The director of the hit 2016 film his landmark subversive sci-fi romance, Your Name, caught the attention of anime fans everywhere. His fame only grew with his follow-up projects, Weathering with You and Suzume. Now, his next film is on the horizon, and Shinkai wants to ensure that the fans know it!

Makoto Shinkai took to X on December 31, 2024 to write a major announcement for what he has planned for 2025. For fans of the director, it's a pretty exciting post since it discusses how close his next film is to hitting the big screen. Translated to English, it reads:

Happy New Year! 2024 was a year I spent working on my new movie. It's a great honor to create a new world that no one has seen before from scratch alongside my colleagues. I'll do my best to announce [the movie] in some way this year. I hope 2025 will be a peaceful year for us all.

While no release date has been made just yet for Shinkai's next film, it's clear that he's close to finished since he's preparing to announce the title and concept as soon as he can.

Makoto Shinkai Confirms a New Original Story is Coming Soon

It Won't Be an Adaptation, So Anything is Possible

The biggest takeaway from the announcement is that, like his other films, his newest project won't be an adaptation. Shinkai has become a powerhouse of original animated storytelling with some of the best films to release from Japan in years. By stating he "[created] a new world" for this next film, it's exciting to say that he will be continuing this streak with his next story. His imagination is unrivaled as Shinkai managed to create three powerful films in under a decade that feel unique and unlike anything fans have ever seen before.

Plus, given his tendency of blending genres, there's no telling what type of story he's created either. The most common themes he's touched on throughout his work have been sci-fi, romance and fantasy concepts. However, no two films ever feel alike because of how much he emphasizes each genre. It's entirely possible that he could move away from romance in this new film to tell a pure sci-fi or fantasy story, or any other mix of genres. There's no telling what's coming until he announces it, so it will be interesting to see what lies in store.

Will Makoto Shinkai's Next Film Restart a Subtle Tradition?

How Will It Connect to the Shinkai-Verse?

What's curious about the next film coming from Makoto Shinkai is whether it will bring back a unique tradition. Some of his stories feature cameos from characters in his other stories. For example, Yukino from Garden of Words appears in Your Name, while Taki and Mitsuha later appear in Weathering with You. However, Shinkai's most recent film, Suzume, skipped this tradition by focusing on its own story and not bringing in some of the characters from the last. It will be interesting to see if any of Shinkai's characters will make a brief appearance in his next film, making his works feel more connected while also standing on their own as powerful stories.

No matter what surprises lie in store, there's no denying that Makoto Shinkai's next film will be one of the most anticipated films for anime fans. The director has made a name for himself as one of the most creative minds in anime, ing some of the greats like Hayao Miyazaki and Mamoru Hosada. Makoto Shinkai's name will forever be associated with timeless stories, and after the success of Your Name, his announcement for his next film can't come soon enough.

Source: Makoto Shinkai