Story & Characters
"Do you know? The speed at which cherry blossoms fall...
At what speed must I live, to be able to see you again?"
Those are the very first lines I readed from the trailer of 5 Centimeters Per Second three years ago, undoubtedly one of
the best anime movies I've ever seen.
"5 Centimeters Per Second" is a story centers about the life of Tohno Takaki, a young man who was seperated
from his childhood friend and first love, Shinohara Akari. Years pass and the rift between them grows ever larger.
However, Takaki remembers the times they have shared together, but as life continues to unfold for him, he wonders if he
would be given the chance to meet Akari again as the tale embarks on Takaki's realization of the world and people
around him.
Unlike Shinkai's previous works, "Voice of a Distant Star" and "The Place Promised in Our Early
Days," here, there are no sci-fi, fantasy or any other fictional elements found commonly in many other animation
works. "Centimeters" is set in Japan of the early 1990's to Japan of today and is splited into three
short stories.
The plot of "Centimeters" is mainly about relationship development and love at distance, it is a movie with a
very deep impact on life you won't be able find anywhere. The characters, the plot and the animation here, each of
them has a very strong realistic reflection of life and relationship. Despite all these good sides, it is an extremely
sad movie that will leave you in a depressing state for a while, so it might not fit all taste; however, the moral of
the story, once you finished it, is simply magnificent and pure poetry.
I really like what the producers did to the ending, although it was very sad, and I know most people who has finished it
do wish Takaki and Akari to be together (me too), but still I think that Shinkai wanted to make the movie as close to
life as possible. I bet that he poured in his past experiences, as well as the past experiences of others to make the
movie. Shinkai probably knew that not everyone lives happily ever after in real life, henceforth, to achieve peak
realism, decided to make the ending a sad one. Plus, while a happy ending would make everyone feels content, a painful
yet realistic one would leave you a strong impression, thinking about your daily life and before you knew, you will be
able to see reality more shining than ever.
While I'm at it (no rude and no offensive), the people dislike this movie are sore losers who don't understand
life and will never accomplish anything. Seriously, who in their right minds COULD hate this? If they don't think
it's sad then they probably live in their fantasy and nothing will bring them back to reality. Sure, it
doesn't fit your tastes, but just don't go and: "Oh, this movie is awful, I wish I had done something
better with my time."
The characters here are also well portrayed, I really like it, each of them represents some sort of experiences that
anyone can learn a lot from them. Probably Takaki and Kanae are my favorites. Kanae knows that her love is unrequited
yet she decided not to pursue Takaki anymore; that is true love. As for Takaki, don't hate him because he did not
chase after Akari, if he did that, it would ruin her happiness. Instead, he realizes that since Akari did not wait she
must have moved on, and because of that he can too; finally content and able to let her go.
This movie is not tragic, but the tear factor was very well done, I'm sure the ending could make anyone who watched
it bursted out in tears. I know there are several great slice of life story out there, but this movie is the only one
ever made me cry (so far). You probably won't appreciate the essence of the story unless you have fallen in love
and moved on. If you are a fan of Shinkai Makoto, and enjoy slice of life, tear-jerker, then you don't want to pass
this one out. Watch and try to keep a straight face.
Rating: 10
Art
Since drama and romance are important here, the quality of the animation doesn't have to be high, but still, I was
at a loss to see how stunning it was.
If you are familiar with "Place," you'd inmediately recognize the characters from both movies were
designed by the same artist. I admit that "Centimeters" is populated with loveable characters. Akari was
adorable when she was little and her facial expression when she met her fiance really fitted the image of a mature woman
who has gone through many hardships.
As for the scenery, this movie has one of the best. No kidding, you won't be able to find these sceneries in any
anime. I also love the special effects they added here, they really made the sceneries livelier. After watching the
movie, you could feel the loneliness of the story through the snowy remoted town, the beautiful cherry blossom views and
of course, the horizon when the rocket was lauched.
Rating: 10
Sound
Like most anime movies, the cast of "Centimeters" are real life actors, not professional seiyuu, thus, making
the voices of the characters more realistic.
I like the theme song, "One more time, one more chance," it fits the mood very well. If you like the 1997
version of this song, then you would like this one better. Truthfully, even if the ending didn't make you cry, the
song would; I mean the timing was SO perfect and it was SO heart-breaking, it was played during the flashbacks retelling
what happened after all these years and ended right after Takaki and Akari got pass each other. The song's name and
the lyrics alone are also a message, tells you to treasure your life more. Takaki had his choice with Kanae, but he
neglected it due to his obsession with Akari, and Akari could have given Takaki the letter.
As for the OST, while the theme song is heart-breaking enough, these soundtracks sound like a sad piano piece. They
touched me somehow (can't help but replaying them), and I bet they were designed to capture a certain feeling.
There is one particular tune I really like, called "Kanae no Kimochi" (Kanae's feelings), since Kanae is
the least happiness character here, she at least deserves a theme of her own.
Rating: 10
Presentation
Overall, 5 Centimeters Per Second is a wonderful movie with unique storyline, beautiful animation and a good selection
of music; they display what life really is and I love it. Although I also like "Voice" and "Place,"
I actually prefer this movie, perhaps because it's more realistic, the plot is easier to understand, and it has a
stronger impact on life. Furthermore, I can see while people referring Shinkai as the new Miyazaki, it's utterly
rare to see a movie with a strong influence like this since Grave of the Fireflies. 5 Centimeters may not be the best,
but it is unquestionably (anime or not) one of the most achieved profound human stories I've known and it will
surely be talked many generations later.
Also, thumbs up if you found a "Place" reference here, it's very small and passingly.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Story: 10
Characters: 9
Art: 10
Animation: 10
Voice: 10
Music: 10
Overall: 10
Good:
+Deserves a perfect score.
Bad:
+Not entirely a good movie for some.
Rating: 10
Final Verdict
10.0000 (excellent)
Reviewed by Weskalia, Oct 14, 2010
