| Voices of a Distant Star | |
 ADV Film's Region 1 DVD cover for Voices of a Distant Star | |
| ほしのこえ (Hoshi no Koe) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Action, mecha, romance[1][2] |
| Original video animation | |
| Directed by | Makoto Shinkai |
| Produced by | Makoto Shinkai |
| Written by | Makoto Shinkai |
| Music by | Tenmon |
| Studio | CoMix Wave Inc. |
| Licensed by |
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| Released | February 2, 2002 |
| Runtime | 25 minutes |
| Light novel | |
| Written by | Waku Ōba |
| Illustrated by |
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| Published by | Media Factory |
| Imprint | MF Bunko J |
| Demographic | Male |
| Published | July 25, 2002 |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Makoto Shinkai |
| Illustrated by | Mizu Sahara |
| Published by | Kodansha |
| English publisher | |
| Magazine | Afternoon |
| Demographic | Seinen |
| Original run | 2004 – 2005 |
| Volumes | 1 |
Voices of a Distant Star (Japanese: ほしのこえ, Hepburn: Hoshi no Koe, lit. "Voice of the Stars") is a Japanese science fiction original video animation (OVA) short film created and animated by Makoto Shinkai. It follows the lives of two close childhood friends, a boy and a girl, who are separated when the girl is sent into space to fight in a war against aliens. As the 15-year-old girl goes deeper and deeper into space, the texts she sends take longer to reach the Earth; the film simultaneously follows her battles and the boy's life as he receives her texts over the years.
The OVA premiered in Japan in February 2002 in an advance screening. It was followed by two DVD releases on April 19 and October 6, 2002. ADV Films licensed the OVA for release in North America and the United Kingdom, Madman Entertainment licensed it for Australasia, and Anime Limited licensed it for the United Kingdom. In 2002, it won the Animation Kobe award for packaged work. It also won the 2003 Seiun Award for Best Media. It was very positively received by critics, who praised its artistic dimension, plot, and music; the English-language version, however, was criticized for its dubbing.
The OVA was adapted into a drama CD by Pioneer LDC and a novel was written by Waku Ōba, illustrated by Makoto Shinkai and Kou Yaginuma, and published by Media Factory's imprint MF Bunko J. Makoto Shinkai adapted a manga from the OVA, illustrated by Mizu Sahara; Kodansha serialized it in its manga magazine, Afternoon, from April 2004, and released the manga as a one-shot on February 23, 2005. The manga was licensed for a North American release by Tokyopop, which published it on August 1, 2006.