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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 ""A love story that transcends time and space..."" "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. "!" Quite a good DVD. I had to watch it a couple of times to fully appreciate it. It has a great story with good animation. It brings to mind the questions of love and time travel. As Mikako travels to speeds close to the speed of light, she ages far less slower than her boyfriend Noboru as he is home on earth. Their love not only has to endure the effects of time travel but also the distances between them. The further she goes into space, the longer it takes for messages to be sent between them. The animation was good too. The only flaw would be the frame rate, as some parts were quite choppy, but it doesnt dampen the experience. Voices of a distant star is a touching story. Recommended. "It's okay" " Voices of a distant star" Rating: 13+ My Rating: 10+ Overall: 4/5 Best viewed in: Japanese ( and no I'm no subtitle freak) Not the best, but not the worst anime film. Comments: Because of some of the boring dialouge and the short length of the film. "She and her cat" Overall: 4 1/2 /5 Because it's shorter and quite frankly it sticks to its point. Best viewed in: There's no English track so you HAVE to watch it in Japanese. Comments: Well, a cat telling about its owner, surrondings, etc can be a bit boring it can also be fun, and the cat is even cute to some degree. There's only one voice actor in it to and it's the creators voice. His girlfriend a local cat, when she says something it shows a white screen with Japanese chracters and of course the subtitles translating it so there is no voice provided by her and I don't remember , but it was the same for the owner if she did say anything. "A beautiful story that leaves you thirsting for more...." This is not just animation. This is not just science fiction. It is an epic love story threaded over light years. That Makoto Shinkai was able to weave a powerful and moving story into LESS THAN 30 MINUTES is the work of no less than a master storyteller. The visuals are among the best in the business. Shinkai's use of light and color is mesmerizing. Miyazaki would be proud of him, perhaps even jealous. Combine the look with a spare and melancholy score by Tenmon and emotions cascade from the screen. This story begs to be series or a full-length picture. I hope this gifted man is hard at work on continuing the themes that he has so skillfully put forward. Please do not let the shortness of the picture deter you. Quality of this sort makes time irrelevant (or relativistic, if you must know). By the way, the subtitled version is superior to the english dub, which is available as an extra feature on this disc. Enjoy!!!! "A 30 Min Suprise" My expectation for this movie was that I was getting ready to watch a short childrens movie. I didn't realize how much story and emotions would develop in just 30 min. The movie takes its viewers on a 30 min ride through the power of love and the forces that work against it. The movie leaves off with endless possibilities along with a greater realization that love is patient.