ほしのこえ

HOSHI NO KOE

OVA

STATUS
COMPLETE
EPISODES
1
RELEASE
February 2, 2002
LENGTH
25 min

DESCRIPTION

It is 2046 when a mysterious alien force begins their annihilation of the human race. Leaving behind the one person she loves, Mikako joins the interstellar battle as a pilot. And so - while Mikako risks her life to save mankind - Noboru waits. At first days, then months, then years for each new message that will let him know whether Mikako is still alive. And, while she barely grows older in the timelessness of space, Noboru ages. The two lovers, worlds apart, desperately strive to remain connected as the gap between them widens at a frightening pace.

(Source: Crunchyroll)

CAST

Mikako Nagamine
Sumi Mutou
Noboru Terao
Chihiro Suzuki

EPISODES

Dubbed

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RELATED TO HOSHI NO KOE

MANGA DramaHoshi no Koe

REVIEWS

waifwu
81/100
Brilliant heart touching story held back only by low budget
Spoiler free review
" A distance that takes 8 years at the speed of light is no different than saying 'forever' " Hoshi no Koe is a 25 minute movie/ova by [Makoto Shinkai ](https://anilist.co/staff/96117/Makoto-Shinkai) and [Comix wave ](https://anilist.co/studio/291/CoMix-Wave). The scarcity in budget can be traced not only from bad animations or character designs but also from the fact that except for music almost most of the staff work script,character design, animations, direction and production was done by Shinkai himself and the production team, even the VAs were very limited. But that doesn't stop it's heartfelt and very "*realistic*" story from touching viewer's emotions. __Story__- 9.5/10 Hoshi no koe is set in future where space exploration is booming. People from all over the world are recruited for space expeditions and to fight against other alien like creatures from whom all these technologies are derived which led the human space technology in the state it is now. The story focuses on 2 junior high school students Noboru and Mikako who, as many others, fall in love with each other. But then after graduation Mikako is selected as to join the space expedition to Mars and if situation arises, to fend off aliens inhabiting the place. The story however isn't focused on these fights, explorations and aliens. It's complete focus is on the relationship of these two. Before Mikako leaves earth they decide to be in touch via mails and continue their long distance relationship. But as you might know, nothing can travel faster than speed of light and sadly, not even human emotions. As the distance between them grows, literally but not emotionally, they're faced with cruel reality as the only link connecting them glows dimmer. Earlier I used the word *realistic* because the concept is derived from something really plausible which makes the emotions even more spontaneous. __Characters__- 8.5/10 There are just 2 characters. I mean not just 2 main characters but 2 characters overall in whole 25 minutes of the movie. But instead of having it exploited as it's weakness, Hoshi no koe uses it in it's advantage by giving great character development to these two. Both Mikako and Noboro go through a lot of changes through the years, but Noboru's character development is especially perceivable, he tries to suppress his emotions and hides his helplessness by pretending to an adult and trying to blend in the society but deep inside he knows himself that nothing can fill that empty void inside of him. Mikako too, as she goes to the places no human has ever went before, sees new places, sceneries so beautiful that can't be described in words but none of it seems to put her heart at ease as the simple rain in July after the school on earth with Noboru did. __Animations__ - 4/10 Here I wish that it had good animations. This is only part that lets it down. Character designs also are not good. Only good thing in animations are the sceneries( the one on earth specially). It uses Cgi for most of the space scenes in motion and that cgi is bad (still not as bad as berserk 2016). __Music__ - 8/10 There isn't much music, but where it is, it's executed perfectly. The inserted song at the ending melts perfectly with the ending and left me frozen momentarily. __Overall__- 8/10 Even though it's quite short, 25 minutes, being the length of a single episode of an anime, it still manages to be better and convey much more emotions than many of the full length animes of this category. I highly recommend it. If you like the likes of Kimi no na wa then you'll probably love this too. Give it as try you won't regret it.
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Pockeyramune919
80/100
Despite a short runtime and subpar art, Voices of a Distant Star proves to be a hidden gem.
Voices of a Distant Star is, in a word, ambitious. Makoto Shinkai wrote, directed, and produced the anime in a period of seven months using his Power Mac G4. If that alone wasn’t impressive, he provided half of the voices for the original Japanese audio. The 2002 OVA’s story was ambitious as well: telling a story that spans nearly a decade about two childhood friends who are dragged further and further apart. It’s a story that mixes fantastical mecha elements with a very relatable, slice-of-life romance. The story sounds like it could make for a decent one-cour show, at the shortest. Prepare to pick up your jaw from the floor because Voices of a Distant Star is only twenty-five minutes long. Ambitious indeed.

And, believe it or not, Makoto Shinkai manages to pull off a compelling story despite the short run time. Nagamine Mikako and Terao Noboru are junior high school students and best friends. They are anticipating attending the same high school, but Mikako is soon recruited to serve as a pilot for UN Spacey. She’s deployed and the two are forced to communicate via text messages. As she’s deployed farther and farther from Earth, Noboru must wait longer and longer to receives texts from his friend (I loved this astronomical detail). I was initially worried that the story would end up being either quite dense and confusing or sparse and unfulfilling, but a lot happens in a short time, yet it doesn’t feel like too much. A careful balance is struck; enough is shown to make the story to make it cohesive while, given the runtime, the OVA isn’t bogged down. In hearing their thoughts about the situation they’re in, even if they’re not super fleshed out, you really start to feel for them. Helping out matters is the music which is simple, but moving.

The low point of this anime is definitely the animation and art. Given that this was a solo project, I suppose it couldn’t be helped. Character models often look downright amateurish and at times remind me of something from ctrl-alt-del. Luckily, the art didn’t detract from the experience much, for me, but if subpar art bothers you, I’d take heed. There’s also CGI for the mechs, but it really didn’t seem that out of place. For its faults, the anime still looks pretty modern for 2002.

I didn’t really like how the story started in media res, with Makoto in a school building, only for it to be revealed to be her internal musings, with her in a mech. Yes, it’s shocking, but it’s also confusing and I think it would be better if the story was told chronologically, given how short it is and how necessary it is for the viewer to understand this story. Still, this is a minor nitpick.

Ultimately, there isn’t much to say about Voices of a Distant Star, but that’s more due to its brevity than anything. The things that are said are pretty much all positive. I enjoyed my brief time with this OVA and implore viewers to experience this hidden gem for themselves. It’s only twenty-five minutes, but it certainly leaves an impression for longer.

8/10

B-
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Takezaki
85/100
A story with immense potential.
Spoiler free
Hoshi no Koe is a short OVA, clocking in at 25 minutes. Basically an episode of anime, but I'd rather call it a sort of a pilot. A pilot that never got it's very much deserved movie. _Voices of a Distant Star_ was created solely by Shinkai Makoto (direction, script, design), on his computer, as a graduating work. One could call this as his real "debut" into the landscape of animation. I am not lying when I say that this is his most interesting movie from a writing standpoint. Down to earth sci-fi, that is well rooted in reality (and not cringy, like _Yakusoku no Basho_), with a strong _Evangelion_ influence, giving it a teenage edge through mechas and aliens. Even here we can see his signature style trying to emerge to an impressive height in just the short span of 1500 seconds --- that is in a way, brought down by budget and time constraints. Perhaps the magic of this movie is created by these two factors. The story as I've previously mentioned, is realistic yet spiced up by Shinkai's worldview and aesthetic. I would also call it very pioneering, covering the obstacles of love, if humanity were to ever become a multi-planetary species. It's almost _Evangelion_ x _5 Centimeters Per Second_. The eternal problem of love, time and distance is mirrored in Shinkai Makoto's later works, such as _Byousoku 5 Centimeters_, _Kimi no Na Wa_ and _Kotonoha no Niwa_. In a way, _Hoshi no Koe_ is the foreshadowing of his later career. The main characters, or the only two in the movie, are nothing extraordinary. The girl, Mikako is a more assertive Rei Ayanami and the boy, Noboru is a more mentally stable, and less whiny Shinji. The artstyle is inconsistent. It is both stunning, (with elements recurring in later movies) and quite ugly at times. Visually this movie is rough, the detailed animation he is known for today is absent in this movie. It is rough, rough, rough, something that got better and better with each new movie of his. The clouds are rough patches, the building feel more robust, the faces look simpler. The main problem is the character design. Faces look as if they are going to fall apart at any minute. I think this is due to his inexperience, and the aforementioned lack of funds. But still, this movie is admirable for it's faults too. Is inexperience or imperfectness a fault? Not in my world. An extra 50 minutes or so with animation on par with his 2019 _Weathering with You_ could catapult this concept into the forefront of Shinkai's artistry. Watching this is like getting a glimpse into his 2010's movies run. A behind the scenes if you like. It feels like watching a deserted movie set that was left behind in time, now for almost 20 years. Some parts of the set were copied and made mainstream to certain audiences, while others were left to the maw of time. Perhaps he felt as if he told everything he wanted with _Byousoku 5 Centimeters_, and that's why he left _Hoshi no Koe_ alone. As of yet, the closest you can get to a more fully conceptualized vision of _Hoshi no Koe_ is _5 Centimeters Per Second_. It's crazy how much 'Oomph' the movie packs in it's 25 minutes of runtime. You've done well, Shinkai. As I am writing this review, I'm left pondering if this piece of media should be remade at all? Yes, absolutely.
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