Some people say, 'Well you're a man; how do you write about women or girls when you don't know about them?' Well, I've got my imagination, and I can write about women. Yes, I'll never be pregnant and give birth to children, but I can imagine a bit of what it's like. When you create characters, it's just about making them really real to people.

Makoto Shinkai

Categorized in : Man You Children Women

I still don't know what it really means to grow up. However, if I happen to meet you, one day in the future, by then, I want to become someone you can be proud to know.

Makoto Shinkai

growing-up one-day mean

I probably just want to leave a trace of myself behind in this world.

Makoto Shinkai

this-world want world

It must really be a lonelier journey than anyone could imagine. Cutting through absolute darkness, encountering nothing but the occasional hydrogen atom. Flying blindly into the abyss, believing therein lie the answers to the mysteries of the universe.

Makoto Shinkai

cutting believe lying

When I was little the sky was closer.

Makoto Shinkai

sky littles

I see why now Tohno-kun is different from the others. Like the rocket shooting off into space, on the loneliest journey to the far end of the solar system. Because he's always looking at something beyond me. He can never see me. I cried myself to sleep, thinking of him.

Makoto Shinkai

journey sleep thinking

I think that's a universal theme, you know: we don't know who we're going to meet tomorrow. And that person might change your life entirely. There's always that possibility, and while you're not necessarily actively seeking it, you have that desire deep down.

Makoto Shinkai

you tomorrow change life

My life has had a lot of fun moments, but I tend to feel sadness more often.

Makoto Shinkai

my-life feel sadness life

I was working in a gaming company, but I really wanted to make animation. I didn't really have anything special, no special tools at my disposal, so I used what I had on hand like Photoshop, and that's really how I started.

Makoto Shinkai

gaming company tools special

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.

Makoto Shinkai

daily i-am look life

When I was working at the game company, I wasn't just doing graphic design, I was doing the entire product management, so I would do the graphic design, I would create the advertisements, even the catch copies. I would figure out what kind of packaging and design of the packaging, so I was basically doing total product management at that time.

Makoto Shinkai

game design management time

I pay attention to the things that nobody else is looking at.

Makoto Shinkai

nobody looking things attention

Of course I'm happy when people mention his name and mine in the same breath. It's like a dream. But I know they are overpraising 'Your Name' because I am absolutely not at Miyazaki's level. Honestly, I really don't want Miyazaki to see it because he will see all its flaws.

Makoto Shinkai

name i-am happy people

I think it is really important to not only take advantage of these tools that you have at your disposal but also to really take the time to develop ideas within yourself and think about what you want to animate, and then you can use these tools to create what you want to create.

Makoto Shinkai

yourself you time ideas

Miyazaki is a genius. He is the legend.

Makoto Shinkai

legend he genius

People who draw tend to think they're craftsmen, so they really want to hang onto their pens and papers, but it's not terribly productive. To be honest with you, it's faster and easier to start with the computer.

Makoto Shinkai

start think you people

I don't think anybody can replace Mr. Miyazaki.

Makoto Shinkai

mr replace anybody think

When I was young as a teenager, that was the biggest mystery in the world to me: Why don't people connect?

Makoto Shinkai

me mystery people world

You learn a lot more from stories about getting rejected than stories about becoming happy.

Makoto Shinkai

learn more you happy

When we have a disaster in Japan, I wonder, how can we prevent our lives and traditions and history from the disaster?

Makoto Shinkai

traditions disaster wonder history

I grew up in the countryside and wanted to go to Tokyo. I had Tokyo complex.

Makoto Shinkai

complex go countryside tokyo