Mei Kurokawa (黒川芽以, Kurokawa Mei?, born on 13 May 1987 in Nishitōkyō, Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese actress and singer. Her given name Mei originates from her birth month (May) in English. She has been frequently featured in many Japanese dramas and films.
Makoto Shinkai (新海 誠, Shinkai Makoto?), born as Makoto Niitsu (新津 誠, Niitsu Makoto?, born February 9, 1973) is a Japanese director of anime and former graphic designer. A native of the Nagano Prefecture. Shinkai studied Japanese literature at Chuo University where he was a member of juvenile literature club where he drew picture books. He traces his passion for creation to the manga, anime, and novels he was exposed to while in middle school. His favorite anime is Castle in the Sky by Hayao Miyazaki. Shinkai has been called "The New Miyazaki" in several reviews including Anime Advocates and ActiveAnime, comparisons which he calls an "overestimation".
After graduating from Chuo in 1994 he got a job at Falcom, a video game company and where he worked for 5 years by making video clips for games and graphic design including web content. During this time he met musician Tenmon who would later collaborate in all of his movies by providing the music score.
In 1999, Shinkai released She and Her Cat, a five minute short piece done in monochrome. It won several awards, including the grand prize at the 2000 DoGA CG Animation contest. The short details the life of a cat, entirely from the cat's perspective, as it passes time with its owner, a young woman.