The 31st JCC Cinema screening of Voices of a Distant Star and The Garden of Words was held on Saturday, 18th April with great success. Directed and written by the well-known Makoto Shinkai, these two animated films received an overwhelming response from the public where all seats were filled with audiences ranging from young children to working adults. At the event, we were also honored to have the presence of His Excellency Ambassador Haruhisa Takeuchi and Mrs Takeuchi, with the accompaniment of our Director, Ms Misako Ito.
The first featured film, Voices of a Distant Star, is a science fiction anime that shows a long-distance relationship between two close friends who attempt to stay in touch over the course of an interstellar war through mobile mails that take years to reach one another. Released in 2002, it won awards such as the Best Packaged Work Award at the 7th Animation Kobe Awards and Best Media Award at the 2003 Seiun Awards, a speculative fiction award in Japan.
The Garden of Words, which is also the latest feature of Makoto Shinkai in 2013, was the second film of the cinema screening. It is a well-received romance anime that tells about an unusual relationship between a 15-year-old teenage boy, who is an aspiring shoemaker and a mysterious 27-year-old woman when they keep encountering one another in the same garden during rainy days. The film won awards at the Animation Kobe Awards, Fantasia International Film Festival and Stuttgart International Festival.
 
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