UlasanAnime.com – The author observes a curious trend in how news about Makoto Shinkai’s new movie, “The Garden of Words,” is shared across social media. While Anime News Network (ANN) reports on the movie, many users opt to share the ANN article itself rather than direct links to the YouTube trailer or Shinkai’s own tweets.
The author spends a significant amount of time on Twitter, processing over 2000 tweets daily, and contrasts this with ANN, which is perceived as a more traditional news source that users might check less frequently.
This observation leads to a question: why do people share the ANN story instead of the original YouTube page or Shinkai’s direct posts? The author hypothesizes that this behavior stems from either not clicking through ANN’s embedded YouTube video, thus engaging with the content superficially, or simply finding it more convenient to share the ANN link.
We’ve posted new trailer for ????? “The Garden of Words” with English Russian French Korean Chinese subtitles. Enjoy! http://t.co/8ShWiHAAPD
— ??? (@shinkaimakoto) February 21, 2013
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The ANN article, the author notes, often replicates content directly from the YouTube page, including English translations of credits and the film’s synopsis. This is contrasted with the YouTube page itself, which is described as a standard, well-programmed platform, unlike older, less sophisticated Japanese websites.
While acknowledging that encountering the news via ANN for the first time might be understandable, the author expresses a feeling of it being “cheap” when the information has already been seen directly from Makoto Shinkai’s Twitter account.
The author ponders the specific reasons behind this preference, wondering if it’s related to Shinkai tweeting in English and some users being fortunate enough to see it. This situation is compared to news reported by ANN about companies like FUNi or Sentai, though such layering is less common in those instances.
Another potential factor is suggested: the embedded video experience on news sites might feel inadequate. The author believes the trailer should be viewed in high definition, a crucial detail that reporting news sites often omit.
To address this, the author provides a public service announcement (PSA). They urge readers who are interested in Makoto Shinkai’s animated films to watch the latest trailer for “Koto no Ha no Niwa” directly on YouTube. The advice includes selecting the desired language for annotations and setting the resolution to 1080p, allowing it to cache before viewing.
The author guarantees that watching the trailer in this manner will result in a significantly more visually stunning experience compared to the typical embedded video resolutions found on news sites.
In a bonus section, the author touches upon the casting of Kana Hanazawa as the female lead. Shinkai reportedly tweeted about his deliberation process, mentioning his difficulty in choosing a voice actress, particularly because Hanazawa is younger than the character she portrays. Her acting prowess ultimately convinced him. The author speculates that this might imply an older, perhaps more obvious, candidate was passed over.
A second bonus discusses the absence of composer TENMON’s collaboration with Shinkai on “Garden of Words.” While expressing appreciation for TENMON’s work, the author expresses contentment with the new composer, Daisuke KASHIWA. KASHIWA is described as someone who transitioned from film scores to neoclassical music, a style that appeals to the author.
