Every Makoto Shinkai Movie Ranked Top-to-Bottom, and Streaming Guide

 

Makoto Shinkai has become a household name in the world of animation, known for his breathtaking visuals, complex storytelling, and deeply emotional narratives. From his early works like Voices of a Distant Star to global blockbusters like Your Name., Shinkai’s films have touched the hearts of audiences around the world. His unique ability to capture the beauty of fleeting moments, the pain of distance, and the wonder of love has earned him a devoted fanbase and critical acclaim. This article ranks every major Makoto Shinkai movie from top to bottom, diving into the themes, characters, and stunning animation that define each film. Whether you’re a long-time fan or a newcomer, this guide will help you navigate his filmography, with details on where to stream each film so you can enjoy them at your convenience. Join us as we journey through the works of a filmmaker whose vision has redefined what animation can achieve.

Every Makoto Shinkai Movie Ranked

1. Feature Films Ranking

Below is a comprehensive ranking of Makoto Shinkai’s feature-length films, listed from most acclaimed and popular to his earlier works.

Tips: Streaming platform copyrights can change over time and vary by region, so it's best to confirm the availability on your local platform before watching.

2. Short Films & Early Works

In addition to his feature films, Shinkai has created several acclaimed short films that showcase his signature themes of love, distance, and solitude.

Title	Year	Synopsis	Rating	Popularity	Best Place to Stream
She and Her Cat (彼女と彼女の猫)	1999	A quiet, emotional short film told from a cat’s perspective, observing the everyday loneliness of his owner.	⭐ IMDb ~7.6	🐱 Cult classic debut short	Blu-ray / Limited streaming
Voices of a Distant Star (星の声)	2002	A sci-fi love story about a couple separated by space, time, and increasingly delayed messages.	⭐ IMDb 7.2 / MAL 7.9	🚀 Landmark indie OVA	Blu-ray / Limited streaming
Dareka no Manazashi (誰かのまなざし)	2013	A short story about family bonds, change, and growing up, centered on a father, daughter, and their cat.	⭐ IMDb ~7.5	🌸 Emotional & touching	Blu-ray / Online streaming (limited)

3. What's Next for Shinkai?

As of late 2025, Shinkai has confirmed he spent the last year building an "entirely new world." He has teased a new original anime film for a late 2026 release, hinting that it may move away from the "boy-meets-girl" disaster formula to explore something more sci-fi or experimental.

Detail Review of Every Makoto Shinkai Feature Film

1. Your Name. (君の名は)

Where to Watch: Crunchyroll , Max, Netflix 

Logline: High schoolers Mitsuha, a girl from a rural shrine town, and Taki, a boy in bustling Tokyo, suddenly begin to wake up in each other’s bodies. As they learn to navigate each other's lives and leave messages to cope with the phenomenon, they discover a deep connection that transcends space and time—only to realize a cosmic event threatens to erase their bond forever.

The Review: Your Name. is a modern masterpiece that catapulted Shinkai into the global spotlight. It perfectly balances his signature themes of "distance" with a high-stakes, supernatural mystery. The visual fidelity—from the shimmering Tokyo skyline to the ethereal glow of the Tiamat comet—is breathtaking. Beyond the aesthetics, the film’s emotional core lies in the desperate, universal feeling of searching for someone or something you can't quite remember. It is a rare film that feels both like a massive blockbuster and an intimate diary entry.

2. Suzume (すずめの戸締まり)

Where to Watch: Crunchyroll, Netflix 

Logline: Seventeen-year-old Suzume encounters a mysterious young man named Souta who is searching for "doors." When she accidentally opens one in a ruin, she unleashes a series of supernatural disasters across Japan. With Souta transformed into a three-legged wooden chair, Suzume must embark on a cross-country journey to close these portals and confront the collective trauma of a nation’s past.

The Review: Shinkai’s most mature and ambitious work to date, Suzume serves as a healing dialogue with the 2011 Tohoku earthquake. It moves away from pure romance toward a "road movie" adventure, blending humor (a talking chair!) with profound grief. The animation of the "Worm" and the "Ever-After" is hauntingly beautiful, but the film’s real power is in its human moments—the kindness of strangers and the act of saying "welcome home" to a broken past.

3. Weathering With You (天気の子)

Where to Watch: Max, Crunchyroll, Netflix 

Logline: In a Tokyo besieged by relentless rain, a runaway boy named Hodaka meets Hina, a "Sunshine Girl" with the power to clear the sky through prayer. As they start a business to bring sunshine to those who need it, they realize that Hina’s gift comes with a heavy price: her life must be sacrificed to restore the balance of nature.

The Review: This film is Shinkai at his most rebellious. While its predecessor Your Name. was about saving a town, Weathering With You asks if it's okay to choose your own happiness over the world's stability. The rain-soaked visuals are arguably the most impressive in Shinkai's catalog, turning a wet Tokyo into a shimmering, neon-lit wonderland. It’s a polarizing but deeply empathetic portrait of youth trying to survive in a world they didn't choose to break.

4. 5 Centimeters per Second (秒速5センチメートル)

Where to Watch: Crunchyroll , Netflix

Logline: Told in three vignettes, the story follows Takaki Tono from the 1990s to the present day. From a snowy trek to visit a childhood friend to his adult life in a cold, modern city, the film explores the slow, painful process of two souls drifting apart as the responsibilities and distances of life accumulate between them.

The Review: This is the "ultimate sad anime." It eschews sci-fi gimmicks for a brutal, grounded look at how time and distance erode human connections. The famous scene at the train tracks, accompanied by the melancholy "One More Time, One More Chance," captures a specific kind of urban loneliness that Shinkai describes better than anyone else. It is short, quiet, and devastating—a poetic reminder that not every love story gets a happy ending.

5. The Garden of Words (言の葉の庭)

Where to Watch: Crunchyroll, Netflix

Logline: During the rainy season in Tokyo, an aspiring shoemaker named Takao skips school to sketch designs in a Japanese garden, where he meets Yukino, an older woman drinking beer and eating chocolate. They form an unspoken bond that only exists on rainy mornings, providing each other with a sanctuary from the struggles of their professional and academic lives.

The Review: A sensory tour de force. The Garden of Words is Shinkai's love letter to the rainy season. The animation of water, light on leaves, and skin texture is so detailed it borders on photorealism. At only 46 minutes, it functions like a haiku—brief but heavy with the concept of Koi No Yoka (the premonition of love). It is a delicate, respectful exploration of two lonely people helping each other learn how to "walk" again.

6. Children Who Chase Lost Voices (星を追う子ども)

Where to Watch: Max (HBO), Crunchyroll

Logline: Asuna, a lonely girl who spends her days listening to a crystal radio, is saved from a strange creature by a boy from Agartha—a legendary land beneath the Earth. When the boy disappears, Asuna joins her teacher on a perilous expedition to Agartha to seek the power to bring the dead back to life.

The Review: Often called Shinkai’s "Ghibli film," this is a grand fantasy adventure that feels distinct from his urban dramas. While it lacks some of his unique contemporary flair, it is a fascinating exploration of the heavy burden of grief. The world-building of Agartha is imaginative and vast, making it a great pick for fans who prefer high-fantasy lore and epic journeys over city-based romance.

7. The Place Promised in Our Early Days (雲の向こう、约定の场所)

Where to Watch: Max (HBO), Netflix

Logline: In an alternate history where Japan is divided between the US and the "Union," three middle-school friends become obsessed with a massive, mysterious tower across the border. They promise to build a plane to reach it, but their paths diverge until they discover the tower is a weapon that can replace reality with dreams—and their lost friend Sayuri is the key to it all.

The Review: Shinkai’s first feature-length film is a moody, atmospheric blend of sci-fi and nostalgia. Though the plot can be complex and a bit confusing regarding the "parallel worlds" physics, the atmosphere is unmatched. It captures the feeling of a long, hazy summer afternoon filled with both hope and a sense of impending loss. It laid the groundwork for the "Shinkai aesthetic" we know today.

8. Voices of a Distant Star (星の声)

Where to Watch: Crunchyroll, Netflix

Logline: In the year 2046, middle-schoolers Mikako and Noboru are separated when Mikako is recruited to fight in an interstellar war against aliens. As she travels deeper into space, the text messages she sends to Noboru take longer and longer to reach Earth—stretching from weeks to years—leaving their love suspended in the vast vacuum of time.

The Review: This 25-minute OVA is legendary because Shinkai produced, directed, and animated it almost entirely by himself on his home computer in 2002. While the character designs are dated compared to his current work, the emotional impact is still raw and powerful. It is the purest expression of his central theme: the agony of being separated by a distance so great that communication becomes a ghost of the past.

Conclusion

Makoto Shinkai has undoubtedly become one of the most influential filmmakers in animation today, with each of his films offering a unique and breathtaking exploration of human emotions. Whether you're looking for a romantic epic like Your Name. or a more introspective journey like 5 Centimeters per Second, Shinkai’s films provide stunning visuals, unforgettable music, and emotional depth that resonates with audiences worldwide.

If you're new to his work, start with Your Name. and then explore the rest in chronological order to see how his themes and visual style have evolved. And for those interested in exploring his short films, She and Her Cat offers an insightful glimpse into the early stages of his creative journey.