This news has been revealed by renowned anime director Makoto Shinkai, with the success of his films on the YouTube platform of Crunchyroll India, where he sent out a video message thanking his fans in India. The news of the start of the waiting period for his eighth movie has been revealed, as he has not even revealed the name, description, or release date. The director of the movies ‘Your Name’ and ‘Suzume’ has finally initiated the waiting period for his eighth movie.
The timing of Shinkai’s reveal also follows the pattern that his fans have come to anticipate from his releases. He tends to have an interval of about three to four years before he releases other projects, which makes it quite likely that the new anime may be shown towards the latter parts of 2026 or early 2027. The last work of Shinkai, Suzume, also embodied his trend of depicting the lives of young individuals as they build bonds during natural disasters and achieved great reviews and dough as well.
Why Makoto Shinkai Is Recognized as Hayao Miyazaki’s successor
While Shinkai’s style diverges from that of Hayao Miyazaki, he is often labeled as his successor. Reviewers admire both directors for their ability to portray well-developed female protagonists and their use of silence and subtlety to create scenes of great emotional depth. Their works allow for a moment of intimate drama that requires little more than a glance at a character’s expression, a morsel of sound, or an understanding of their surrounding landscape. More importantly, both directors have shown great commercial success. Shinkai’s work in “Your Name” famously broke Miyazaki’s “Spirited Away” at the top of the box office chart as the greatest-grossing anime film of its kind ever produced.
Although more recent films, such as the Demon Slayer series, have smashed box office records that Shinkai has previously set, there can be little doubt about the influence he has exerted and continues to exert on the cinema scene. His films have shown that they can appeal on a worldwide scale while also being very much his own personal statements. Fans are already speculating about whether his next film will surpass Your Name’s success. Given the level of creative freedom and acclaim he has achieved, Shinkai is now set on a course where he is free to make bold storytelling and artistic statements. The world waits with bated breath, but one thing is certain: every theatrical release by Shinkai is now a ‘must-watch.’ If the next one follows the same pattern, it not only promises to thrill fans but perhaps even gain the recognition he deserves with the prestigious Academy Awards, cementing his place alongside the legendary Hayao Miyazaki.
