Makoto Shinkai’s anime is unabashedly emotional, but the director sounds like a detached dad when discussing his mega-hit baby’s next step.

It’s been a pretty wild year and a half for Your Name, the most recent anime film from director Makoto Shinkai. 18 months ago, Your Name was just an upcoming project from one of the otaku communities favorite creators, but it quickly became one of the highest-grossing films of all time, anime or otherwise, at Japanese theaters.

Next came near-universal praise from overseas critics during its international theatrical and film festival release, which in turn brought the inevitable speculation about a foreign-made live-action remake. While talk of a Your Name Korean TV series turned out to be nothing more than rumors, two months ago came the sudden announcement that a live-action Hollywood version of Your Name, produced y J.J. Abrams no less, is on the way.

The news has fans already imagining what parts of the original the Hollywood version will retain and what it’ll jettison, but there’s one person who isn’t really feeling the hype: Shinkai himself. While speaking with press at a preview of the Makoto Shinaki art exhibit opening November 11 at Tokyo’s National Art Center, the subject of the live-action Your Name came up, and Shinkai had the following to say:

“I often think of the anime I’ve created as my children, but I’m not really that interested in what happens to those children afterwards.”

It’ a startlingly dry remark from a man who’s made a career for himself with anime that glisten with emotion. That’s not to say that Shinkai is entirely blasé about Hollywood’s retelling of his story. “The Hollywood version was announced, and though I’m looking forward to seeing how it turns out, at the same time, it’s like my son has already set off on his journey, and what kind of adult he grows into is something for him to deal with himself.”

Shinkai even said that he took a similarly detached view of the art exhibition highlighting his anime, which allowed him to experience the exhibit with a “fresh” feeling. Considering how important aesthetics and tone are to Shinkai’s anime, and how much those two aspects can change when making the leap to live-action and a new production team, perhaps his dispassionate reaction really shouldn’t be all that surprising.

Source: Livedoor News via Jin

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