The media-distribution site Crunchyroll announced on Thursday morning that it plans to hold Global Shinkai Day, an event originally created by fans in 2009 and celebrated by Crunchyroll every year since.

This year's celebrations include the streaming of three of Shinkai's anime works: 5 Centimeters Per Second, Voices of a Distant Star, and The Place Promised in Our Early Days. The streaming ties into Crunchyroll's recent DVD release of 5 Centimeters Per Second, which is available at Bandai Entertainment's online store.

Shinkai first earned acclaim from anime fans because of his 2002 original video anime Voices of a Distant Star, which he directed and animated himself. In 2004, he created the film The Place Promised in Our Early Days, and followed it up with 5 Centimeters Per Second. He is now completing a new film called Hoshi o Ou Kodomo: Children who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below, which will open in Japan on May 7.

Crunchyroll streamed three Shinkai works for 24 hours to mark the first Global Shinkai Day in 2009, and again for 48 hours for the event in 2010.