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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 "eye candy" The story counts for something, but overall this DVD is straight-up Anime eye candy. Which is not a bad thing at all, many of the moments inside this work are stunning, to say the least. However, it was very short and was riddled with anime stereotypes. It was also, in many ways, a shameless (though subtle) ad for cell phone crazy teenagers to gobble up before they rush out the door for yet another cell phone. Or, perhaps the cell phone has become such an integral part of asian society that this animation inadvertently came across as an advertisement to an American viewer. Regardless of my ad issues, this is still a "must-see" modern anime DVD. It is one of the best instances I've ever seen of taking computer animation and blending it seamlessly into hand-drawn anime cells. The result is at times very beautiful, from a purely visual standpoint. Eventually, movies like this will be very commonplace. So, you might as well catch a glimpse of the future today with "Voices of a Distant Star." Go ahead, rent it. "A Good Idea poorly executed" While the Animation is visually rich and the basic concept of lovers separated by the realities of Spaceflight are a good start they have not been used effectively. What there is of a plot is told rather than shown. Despite the characters occasional claims to the contrary there is no real character development. In all this made for a rather dull 30 minuets of viewing. "Stunning Work by a Sole Artist" I first picked this title up in a video store becuase of the great art on the DVD box. I am a shameless Japanese animation fan, so I would have probably taken it home to view anyway. Still, the art was fantastic. When I got home and started viewing, I was not only amazed at the quality of the art but how fast I was drawn into the story; you get bits and scraps of the plot here and there in a manner that keeps you wondering what the whole thing is leading up to. In the end, this is a love story. But, there are enough mecha images and beautiful weaponry to fascinate anyone. They serve to tell a story though and are not meant to be the central theme of the movie. My only disappointment is the fact the DVD's main feature is 25 minutes in length. I know this is still a herculean task for the movie's sole artist, but I wanted more. In fact, the whole thing ends rather suddenly. You are left to wonder the final outcome of the story. I guess it is a sad ending, for the transit times involved in this title mean the two main characters are likely never to see each other again. The video was produced digitally and, of course, transfers flawlessly to DVD. The music was quite nice. I wish I had the score on MP3. I hope this title inspires other, one-person studios to extend the medium and come out with feature-length films. The tools are now in a lot of very talented peoples' hands. Good DVD. I recommend it. "Short, interesting, mixed in quality" This is a 30-minute work made by a single artist. The story is somewhat reminiscent of Haldeman's classic SF novel "The Forever War." The artwork is variable... the characters themselves tend to be poorly rendered and at times almost grotesque. On the other hand the imagery of the fighting mechs are very well done and fascinating. The story itself is reasonably satisfying although very angst-filled. The DVD also includes some very interesting extra material including an interview with the artist and one of his earlier works which is quite good. Overall you wont get much for your money. But if you are an artist interested in seeing what can be done by a single person with passion and drive this is as good an example as there is. "30 minute emotional rollercoaster" Comming from a single artist with nothing more than basically a Power Mac as a workstation this is quite an excellent piece of work. I admit that it is centered around love and drives the characters throughout the show. Seeing past that it shows the hardships of war and how fragile the human race really is. I don't believe some of the events could occur in that day and age but I'm not here to pick on things that may be the future. The ending is rather sad but shows the cruel reality of life for the two main characters. I think this anime would have to be catagorized as an element of its own, very unique! About the time of the movie, It is short but I think its for the best that you don't get too attached to the characters.