5 Centimetres Per Second

I arrived at this movie from several places: some familiarity with animé, including the entire Region 2 Studio Ghibli collection; some familiarity with Japanese cinema, past and present; a visit to Tokyo and Kyoto several years ago. Five Centimetres Per Second [DVD] [2007 ], like  Still Walking [DVD] [2008 ], is unadulterated Japan in several respects. The characters behave in a restrained and understated manner, in accordance with the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi. Cherry blossoms (but not cherries) and railways (but not the grease and technology of trains and rails) are important. The voice acting, especially the two female leads, is superior in the original Japanese.The movie consists of three episodes. In each there is a pervading sense of sadness, loneliness and unresolvedness. The first episode has the most satisfactory story. Although the director, Makoto Shinkai, in a DVD extras interview, states that the theme of the movie is the rate at which things happen (blossoms drift to the ground, a train journey takes many hours, a rocket suddenly blasts off into space from Tanegashima Space Centre), it is the exquisite and pervasive sadness (the Japanese aesthetic of mono no aware) infusing the movie that lingers, as in  Grave Of The Fireflies [DVD] [1988 ].One of the wonderful features of Five Centimetres Per Second is that it bases itself in the real world, with real, recognisable places, such as in Tokyo, and realistic activities and motivations. In this respect, the movie resembles movies such as  Only Yesterday [DVD] [1991 ] (as well as aspects of  Whisper Of The Heart [DVD ],  Grave Of The Fireflies [DVD] [1988 ],  The Girl Who Leapt Through Time [DVD ] and  Ocean Waves [DVD] [1993 ]).Just as in most Studio Ghibli movies, some of the backgrounds in Five Centimetres Per Second are sumptuous. The attention to small details is gorgeous, for example, the articulating footplates between carriages on the train. Moreover, the 'camera angles' in Five Centimetres Per Second feel fresh and alive - although I suspect that this feature may be drawn from more traditional manga animé. The main characters in Five Centimetres Per Second, with their doe eyes and pointed noses, are pure animé. In contrast, the main characters in Studio Ghibli movies are drawn to appear more realistic. An aspect I find appealing about Studio Ghibli movies is that there can be many objects that are animated simultaneously. (The Ghibli museum in Mitaka screens, amongst other shorts, Water Spider Monmon, which is alive with movement.) In contrast, I found the staticness of characters and objects in Five Centimetres Per Second, which at times appeared like a sequence of still pictures, disappointing and mildly irritating.The movie is paced appropriately to the subject material: mostly slow and quiet. However, the final section of the movie transforms into a kind of pop-music video, which may be indicative of some kind of emotional resolution, but if so it went over my head. The music was okay, but not haunting as in  Spirited Away [DVD ].The English subtitles of the Japanese soundtrack are perfectly reasonable, despite some typographical errors. However, each subtitle quickly vanishes, and occasionally I had to replay some dialogue in order to read what was said.The extras on the DVD are the usual, not very imaginative, offerings of a 'talking head', rather rambling, interview with the director; interviews with some of the voice artists; and a trailer for the movie. Had I been asked what I should have found interesting as extras, it would have included a short documentary addressing some of the Japanese aesthetics explored in the animation; and a documentary showing the real world locations on which parts of the animation are based. I should also have been happy to have had a director's commentary, and some original storyboarding.Overall, I have absolutely no reservations about having watched the movie (and I shall view it again very soon), nor about buying a copy (which for me assumes that I shall watch it several times). It will undoubtedly appeal to people who enjoy feel-sad movies, as well as students of animé and animation. I am comfortable with the 4* rating I have given it.

As a fan of anime I've watched many anime movies but none have affected me as much as this film. I liked it so much I bought Shinkai's previous films to see more of his work.5 Centimeters per Second: A Chain of Short Stories About Their Distance tells the inevitable tale of seperation, a story of how the people we meet, friends and lovers, whom we believe we'll know forever gradually drift apart.The story is nothing short of magnificent. It involves two main characters Takaki and Akari who are both school children drawn together by the fact that they are both used to transfering, after Akari transfers to the school that Takaki attends. As they both enjoy being inside the school spending time in the library, they grow closer until they are essential in a relationship.There friendship is brought to a sudden end when Akari is again forced to transfer and move all the way to Iwafune, leaving Takaki behind. The story continues from Takaki's perspective, picturing how the distance from his love affects him mentally and emotionally. His focus and attention is constantly looking towards some far distance place, thinking about Akari. Due to this his life deteriorates as he is unable to concentrate on anything close to him.The animation is breathtaking thanks to the lighting and the backgrounds which are simply beautiful. The score also increases the effect that the movie has upon the viewer. The story is fresh and never cliche. Although plot progression seems slow, the story is just taking its time to truly demonstrate how a young boy is affected by the seperation from his best friend and first love. The viewer can empathise with his feelings as it is a sad inevitability in life.As I could not gain this movie in the UK I downloaded the English dub off the internet, as I was so impressed with the film, I bought the original subtitled version from America (as it has not been released in the UK and the English dubbed costs to much to have posted overseas). I am pleased that I was able to support the official release so that Shinkai may be able to go and develop equally, and hopefully even better, touching animated stories about space, time and relationships.If you enjoyed this product checkout his earlier works Voices of a Distant Star and The Place Promised in Our Early Days.

Anime can be a lot of things to a lot of people. Some of it is brash, noisy and a little bit crazy. Some of it is childish nonsense. This shows that Anime can be art too.Plot-wise there is certainly no new ground broken here. It is about 3 people and how they cope with the uncertainty of the future and love and loss. It's about tempering your desires (a very Japanese thing) in a world where you rarely get what you want. There is certainly nothing wrong with the story at all (though it lacks the hollywood-esque closure of a happy ending... so if that's the kind of thing you want you'll be left frustrated).The voice acting is, as you would expect from the Japanese, very good indeed. I refuse to watch Anime in English dubbing, so I can't comment on that aspect. The score is in keeping with the theme for the most part, with lots of delicate piano pieces and the like... and a rather saccharine, over the top original song at the end. All in all though, very nice.Where this short film (run time of around an hour) truly excels is in the visuals. Every single second is quite captivating. The attention to detail is deeply impressive, with a modern day landscape perfectly recreated in animated form. Long, lingering shots hold on beautifully drawn scenes throughout the movie. The lighting effects, in particular ANY scene with the sky in it, are wonderfully drawn. The amount of time taken on lighting and shadow alone must have been immense (for example the scene with the rocket launch).Its not the kind of thing you would want to watch if you were after some light relief, or an action packed feature... but it is nonetheless a very charming picture.