Content: A-
Video: A
Audio: A+
Presentation: B+
Overall: B+
Company: ADV
Length: 24 mins + supplemental
Voices of a Distant Star is a difficult title to review. On one hand, it is fascinating, complex, and has some amazing production values considering it was done primarily by one man. On the other hand, it is only 24 minutes long and seems more like a trailer for a movie than a complete show.
The video on the DVD is phenomenal. ADV did an excellent job with the transfer. Makoto Shinkai, the creator of the show uses a massive pallet of colors for evening skies, thunderstorms, and even space and this all benefits from the wonderful authoring on the DVD. This DVD exhibits no signs of cross colorization, pixellization, or bleeding from what I could tell. The image was always incredibly sharp. That is not to say this is the pinnacle of animation, however. Oftentimes, panning and camera movement seems a bit jerky. This is completely from the animator and not the transfer, but it must be said again, it was a single person doing the whole work on what basically amounts to a Power Mac, so it is understandable. What is superlative is the composition, ambience, and mood Shinkai has created. His backgrounds, as well as character placement and movement, creates emotion as well as any director out there. I am excited to think of what he will be producing in the future. The extra 5-minute short called She and Her Cat shows the same strengths (and is in some ways superior to Voices due to the minimalist designs playing to the strengths of a single creator).
The music by Tenmon is simply outstanding. The pieces fit the animation perfectly and can evoke massive emotions on their own. And yet, the music stands alone beautifully, as well. Rarely is a soundtrack found that can do both so perfectly. Sound effects are better than I would expect for a production at this level. The Japanese voice actors do their parts well. However, I must say that this is one of the extremely rare occasions that I prefer the English dub in all aspects. The actors do a phenomenal job of conveying emotion, depth, and character, while the scriptwriter did an excellent job of capturing true speech rather than sliding into something either syrupy or preachy.
The presentation is generally excellent. The cover image is excellent, but while the colors are nice, they do not compare favorably with what you will actually see while watching the DVD (again, amazing transfer). The cover is reversible, and the second one is for She and Her Cat. In many ways, I again prefer the second cover. The addition of that short was an excellent decision, especially since the show is so short, and it is the best extra on the disc. The interview is very nice, but it is nothing out of the ordinary. I’ve deducted a point from presentation since I purchased one of the discs without the alternate vocal track promised on the back cover. ADV is offering an exchange program for those with faulty discs, but I have not had the time to take them up on the offer.
Which leaves us with the actual content. The story has been the basis of several science fiction tales in the past. Mikako and Noboru are innocently in love at a time when an alien race has attacked humans on Mars. Mikako joins up with the military to go fight at age 15, leaving Noboru by himself on Earth. However, thanks to the speed of light (and some faulty science on Shinkai’s part), the messages Mikako sends back to earth take longer and longer to arrive. And, while time barely moves for her, it speeds by for him; he ages, she remains young. To be honest, the story is less important than the emotion, and Shinkai does a superlative job conveying emotion.
If I knew that another part was being released next month, I’d feel much better about this. Simply, what you get is one 24-minute episode – period. It is amazing and great and everything, but it is still just 24 minutes with no conclusion, even though the show has movement towards the next part. We can only hope that Shinkai will finish the project. On feeling alone, I’d give this an A+, but someone not looking for a heart-rending tale will feel kind of empty with very limited space action and not much depth in the storytelling. Hard sci-fi fans will be a bit disappointed with the poor implementation of actual science, even though that is the premise behind the story.
However, as a date flick for someone who wants to introduce their significant other to anime, pop in the English version and sit back with some popcorn. It is short enough to not annoy anyone, and I dare anyone not to feel closer to the person they care for after watching it. I can recommend this show for purchase as long as the buyer is aware you really only have 30 minutes of animated content (the actual show plus the 5-minute short). The production quality justifies it even if it is just serves as a DVD demo. And, to the purists out there, give the dub a chance, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
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