Animated film showcases the power of manual drawings

Anime director Makoto Shinkai, known for his “5 Centimeters Per Second,” is set to unveil his new animated film “The Garden Of Words,” a coming-of-age story that draws upon the sentimental love between a young high-school boy and an older woman.

Takao Akizuki, a 15-year-old boy who wishes to be a shoe designer, finds no motivation in life and struggles to pursue his dream. One rainy day, he encounters a mysterious woman at a Japanese garden. The spark in their first encounter lures them to return to the same spot whenever it rains, and the unlikely pair develops genuine feelings for each other for the rest of the rainy season.

The woman he meets is Yukari Yukino, a 27-year-old woman who is also struggling with her life, even acting as if she has ”forgotten how to walk.“

After Yukari told her story, Takao starts to make a pair of shoes for her to make her “walk” again. The motivation he feels is like none other in the past.

Director Shinkai is famous for putting a lot of effort into his drawings; unsurprisingly, his new movie depicts characters and settings -- even single raindrops -- very realistically. He said his delicate touch relied on manual drawings rather than artificial computer-generated graphics.

The new animation will hit local theaters on Aug. 14.

Jin Eun-soo, Intern reporter
(janna924@heraldcorp.com)