Children Who Chase Lost Voices
Released in May 2011, Makoto Shinkai's Children Who Chase Lost Voices From Deep Below (星を追う子ども, Hoshi wo Ou Kodomo, lit. "Children Who Chase Stars"), also released as Journey to Agartha in the UK, focuses on Asuna Watase (Hisako Kanemoto, Hilary Haag), a cheerful girl who embarks on a journey to say farewell. Contrasting his previous films, it is far more spirited and lively, telling of the implications behind life and death, as well as happiness and despair, and the folly of blind determination. With a running time of nearly two hours, it is the longest of all of his works.
Asuna is a middle school student. Her father passed away while she was still young, and her mother works long shifts as a nurse. Despite being an excellent student and proficient at household tasks, she is able to find time to visit her secret hiding spot at the top of a hill, and uses a unique crystal her father left behind to listen to radio stations. She encounters a strange melody which remains with her, close to her heart.
Her life changes when she encounters a "bear" and is promptly saved by a Bishounen named Shun (Miyu Irino, Corey Hartzog), who wields the same kind of crystal Asuna uses. Shun reveals that neither he, nor the "bear", were from Earth; instead, they are residents of Agartha, the underworld where lush fields bloom and where majestic monsters roam. They spend a short period together before Shun passes on from injury, leading Asuna to feelings of longing. It isn't long before Ryuuji Morisaki (Kazuhiko Inoue, David Matranga), a substitute teacher, discusses the legend of Izanagi and Izanami in class, piquing Asuna's interest. She visits him later that day and comes to learn of his intentions, eventually agreeing to accompany him on his journey to Agartha.
- A Kind of One: Quetzal Coatl is a collective term referring to the guardians of Agartha.
- All Myths Are True: In general, elements in existing myths (such as mythical beasts) can be found in Agartha.
- Altum Videtur: Latin names are fairly common, whether it be locations like Finis Terra [1] or items like the clavis [2].
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Morisaki is warned numerous times about the hazards in bringing his wife back from the dead, but pays the price for seeing it through, when he loses an eye in the process.
- Big Damn Heroes: Shin saves Asuna and Manna after the latter two are captured in the dead of night by some Izoku.
- Bittersweet Ending: Shinkai's darkest bar none. The most that Asuna can be said to have gained is some catharsis over Shun's death that prevents this from being an unambiguous Downer Ending, because she certainly doesn't benefit materially. Morisaki not only doesn't get Lisa back permanently, he loses an eye, and remains in Agartha with the implication that he will be hunted by his former comrades as a traitor should he return to the surface. Shin is exiled for helping them and may spend the rest of his life a drifter.
- Butterfly of Death and Rebirth: A blue butterfly flutters around following Shun's death.
- Chekhov's Gun
- The mysterious crystals Asuna and Shun possess are referred to as a clavis, which were created as keys to Agartha. In addition to granting the users immense powers, they power the ability to grant wishes, including the power to bring the dead back into the world of the living.
- The melody Asuna hears at the beginning is revealed to be Shun's final song. It touches her heart and is explained to be a vessel of a being's memories.
- Cute Mute: Mana, the little girl who Shin and Asuna rescue.
- Disappeared Dad: Asuna's father died when she was little and is implied to have been Agarthan, because he left behind a Clavis for his daughter and the Izoku consider Asuna to be "defiled."
- False Camera Effects: There is a Jittercam effect during certain action sequences, as well as a ridiculous amount of attention paid to shifts in lighting within scenes.
- Have You Seen My God?: Shakuna Vimana is a massive ark that God himself wields to oversee Agartha.
- He Who Fights Monsters: The topsiders may have started the conflict with their plunder of Agartha, but by the time the film occurs, the latter are no more some saintly oppressed folk, but have become violently xenophobic. They exile their own for contact with topsiders, at least one half-topsider child has stones thrown at her by Agarthan children while the adults just stand by and let it happen, and a cursed tribe of mutants exist that is tasked with hunting and murdering the halfbreeds.
- Hereditary Curse:
- The Izoku are a cursed, mutated tribe, doomed to wander Agartha aimlessly.
- The "Defiled," children of mixed topsider and Agarthan heritage, have a related curse - the Izoku hunt them in order to maintain balance.
- Humans Are Flawed: Driven by a lust for power, historical figures delved into Agartha and confiscated much of its treasures. Having been troubled by centuries of warfare with the surface world, Agartha sealed itself off to prevent any further contact.
- Ill Girl: Morisaki's wife was suffering from an unspecified illness and succumbs to it.
- Mundane Utility: Aside from its powers, the clavis is used as a semi-conductor in Asuna's radio.
- Never Got to Say Goodbye: This is shared by Asuna and Morisaki; in both cases, they were unable to properly say farewell before someone close to them died.
- Non-Human Sidekick: Mimi, Asuna's "cat."
- Parting Words Regret: Morisaki regrets being unable to take care of his wife in light of the war he was fighting.
- The Power of Love: Love for a lost one drives the actions of the characters, but this is Deconstructed when Morisaki uses Asuna as a sacrifice for reviving his wife, Lisa.
- Scenery Porn: Whether it be Agartha or Earth, the scenery is spectacular and gives some of the best sights in the world a run for its money. Of note is Finis Terra, the location of the Portal of Life and Death.
- Shaggy Dog Story: The plot falls somewhere between this and full Shoot the Shaggy Dog for Morisaki. After all the sacrifices he had made along the way, not only does he only very briefly get to see Lisa again, as opposed to permanently bringing her back to life like he had hoped, but he loses an eye for it with no further gain.
- Shout-Out:
- Asuna's cat is named Mimi, in keeping with the name of the cats in Makoto Shinkai's earlier works.
- Shinkai previously used Agartha as the name of a planet in Voices of a Distant Star. The term itself is a reference to an older occult idea of hollow Earth.
- In general, this film calls to mind the visual style of early Ghibli works, particularly Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. Some of the Quetzal Coatls resemble the God Warrior, and Mimi might have been inspired by Teto.
- The Sixties: The helicopter used by Arch Angel is an AH-1 Cobra with a modified gun; the Cobra was deployed in the 1960s, and it is revealed that Morisaki fought on the European theatres in World War II. The presence of typewriters and the design of vehicles reinforce this setting.
- Snow Means Death: Asuna's father died during the winter. There is also a scene of Morisaki standing over his wife's grave in falling snow.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Shin, Shun's twin brother, arrives after Shun's death. Their similarities are such that Asuna initially mistakes him for Shun.
- Time Skip: The epilogue seen during the credits is set several years after Asuna leaves Agartha.
- Wrong Genre Savvy: Asuna remains optimistic and hopeful even during the darkest points in the film; this element prevents the film from being an outright Tearjerker.
