Makoto Shinkai, director of the hit anime film your name. , stated in a recent interview with the "Watching Japanese New Movies" announcer Shinsuke Kasai that he's a bit worried about what the film's success means for him as a creator.

"The box office revenue exceeding 10 billion yen (US$98 million) is honestly frightening," Shinkai said. "This box office revenue is not exactly proportional to my own ability...I don't have "10 billion yen" worth of merit. I fear the assessment of my merit [based on the film's earnings] is becoming a bit unbalanced."

Shinkai admitted his bewilderment that the film became such a huge hit, and expressed his humility in the rest of the brief interview.

When asked if the film is a work he has confidence in, he replied that, "This time without considering anything, I thought I would probably get feedback that it was enjoyable; that's the kind of self-confidence I had."

He added, regarding certain scenes in the movie and the tourism they've inspired, "The footbridge that appeared onscreen that I thought was a good setting to put in the anime is actually from where I live. After the movie's release, there are a lot of people walking there and taking pictures...I thought 'I'll try not to come here anymore'."

your name. premiered on August 26 in Japan and Funimation announced in July that it received the rights to release the film in North America. The film topped the box office charts in Japan and earned 1.27 billion yen (about US$12.51 million) in just the first three days.

Shinkai published the original novel that inspired the film on June 18, ahead of the film's opening. The film stars Ryunosuke Kamiki (Summer Wars' Kenji, Howl's Moving Castle's Markl, The Princess and the Pilot's Charles Karino) and actress Mone Kamishiraishi (live-action Chihayafuru: Kami no Ku's Kanade Ōe). Masashi Ando (Spirited Away, When Marnie Was There, Paprika) directed the animation and Masayoshi Tanaka (anohana, The Anthem of the Heart, Toradora!) designed the characters. RADWIMP's soundtrack for the film also topped music charts.

Source: Fuji TV's Tokudane Blog via Yaraon Blog