5 Centimeters per Second

I'm...confused. I wanted so much to enjoy this movie. I was absolutely sure that this was going to be one of those works of art that leaves you breathless, sitting there for minutes, maybe even an hour after it finishes, just trying to take it all in. If you love this movie, you will most likely hate me for this review. Call me someone with a heart of ice, whatever you will. I am simply expressing my thoughts on it. I'll break this into a two-part review. The first part will be my thoughts, written as I think of them, the second part an analysiswith numbers for those who prefer it that way. Oh, I am sitting here, after watching the movie, but it's not out of awe, it's out of bewilderment because despite all the reviews and recommendations from ,everyone that proclaim it the best movie ever, that the message of it is poignant and beautiful...I can't say that I fully agree. Maybe it's because I'm a heartless robot who has never felt love before, you would say, but no, I've cried and felt emotional at even the smallest hints of feeling, and I've most definitely been in love, known what it's like to feel heartbreak, desolation, the chill when you know the person you love will never share your feelings. But for some reason...I couldn't relate to this movie, try as I might. Why did this movie completely fail my expectations? I'm still trying to make sense of it as I write this review. I'm a bit disappointed in myself, because it seems everyone else except for me was touched by this anime while I appear to be some stone-cold freak of nature. I had the tissues ready, the feels shield up, the family relocated to another room so that I could peacefully watch this and take all the dialogue in. The most outstanding issue in 5 Centimeters per Second, for me, is that I don't feel that there was enough character development. I understand. Toko is in love with Akari, and in the first part, she reciprocates his feelings, but they can't be together. Yes, that is sad, but the way it was expressed just didn't seem to impact me. At the end of the movie, I don't know anything about them except that they're star-crossed lovers who, unfortunately, can't be with each other. The movie does have wonderful messages in it. You have to move on from the past, learn to let go, and know when it's time to move on. However, I don't think that message is unique to this movie only. I've seen it expressed many times before. The story is interesting, but I think it needed a lot more plot and character development. Yes. We can relate to the characters as they experience loss, heartbreak, falling in love for the first time. But for some reason, I didn't feel as though there was enough effort put into making the watchers really connect, to strengthen that link of empathy. I appreciate the symbolism used in this anime. The messages are indeed deep and something that many can relate to, but in my opinion they were not conveyed in the right way. I also think that some of the lines from the movie are elegant...Overall, this anime seemed to have all the elements to be wonderful, but for me, they didn't come together. And for you data analysts out there, have a breakdown by numbers: Story :: 7 It started out promising, but spiraled into something a bit boring and, at least for me, terribly predictable. The story is well-thought out and I liked how it was broken up into three parts, but it moved very quickly, and at the end I found myself shocked that there wasn't something more. It would have been much better if even half an hour was given to plot development. The way the story is played out is in soft hints of emotion, feelings that can be easily related to, and in a relatively tranquil way, but because of this, I felt that it was difficult to find the actual point of the plot. When the movie ended, I sat there and asked myself, "so what?". The answer was simply that "We have to learn when and how to move on". I was hoping that I would have been able to think of more. I appreciate, though, how it was portrayed realistically throughout, with nothing cheesy or sugar-coated. Art :: 9 Ah, but I do have to say, the artwork in this movie is outstanding! The backgrounds, lighting, climate, everything. I was spellbound by the gorgeous landscapes that were concocted, with the perfect touch of surrealism and fantasy at every part. You see a routine town setting, and then look up at the sky...a nebulous wonderland, full of stars, conveying the idea that there really is no boundary to where we can go. I can't give this category a 10, however, because the people were somewhat disconcerting amongst all this scenery. I didn't feel as though as much effort was put into drawing them, and they looked a bit odd at times. Sound :: 9 I play the piano, so all the piano songs in the background stood out and they really did provide a lovely backdrop for the movie, which is peaceful and not full of action or drama. The background music could most certainly put me at ease in any situation. I also appreciated the realistic sound effects, reminiscent of the sounds in a Miyazaki movie. It's clear that a lot of effort was put into this movie. Character :: 6 These characters should be relatable. At times, I felt like I could relate to them. However, they were greatly lacking in personality development. Maybe, though, it's the point of the movie. As was noted in an article that I read some time ago, if the characters in a work of art are relatively simple, we use them as blank canvases on which to paint our own emotions. I think I would have appreciated a bit more character structuring, though. Enjoyment :: 6 Like I said in the beginning of this review, I sat there the entire move trying very hard to like it. At some points, I did. I could appreciate the messages, clear or somewhat hidden, that were being given. However, for most of the movie, I was bored, as though I was waiting for something to happen. Maybe this is because I thought it would be a lot more sad than it turned out to be. Overall :: 7 The messages in 5 Centimeters per Second are beautiful. I believe that they should have been conveyed more through character actions than through them having to tell a story to us using words. As I continue through my life, perhaps I will encounter scenarios that will make me think of this movie. I would still recommend that people watch this movie, because there are lessons to be learned and chances are that they'll enjoy it much more than I did, looking at the sheer amount of 10s that this movie has received. Until then, I'll continue pondering this movie, and why I, usually so quick to empathize with others and share emotions, was not moved by this piece. If my opinions change, I will be back to write another review. As was the message of Howl's Moving Castle, hearts can change, and people can too.

I happened upon this anime in several anime fan sites as it was considered one of the higher rated animes even until today. Reading how some people said it rivaled works that of Miyazaki, I had high expectations for it. But unfortunately it was a total letdown. The only thing I really enjoyed about the movie was the animation quality and detail that was put into the movie. The animation was just simply beautiful from the vividness of the background to the fluid motion of characters but then, sadly, the praise ends here. The story and the characters were very anti-climactic as no real progress is metby the characters with one another. This is however how the creator of the story wished for it to be i think as the title is named "5 centimeters per second". It was a collection of short stories about human distance. I'll say though that the concept and execution were nice but the story itself was lacks proper closure as it presents the audience with the concept but then leaves it at the presentation with no real conclusion. The story began as a cultured glass of wine then slowly transforming into wine in a box. The depth slowly filled in as the stories progressed. They were written just so that a concept could be brought to stage and left there to be a static attraction for the audience. So if you're looking for a totally artistic and visually pleasing feature with no real concern for a happy ending with much depth in the end then give this one a looksy.

Makoto Shinkai is a fairly big name in the industry of anime films. The mind responsible for Voices Of A Distant Star and The Place Promised In Our Early Days among others, he has made his name for creating absolutely stunning landscapes, coupled with beautiful animation, set to simple stories of romance. And amongst his movies, 5 Cm Per Second is often hyped up to be the best. Now, let me get this out of the way now: The visuals in 5 Cm Per Second are nothing short of amazing. Shinkai creates some of the most brilliant landscapes I have ever seen. He emphasises the seasonswith absolute perfection, bringing out all the most beautiful aspects of Spring, Summer and Winter (Fall is not pictured in this movie), making an incredibly immersive experience. Coupled with some of the highest-end animation I've ever witnessed, the visuals are probably the single biggest draw of the film, and I seriously recommend that you watch this in the highest quality that you possibly can. The story is separated into 3 acts, the first being about two childhood friends, Takaki and Akari, who were separated by distance. They keep in contact, but as one of them is about to move elsewhere, the other makes a journey to see them one last time. The second shows Takaki in high school, and is told from the perspective of another girl who is desperately in love with him. The final act shows Takaki and Akari as adults, showing the epilogue to their love separated by distance. The story, in all honesty, is very lacking. The actual plot of them is pretty much summed up in the above paragraph, with the rest of it simply being character interaction and focus on the scenery. This could actually have been the formula for a brilliant movie, but the problem is that the characters all fall completely flat. Not a single one gets any development, and we barely get any feel whatsoever for their personalities. Rather than putting any focus on the characters, the movie only really cares to use landscapes to convey emotion rather than giving us anything remotely human. Now, this may make it sound like this movie is bad, but to tell the truth I can't really bring myself to say it is. The story and characters may be completely 2-dimensional, but the story overcompensates with enormous production values, and it actually works. Hell, if you're the kind of person who generally likes love stories then you'll probably really enjoy that side of it as well. In essence, it's good if you're into that sort of thing. Even if you aren't, I'd still recommend watching this just for the amazing depth of the environment Shinkai builds. However, one thing that should not go unmentioned is the song at the end of the movie, "One More Time, One More Chance" by Masayoshi Yamazaki, which is quite possibly the largest concentration of pure, unbridled tearjerker ever compressed into a single song since Johnny Cash performed Hurt. The soulful voice, combined with the beautiful imagery and shots of the couple in their young adulthood bring home the entire plot perfectly in a way that will have you crying your eyes out in no time. Overall, 5 Cm Per Second is overrated, but generally entertaining and far from the worst way to kill an hour or so, and if you're a fan of romantic stories then you'll absolutely love it. Final Words: A must-see for fans of romance, and a great example of scenery porn for everyone else. Animation/Graphics: 10/10 Story/Plot: 5/10 Music/Background: 10/10 Overall: 7/10

A major letdown from the supposed 'Next Miyazaki' I was skeptical about the assertion that Makoto Shinkai was the next Miyazaki, and although I really liked he two previous works, Voices of a Distant Star and The Place Promised in Our Early Days, I could not bring myself to lavish him with such high praise until he made a movie that blew me away and that would become an instant favorite. It would seem that I made a wise decision. Miyazaki is undoubtedly one of the greatest anime directors to ever live, and his films (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke) rival those of any genera, animation orotherwise. He's been said to be on par with Disney, but that is a lie. Miyazaki is BETTER then Disney. So obviously I'm always skeptical to people comparing an up and coming director to Miyazaki. I watched Shinkai's carrier with great interest from his debut film Voices of a Distant Star to this new film. His strong suits have always been animation and music. No anime director I've ever seen can create such beautiful animation as he, and few can combine such stunning and magnificent animation with just the right music to set the tone and take his viewers far away to walk the snow covered streets along side the characters. He's great at this, but for all that talent he also has a critical flaw to his style which makes his movies miss their full potential; he has no idea what pacing means. Being only 23 minutes long, Voices was paced very well and never had a dull moment, but the follow up Places, being full length, was paced so badly it made me want to skip large portions of the film so I could see some more beautiful landscaping. If the animation and music weren't so great, I doubt so many people would love that movie so much, even though I personally gave it 4 stars. But now, with his third film, I expected him to have found away around that weakness and create a film that wasn't just visually beautiful, but also well paced as well. Well sorry, but he hasn't done it, and my patience with him is wearing thin. In this three part film Tonoo and Akari are best friends in grade school who spend all their free time with one another, but as they grow up they slowly drift apart, contacting one another at first through letters and then falling out of contact altogether. It is, surprise, surprise, another romance. This would not have been a problem if this new film didn't seem like a carbon copy of Voices and Places, especially places. Guy and girl fall in love at an early age, guy and girl drift apart as life goes on and they grow up, guy and girl never get over each other and miss the other, guy and girl sit awake in their rooms all night thinking about the other, guy and girl never see each other again. If you've seen Places you can pretty much see everything that’s coming. There are no surprises here, just gooey romance. It’s a real disappointment to see an animator with so much promise get bogged down in these silly romances again and again and again. Voices was good, Places was as well, but Shinkai always tells the same exact story. Its not that he likes telling a certain kind of story, it’s that he likes telling only ONE kind of story, every single time. Get a grip man; make something a little more original. Its bad enough that his pacing is so bad but why even bother making new movies when you’re just going to tell old stories again and again and again? If this is all Shinkai has to offer then it’s not worth my time seeing every film he comes up with. The animation, as always, is brilliant. I just don't know how much more I can gush over his amazing art. I've been saying this since Voices, but his three films are THE BEST animated films I've ever seen, and I've seen my fair share. Unfortunately this film is missing something; the music. Both his previous films have amazing musical scores that made the film just that much better. I never fail to catch myself humming their main themes after watching them without even noticing. Well I'm not going to end up humming these tunes, that’s for sure. For one thing there wasn't enough BGM to begin with, and what little there is was just a remix of old themes. But the biggest disappointment was the ending song. It’s just not pretty; I'm sorry, but Japanese isn't the most beautiful language to listen to. The ending song was nowhere near beautiful, in fact I found myself turning the volume down and playing a song of my own instead. If they had only play "Don't Say Goodbye" from Skillets album Comatose then it would have been the greatest scene ever (trust me, listen to the song and watch the scene and you'll see what I mean). So no, this is not the next Miyazaki, not even close if this film is any indication. I don't think I've ever given a Miyazaki film less then 4 stars, he is far and away the most consistent director I've ever watched, so if Shinkai can't pull it off after three tries I think its an unfair comparison. Replay value; low.