Nov 25, 2013
"Do you know? The speed at which cherry blossoms fall… 5 centimeters per second. At what speed must I live... to be able to see you again?"- Touno Takaki
5 Centimeters per Second is a 3 parts, or episodes, movie directed by Makoto Shinkai. It tells the story of a childhood love torn apart by life's unexpected and twisted turns. Through these 3 episodes, Makoto Shinkai managed to tell us the story of growing up and moving on from the regrettable, yet unchangeable, past; no matter how big or small the mistake you've done is, you just have to find a way to move on.
In
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the beginning we are introduced to Takaki and Akari, 2 elementary school kids who are very close friends due to them preferring to stay inside and read books, rather than going outside and basically be kids. After graduation, Akari is forced to move away, and throughout 7 long years, both of them try to hold onto this fragile and weak relationship. Their attempts are proven futile after Takaki received news that he will moving to a remote island, somewhere that will both widen the gap between them, not only physically, but the distance between their hearts - knowing this, the two of them agree to meet for the first, and most likely last time for many years.
Shinkai did a spectacular job of telling a story, like how he handled the 3 episodes for example: Akari is shown less and less as each episode conclude, roughly 1/3 of the first episode, about 4-5 minutes in the second, and only 2 scenes in the last. A subtle but very effective way to emphasize their relationship growing apart. 5 Centimeters per Second is full of these small but powerful hints of character development and story telling.
You can't have a romance without good characters, and this anime certainly delivers in that aspect; every emotion felt meaningful, every action had a purpose. The love shared between Akari and Takaki is something beautiful, yet sad at the same time, where you know the worst is to happen - yet you hope for the outcome to differ.
Anyone who has seen even a clip of this anime will instantly take notice of the amazing backdrops and animation in this movie. This anime is 6 (almost 7) years old and it still has better animation than some of the anime that are coming out today. The best part of this animation is probably the scenes involving some sort of sky in the background, dark scenes with little hints of light, and scenes of snow. I have nothing to complain about this at all, it is simply astonishing.
Tenmon, also responsible for some others of Shinkai's movie sound tracks, did an amazing job for this movie, light piano sometime backed by a gentle string accompaniment did an amazing job at supporting the anime's calm, gentle and nostalgic nature, simple but something that reflects the anime's theme completely.
All in all, 5 Centimeters per Second is a marvel of an anime to watch, a true story about childhood romance, and how sometimes - it just doesn't always work out, and takes the turn for the worst. It also teaches simple life lessons, like how time seems to fly when you are enjoying yourselves, and seems to drags on when you're awaiting for something or someone; how when we are kids, we neither know or cares of what happens in the future, and all we care about is right now. It shows the ups and downs of a life that had you crying tears of happiness, not only when something good happens, but when the characters move on and finally find true love. This anime contains something wonderful, something aspiring that I cannot describe. An anime like this cannot be described as nothing but a masterpiece.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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