Description:

From director Makoto Shinkai, the innovative mind behind Voices of a Distant Star and 5 Centimeters Per Second, comes a beautiful masterpiece about time, the thread of fate, and the hearts of two young souls. The day the stars fell, two lives changed forever. High schoolers Mitsuha and Taki are complete strangers living separate lives. But one night, they suddenly switch places. Mitsuha wakes up in Taki’s body, and he in hers. This bizarre occurrence continues to happen randomly, and the two must adjust their lives around each other. Yet, somehow, it works. They build a connection and communicate by leaving notes, messages, and more importantly, an imprint. When a dazzling comet lights up the night’s sky, it dawns on them. They want something more from this connection—a chance to meet, an opportunity to truly know each other. Tugging at the string of fate, they try to find a way to each other. But distance isn’t the only thing keeping them apart. Is their bond strong enough to face the cruel irony of time? Or is their meeting nothing more than a wish upon the stars? (Source: FUNimation Films)

Description:

Japan-based confectionery company Lotte opened a special site to celebrate the 70th anniversary since its founding in 1948. The centerpiece of the commemorative website is a new animated musical short featuring the song "Shinesekai" (New World) by the band Bump of Chicken. The video centers on a middle school boy-meets-high school girl scenario. They are surrounded by a wide range of characters who are all "spirits" of various Lotte snacks, such as a men's singing group representing Ghana chocolate bars and, well, Koalas representing Koala March. (Source: ANN)

Description:

The stage is set at near future. Okamura Aya, also known as "Aachan", started to live by herself as she started a new job after graduation. Her mother needed to go overseas to work as a doctor, so now only her father and a cat, Mii-san, live in a Proud apartment. Since Aachan moved out, her father has been trying to reach out to her but somehow there is an awkward gap between the two. And the cat Mii-san, which Aachan has kept since she was a child, is getting old... One night, Aachan came back from a tiring day and threw herself on the bed. She closed her eyes and remembered the happy days she spent with her parents and when Mii-san came to comfort her when she got lonely after her mother left.... And then the phone rang...

Description:

Studio Ghibli animated Choujuu-Jinbutsu-Giga Emaki, the famous Japanese "Scrolls of Cartoons of Birds, Animals, and People" or "Choujuu Giga" for short, for a Marubeni Power commercial. The "Encounter" commercial promotes Plan G, a new electric power option that Marubeni Power is offering to homes as Japan deregulates its power industry. The plan derives its name from both "Ghibli" and "green." It promises to support the national trust for "Totoro's Forest," provide power for the Ghibli Museum, and promote conservation in general. (Source: ANN)

Description:

PVs for Asia University Department of Urban Innovation. The 1st video follows a student (played by Miho Tabata) in the department's program as she pursues her dream of building modern, comfortable cities through college lectures and interactive seminars. She goes on to study at Western Washington University in the U.S., a popular destination for Asian students studying overseas. At the video's end she has attained her dream by consulting on construction of a Japanese-themed shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia ("I'm building a town here that will make people happy!"). (Source: ANN)