It’s been a while since I’ve thought about Voices of a Distant Star. After all, the last time I watched it was in…2012…2013? Ok, the point is, it’s been a while. But, normally, reading adaptations from Shinkai’s books have been good. She and Her Cat was a solid one-shot read, and I’m not kidding when I say the 5 Centimeters per Second manga is better than the film. (Note: the film is still good too). But where would Voices of a Distant Star in manga form fall compared to those two? Probably in the middle. It sets up a bit slowly, but once the relationship between Mikako and Noboru pick up, it’s a supremely heartbreaking tale of romance.
Mikako Nagamine and Noboru Terao are young kids who enjoy hanging out with each other. One day, however, Mikako is recruited as a pilot in a fight against Tharsians, an alien race that hasn’t taken too kindly to humans researching them. It isn’t a case where Mikako and Noboru worry about seeing each other — they have to worry about whether they can hear each other, as the further along Mikako ventures into space, the length of time between how they can communicate (through texts) gets longer. And eventually, both have to realize as the years go by, will they be able to talk to each other?
Voices of a Distant Star (the anime) came out in 2002. The manga by Mizu Sahara was serialized in Kodansha’s Afternoon magazine in 2005. I.e, there are some aspects that are dated (like the phones being used to communicate), but even 13 years later, it still remains a refreshing read.
The story gives the general info of how Mikako and Noboru hung out together, and seeing how they’re dealing with being so distant is interesting. But it doesn’t feel engaging until the main plot point picks up. An incident occurs that challenges Mikako’s emotions, and Noboru, on the other hand, is beginning to think about moving on. The manga essentially gets stronger as the two manage to grow up (although for Noboru, who’s still on normal Earth time, he’s growing old), and it honestly makes the distance that much harder to bear.
The art in some cases look pretty good, particularly some of the more laid-back moments, whether it’s Mikako hanging out with her new friend Hisa or the times where Noboru and Mikako were together. There are not too many long explanations of certain things — in fact, there were panels where you had to take it in visually, and I appreciate that effort. The action is not the most important part of the manga, but it is fairly weak. It just doesn’t look all that great, and, particularly when Mikako has to engage a Tharsian, the fights could be a bit better.
But the main reason you’ll want to read Voices of a Distant Star is because of the romance, and it is bittersweet. Both Mikako and Noboru do appreciate each other, but as they manage to grow distant from each other, they soon realize what they’re missing. It’s a case where they both believe, as their situations grow more challenging, that they can’t think about each other, which means they have to move on without each other. How Sahara depicts how they handle it, however, is touching.
So if you’re in need of a new romantic tale that’s a bit more mature and executes on its main idea well, Voices of a Distant Star might be worth your time. Between the art, the characters, and how the relationships are handled, you won’t waste your time.