Makoto Shinkai Height, Weight, Age, Spouse, Education, Biography

Makoto Shinkai is a Japanese animator, filmmaker, author, and manga artist who is best known for writing and producing short/feature films like She and Her Cat (1999), Voices of a Distant Star (2002), 5 Centimeters per Second (2007), Children Who Chase Lost Voices (2011), The Garden of Words (2013), Your Name (2016), Weathering with You (2019), and Suzume (2022). The last 3 of these films were among the highest-grossing Japanese films of all time – both in Japan and worldwide. A multifaceted talent, Makoto has also donned one or more of the undermentioned multiple other hats during the production of these films – voice actor, animator, art director, cinematographer, editor, and color designer. Besides that, he has directed the opening and/or trailer of video games such as The Legend of Heroes III: Song of the Ocean (1999), Ys II Eternal (2000), Wind: A Breath of Heart (2002), Haru no Ashioto (2004), and Ef: A Fairy Tale of the Two (2006). Makoto has also directed and/or edited numerous TV commercials. As a novelist, he has published works such as 5 Centimeters per Second (2007), The Garden of Words (2014), Your Name (2016), and Weathering with You (2019). All these works have been adapted into films/short films (as mentioned above) and have also received the manga (comics/graphic novels originating from Japan that conform to a style developed in the late 19th century) treatment.

Born Name

Makoto Niitsu

Nick Name

Makoto Shinkai, The New Miyazaki

Sun Sign

Aquarius

Born Place

Koumi, Nagano Prefecture, Japan

Residence

Tokyo, Kantō, Honshu, Japan

Nationality

Education

Makoto graduated in 1991 from the Nozawa Kita High School in Saku, a city located in Nagano Prefecture. After his high school graduation, he joined Chuo University, a private research university in Tokyo. He earned a degree in Japanese literature from there in March 1996. He was also a member of the university’s literature club where he used to illustrate picture books.

Occupation

Animator, Filmmaker, Author, Manga Artist

Build

Slim

Height

5 ft 9 in or 175 cm

Weight

71 kg or 156.5 lbs

Girlfriend / Spouse

Makoto has dated –

1. Chieko Misaka – Through his long-term marriage to former actress and film producer Chieko Misaka, Makoto has a daughter named Chise Niitsu (b. May 2010). Chise has worked as a child actress.

Race / Ethnicity

Asian

He is of Japanese descent.

Hair Color

Dark Brown

Eye Color

Dark Brown

Sexual Orientation

Straight

Distinctive Features

• Slender frame
• Slightly overgrown, unkempt hair
• Bespectacled
• Affable smile
• Clean-shaven look

Makoto Shinkai Facts

1. Makoto, soon after graduating from Chuo University in March 1996, joined Nihon Falcom Corporation, a Japanese video game developer that was founded in March 1981. It is one of the oldest active video game companies in the world.
2. He started his career in the entertainment industry in 1998 when he wrote and animated 2 short films – The World Be Enclosed and Other Worlds. His passion for manga and anime started in middle school when he was first introduced to such content.
3. Makoto shot to fame in 1999 when he wrote, produced, and animated a 5-minute short monochrome film titled She and Her Cat. The film won several awards. All this while, he was still working at Nihon Falcom Corporation – making video clips for games and working on graphic design.
4. In May 2001, he quit that job – a few months after he was contacted by an organization called Manga Zoo that offered to give him a grant to turn his ideas into an anime series that they could sell.
5. Due to the quality and popularity of his work over the years, he has often been hailed as ‘The New Miyazaki’. This is in reference to the comparisons that Japanese anime fans have drawn between Makoto and Hayao Miyazaki – a Japanese animator, filmmaker, and manga artist who is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished filmmakers in the history of animation.
6. Some key and recurring elements in Makoto’s filmmaking are the use of weather as a prominent element, the presence of cat(s), and the exploration of feelings of longing that arise due to both distance and interpersonal hurdles.
7. The asteroid (a minor planet that orbits within the inner solar system) 55222 Makotoshinkai is named after him.

Featured Image by Milwaukee Independent / Instagram