Second annual Global Shinkai Day hosted by Cruchyroll March 5th

by Chris MaGee

Impressed by the above still from Makoto Shinkai's 2003 animated film "Voices of a Distant Star"? Frankly I don't know how you can't be impressed by it. Shinkai is one of the most talented animators working in Japan today, especially when it comes to his rendering of near magically realistic backgrounds. Well, even if you're not a huge fan of Shinkai's films like "Voices" and his 2007 "5 Centimeters Per Second" you'll be saddened to know you're outnumbered by folks who are huge fans, and those folks are marking their love for Shinkai's work on March 5th. On that day starting at 5:00PM and running right through until 5:00PM on March 7th Crunchyroll will be hosting the 2nd annual Global Shinkai Day (check out our report on the 1st annual Global Shinkai Day here). That means that subscribers to Crunchyroll (even those with free memberships) can enjoy the two above mentioned films, plus Shinkai's "A Place Promised in Our Early Days" streaming all weekend long for free. Pretty sweet deal, and a great way to acquaint yourself with this talented animator if you haven't one so already.

Thanks to Japanator for spreading the word on this great online event.