Voices of a Distant Star (2002)

Original title

ほしのこえ

Directed by

Makoto Shinkai

Genre

science fiction film, science fiction anime and manga, mecha, drama anime and manga, romance anime and manga

Country

Japan

Runtime

25 min

Rated

PG

Rating

6.5 of 10 from 335 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

Two childhood friends are separated when one is sent into space to fight aliens. As she travels farther away, their text messages take longer to arrive, and the film shows both her battles and his life on Earth over the years.

lonelymelancholicbittersweetfantasticalintrospectiveslow-pacedyearningromantic

What happens

Voices of a Distant Star (Japanese: ほしのこえ, Hepburn: Hoshi no Koe; lit. 'Voice of the Stars') is a Japanese science fiction original video animation (OVA) short film created and animated by Makoto Shinkai. It follows the lives of two close childhood friends, a boy and a girl, who are separated when the girl is sent into space to fight in a war against aliens. As the 15-year-old girl goes deeper and deeper into space, the texts she sends take longer to reach the Earth; the film simultaneously follows her battles and the boy's life as he receives her texts over the years. The OVA premiered in Japan in February 2002 in an advance screening. It was followed by two DVD releases on April 19 and October 6, 2002. ADV Films licensed the OVA for release in North America and the United Kingdom, Madman Entertainment licensed it for Australasia, and Anime Limited licensed it for the United Kingdom. In 2002, it won the Animation Kobe award for packaged work. It also won the 2003 Seiun Award for Best Media. It was very positively received by critics, who praised its artistic dimension, plot, and music; the English-language version, however, was criticized for its dubbing. The OVA was adapted into a drama CD by Pioneer LDC and a novel was written by Waku Ōba, illustrated by Makoto Shinkai and Kou Yaginuma, and published by Media Factory's imprint MF Bunko J. A manga adaptation, created by Makoto Shinkai and illustrated by Mizu Sahara, was serialized in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Monthly Afternoon from February to December 2004, and later released as one tankōbon volume on February 23, 2005. The manga was licensed for a North American release by Tokyopop, which published it on August 1, 2006. It was released on Crunchyroll on December 3, 2025. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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