Your Name
Inheritance by Shinkai Makoto
A 2016 Japanese animated youth science fiction film "Your Name" became a big hit as earned over 10 billion yen. The film was written, directed and edited by Shinkai Makoto who has also written the original novel "Your Name." Namely, the great animation movie is based on that novel.
Shinkai Makoto is originally not a novelist but an animation director, however. His debut animated film is "Voices of a Distant Star" in 2002. His special feature must be beauty of those background scenes. Basically, he had been famous among anime otaku people. "Your Name" made his name well-known over Japan.
Now, what caused such a big hit? I am so poor at any criticism and analyzing. But I found the answer might be he rightly succeeded Japanese inside sadness.
Wouldn't you watch that film or read the novel? It must hurt you right on heart. I believe the roots could be found on "the Girl Who Leapt Through Time" written by Tsutsui Yasutaka and moreover, the "Man'yōshū." Shinkai Makoto became a legitimate heir of Japanese sadness.
Separated from the times and culture, we are very difficult to be. No matter how great those classical books are, we are hardly inspired for the oldness. So the world needs the legitimate heir.
As mentioned above, he is not a pro novelist. So you must feel some trouble to read the novel. You should taste its story first.
About Your Name
・Written by Shinkai Makoto
・Published by Kadokawa(2016)
Kochikame the Novel
No Way! But Kochikame!
Flying Horse
Is the Rakugo Storyteller a Great Detective?