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5 Centimeters per Second Movie Review

5 Centimeters per Second is a 2007 romantic anime film directed by Makoto Shinkai. It was a phenomenal feature debut for this incredible director.

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“The speed at which the sakura blossom petals fall…

Five centimeters per second“

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Told in three interconnected segments, the movie follows a young man named Takaki through his life as cruel winters, cold technology and adult obligations and responsibility converge to impact the romantic feelings he holds for another girl. Makoto Shinkai directed two respected short movies and one feature before this film that is among his best efforts to date.

Although being constructed as an anthology feature, the film only has that structure, but it’s not an anthology because it is concerned with the same characters and storyline throughout. But the structure is episodic as it is divided into three episodes or chapters in the protagonist’s life. Thus, although very brief in its runtime of just an hour, the movie still achieved that epic quality in setting, time span and a plethora of emotions depicted.

One evident flaw of this feature is the lack of stronger character development. I did care for the characters as their plight was definitely universally relatable and well explored, but individually they suffered in comparison to their fantastic arcs. Takaki is the protagonist and the film is told through his point of view, which meant that Akari was underdeveloped and appearing in only a couple of meaningful sequences. The film would have been stronger had it depicted her POV as well.

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The second episode/chapter is the weakest, though it was also crucial in examining the mid-point of the characters’ journeys. The first episode is crucial in establishing their bond and love for each other. Dealing with long-distance relationships and all the issues that people who engage in them face, the movie showcased just how painful it is to love somebody with whom you can never have a future. It’s a tragedy in a way, which was essential in differentiating this story from so many other romantic films that are much more optimistic and/or uplifting.

The highlight is the last episode with the final scene being particularly emotionally effective. The two walking at the train station and seeing each other, but eventually walking away made for an instantly iconic ending that is so touching. This scene is hugely important as it teaches us that sometimes you just have to move on and continue living your life no matter how hard that is. Learning to let some things or people go is a crucial asset that we have to possess in order to live a fulfilling life.

5 Centimeters per Second also benefits from gorgeous animation. The movie is so pensive, melancholic and poetic and the animation perfectly accompany those feelings that it conveys. Every scene is almost like a wallpaper. The backgrounds are absolutely gorgeous and it features some of the best usage of trains as a plot device in film.

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The colorful, polished aesthetic made the movie absolutely beautiful to watch. The score is also very tender and effective at conveying that sadness the characters feel. The directing from Shinkai is terrific and the movie is well paced and edited, but its brevity did affect its overall impact as he could have easily added one more chapter to this feature. The narration was overwhelming, but mostly quite effective at portraying the protagonist’s complex emotions.