[85] Amy Wong, the editor at Yam, called it "a story of solitude and heartache that comes before love." Focusing instead on the human need for companionship and understanding, Kaze noted that both Takao and Yukari lacked meaningful connections with their peers and friends,[30] a view shared by reviewer Bradly Storm at Hardcore Gamer. [67][68][69], The Garden of Words was shown in Moscow on September 27, 2013, after which Shinkai made an appearance to answer questions. Memorize new words and expand your vocabulary! [35] Following the earthquake in March 2011, he was worried that it could be destroyed and wanted to preserve it in an animated film. The play will be performed in English with "occasional Japanese," and it will feature "puppetry, movement and projection art." [19] Production took only six months, starting with location scouting by Shinkai around Shinjuku. A young girl, from a civilization that resides in deep underground tunnels, finds herself trapped in an inverted world and teams up with a resident to escape and return home. [70][71] By late February 2014, the film had been shown in 11 countries. "[27], Although the story's central theme is loneliness, it uses shoes and rain as motifs, along with Man'yōshū poetry and the Japanese garden in which it is set. [16], The animated film was produced by Shinkai Creative, CoMix Wave Films, and the producer was Noritaka Kawaguchi. Easy to play, Garden of Words is a word game that makes learning fun! In the manga illustrated by Midori Motohashi, scenes were either added or slightly modified from the anime version. According to Cynthia Webb, the rain represented "unfulfilled longing",[15] while Bradly Storm saw water as a third main character to the story, acting to both bring Takao and Yukari together and to symbolize the renewal of life. Starting with the signature Live Butterfly Garden and expanding to other insects, Insect Lore’s unique educational products have brought science to life in countless classrooms and homes around the world, offering children and adults a friendly, hands-on introduction to insect metamorphosis, entomology, and life-cycle learning. [35] Trung Rwo at Twitch Film also praised the artwork and felt the film displayed "honest and fresh emotions". ", Not only did the iTunes Store staff recommend The Garden of Words, it was selected as the Year's Best Animation in iTunes' Best of 2013. This is on another level and the vivid and motley brush brings the world to life in such a way that makes one film alive in the setting. One of the best ways to accomplish this is to relate insect activity to their own backyard or community garden. [85], The DVD and Blu-ray releases for the UK were licensed by Anime Limited, which was announced on October 18, 2013. [37] According to Shinkai, a novel coloring method was chosen from other coloring methods following careful testing. Shinkai also felt that Hata's voice was perfect because to him it carried an "underlying loneliness" and "sounded a little like an anxious young man". - Simple and accessible: slide your finger on the letters to make a word. For instance, a garden … However, because of the age difference, this discovery varied between the characters. [20] Wanting to share the peace and harmony of his favorite locations in Japan with the hope that it would encourage people to visit,[16] Shinkai modeled the garden in the film to match Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden in Tokyo. Now is the time to engage them on the topic, before they potentially inherit our adult phobias. Check out our editors' picks for the best movies and shows coming your way in May. [21] A target length was never specified from the outset, instead the relationship between Takao and Yukari was emphasized,[20] although it was known from early in the production that the film would be short. [36] Dan Rhodes at UK Anime Network gave the DVD by Anime Limited a 9 out of 10, calling it a "barebones release", though praising its reversible insert. [33], The original idea for The Garden of Words came from Shinkai's desire to capture the beauty of the daily scenery in modern Tokyo and showcase it in a film. Takao, who dreams of becoming a shoemaker, skips school and is sketching shoes in a garden in the middle of Tokyo. The film focuses on Takao Akizuki, an aspiring 15-year-old shoemaker, and Yukari Yukino, a mysterious 27-year-old woman he keeps meeting at Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden on rainy mornings. [89] In February 2014, North American publisher Vertical announced at the Katsucon anime convention that it had licensed Motohashi's manga;[22][78][90] the English translation was released on October 28, 2014. [100], At Anime News Network, Luke Carroll praised the film, calling it a "visual treat", but was disappointed in the short length and found Shinkai's new coloring method to be distracting. Make changes in your garden as much as you can. The Garden of Words [39], When first presenting the original story to the rest of his team, Shinkai learned that Yukari had unintentionally come across as selfish. He worried that some viewers might miss the subtle message of the film and view it as a "by-the-books love story that can feel cliche or even trite". Make Changes in the garden. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. [14] Kenichi Tsuchiya was the animation director and was responsible for character design, while Hiroshi Takiguchi was the art director. It is his 4th feature film. While Takao is skipping his morning class to design shoes, Yukari is avoiding work due to personal problems in her professional life. To begin, view some of the existing designs in the list. [49] On May 22, it was announced on Shinkai's official Twitter account that the film would play in Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan at the same time and that the film would be available on iTunes on the day of the release. [72] In 2014, it was showcased at Amsterdam's Imagine Film Festival in mid-April,[73] at the Stuttgart Festival of Animated Film in late-April,[74] with Dareka no Manazashi on May 21 in Italian theaters as part of the Nexo Anime project,[37] and at the Japan Film Festival of San Francisco (JFFSF) in late-July. [101] The Managing Editor, Bamboo Dong, described it as "beautifully designed and tenderly animated, it is nature eye candy at its finest. Shinkai himself could relate with Yukari in not feeling as smart or mature at age 27, stating, "We're all still just children at age 27,"[32] a point that voice actress Kana Hanazawa also agreed with. Matching the tones to the background and lighting helped highlight the characters' faces. Get a sneak peek of the new version of this page. However, he was very critical of the English dub, which he felt adversely affected both content and mood. [40] Shinkai later realized that some of these personality quirks and temporary professional challenges seen in Yukari were present in a former girlfriend, for whom he had written his short film She and Her Cat. The Garden of Words (Japanese: 言の葉の庭, Hepburn: Kotonoha no Niwa) is a 2013 Japanese anime drama film written, directed and edited by Makoto Shinkai, animated by CoMix Wave Films and distributed by Toho. 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