animé at hand. Not only that, but the "Original Production Animatic" was left untranslated; there are no subtitles or voice dubs at all! Overall, it's worth the money if you don't mind a disappointing translation or a very short animé feature. "A little to distant for me even as an avid anime fan." I thought the premise of this sounded good. It turned out to be one of those things we regular folk just don't get. Now I love anime in most of its forms, except gratuituous mecha. I had hopes for this one as a good, sci-fi topic. It might have made an impression, had it been a bit longer. As it was, its hardly worth the money for a 25 minute runtime, when I was expecting a bit more of a movie. I've seen some excellent award winning, short animations, where the animation itself told a great story. I will admit there are a few parts like that in this film. Unfortunately, there are also time wasting, still shot moments, which should only be part of a longer piece. In the end, I was left with a lot of questions, and maybe that was the point of it all. I still hate it when the existential artists make something, and their patrons tell us we should all like it. If you like thought pieces OK, but I'd still advise renting this one first. "Simply Wonderful" 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. "Let me get to the point..." This is a work of art with a great emotional impact. It touches on a little bit of everything that makes us what we are: love, fear and even rage. Right up there with "Grave of the Fireflies", "Ghost in the Shell" or "Perfect Blue". I had no problems with my DVD, so I can't comment on any listed by other reviewers. ""I Am Here."" I met my wife over the internet, and we spent two years in a long distance relationship. I'm also a military brat, and when the call would come, we would never know when or if we would see Dad again. Perhaps that's why Voices of a Distant Star struck such a chord with me. I felt that I could relate to the plight of the characters, as they struggled to cope with distance, uncertainty, and absence. This brought tears to my eyes, and that's saying alot. The emotions are genuine, and the art...well, you would hardly believe that the whole thing was put together on a home PC. Granted, this isn't a long piece, but this is most definitely a story that will remain in your heart for a long time.