5 Centimeters per Second

5 Centimeters per Second was my introduction to the work of Shinkai Makoto, and as striking as it was the first time, it holds up just as well over multiple viewings. It's similar to other Shinkai works, a perfect exemplar of the character-based drama, in that it focuses on a small core group of characters and the dynamic tension between them. Unlike such previous works as Voices of a Distant Star and The Place Promised in Our Early Days, however, it lacks a fantastical setting and is firmly rooted in a world that could be the one right outside the viewer's door.

Although a fan of his other works and of science fiction and fantasy, I enjoyed this film more than his others. The way in which it is presented is a wonderful blend of the the visual format and classic literary themes. Here Shinkai does what he does best. Over the course of three chapters, he showcases all his skills, making great use of both wide, open expanses and tight, closed spaces in relation to the characters' emotions and the feelings evoked by the storyline and character development and interaction. Despite being a bit rough at times in animation (although only a bit), the setting Shinkai has created is a realistic one—and even though it isn't as crisp and clear as some other contemporary anime or CG films, it's more detailed than any of them, and it's these details that immerse the viewer in the world that Shinkai has brought to life.

The only complaint I have is that the third segment—a musical montage—felt too rushed and disjointed to me. As an artistic choice, I respect it, but as a viewer, engaged in the storyline that Shinkai has created, it just didn't quite work—and that alone keeps me from giving this anime the full 10 points it would otherwise deserve.

I watched this because of "One more time, One more chance" which is kind of like a trailer/MV version of the entire movie, summed up. It's a great movie for anyone who doesn't yearn for tons of drama and action. It's peaceful and beautiful in general. It's a tragic romance, not because someone dies but because of heartbreak. It portrays childhood love and unrequited love.
There are three episodes, or just one movie if you want to watch all three at once.

Storyline:
It's not perfect but good. The timeskips are a bit annoying in between but you just have to get used to it.

Music:
Nothing to complain about.

Characters:
Good characters, but main guy is a bit bland though.

Animation:
Perfect. Probably the best animation and art I've ever seen in any cartoon/anime/animated show.

I'm typically not the one to write a review on anything due to the fact that many other have said the same thing over and over: this is not the case. I have been an avid anime watcher for years, and when something with this great of story telling comes along, it's just few and far between.

This anime is just great storytelling, no fantasy this and no echii that. If you love this genre of storytelling, you can't skip this title.

Hope this short review helps those on the edge about this title

I guess, I could consider this my situation as well. It's been a while since I watched this movie, but it forever remains in my heart.

Overall (Quick Synopsis)
It was a great movie, the animation was beautiful. Legendary as IGN states. The story was very realistic, and it was very touching as well.. :(

Storyline
About a boy and a girl who became so close, yet lived so far away from each other. Found ways to meet each other. We follow the boys story for most of the movie.

Music
It was incredible! VERY fitting for this movie, trust me, you'll love it. Especially when the girl is surfing, that OST was beautiful.

Characters
The boy is very lovable. He tries hard for the girl. But as the story progresses, he starts to act more like a stranger. The girl as well, but then at one point there is another girl who is equally lovable, in a sense.

Animation
Nothing to say here, BEAUTIFUL ANIMATION.

*I wish I could say more in this review.. but it's been so long since I reflected on this movie... I hope long distance relationships, for most of us, work out! Really, they are beautiful.

Well first of all the animation is amazing!!!! There was ALOT of hard work put into this anime.Second of all the storyline and complex characters are simply amazing! I can truly understand the emotions the characters express, and ughhhhhh!!!! its just so amazing!!! lol This is a anime i would definitely recommend to my friends and people who want to get into anime. XD

(NOTE: I DO delve into the Storyline quite a bit, so if you don't want to spoil ANYTHING, please read up to my "Recommended for" listing. Otherwise, read at your own risk.)

I love anime. I watch it every moment that my life allows me. However, there are times in which I do worry about the state of the Industry…where it’s going and, if in about five or ten years, will it evolve into something that is beautiful or something that is a grotesque shell it once was. No, I’m not talking about the politics and business of the Anime Industry, but rather the style and storytelling that it currently uses.

It seems that these days, anime series are utilizing more ecchi, fanservice, and even violence to draw the viewer into the series itself. Although this tactic does work, it could possibly mislead the viewer into focusing more on those three things rather than focusing on a rich storyline, or the deep relationship of the characters. What’s left sadly is the instant gratification of one part of our minds, but not the whole.

With that in mind, I hesitate at times when picking a series to watch. But every now and then, you get that feeling when browsing…a chance. This chance came to me in the form of a Crunchyroll Deal of the Day. It was a movie that I never even heard of, but the description I read drew me into buying the DVD with what little money I had left. After just watching it, the regret I once had into the purchase have long since dissipated.

5 Centimeters Per Second
Slice of Life Anime Film, (3 Episodes, 65 Min. Total), "Age 13+"
Price: $24.99 ($14.99 if Pre-Ordered)
Recommended for: Anybody who loves Anime without all the Drama, Ecchi, Violence and whatnot. Even then, just any Anime fan.

5 Centimeters Per Second tells the story of two childhood friends, Takaki Tōno & Akari Shinohara, who were separated due to Akari and her family moving away. Although they are separated, they still keep in touch with each other, ultimately leading Takaki to travel far than what he is used to, to meet Akari once again. However, the journey he takes isn't without hardships...one that foreshadows his own life ahead.

The story itself is broken down into 3 Episodes, each told from a different perspective. The first follows Takaki when he is just 13 years old, making the long trek to once again meet up with Akari. The journey itself can be seen symbolizing his life ahead; the amount of planning Takaki takes into drawing up a complicated train route he needs to take in order to see her, only to be ultimately be lost and confused. This manifests itself with the number of delays he experiences due to a Blizzard that appears on the same day of his journey, which only intensifies as time goes by. As each hour draws closer to their meeting, Takaki himself gets more anxious...worrying if Akari will wait for him if he arrives late. The number of emotions Takaki experiences in his journey ultimately leaves him in a state of emptiness; a seed that is planted, but grows as he himself does too.

The second episode then switches to the perspective of Kanae Sumida, a classmate of Takaki since Junior High. She has had a crush on him ever since he transferred to her school, but has had trouble confessing to him. Her feelings of Takaki can be seen manifesting with her hobby of Surfing in the beaches. Although Kanae always falls everytime she catches a wave, she manages to get back on the board to try again. This act symbolizes her repeated attempts to try to confess to Takaki. However, these failed acts begin to take a toll on her. From forgetting to fill out her Career form, to the numerous wipe-outs she experiences due to her lost in thought of Takaki, Kanae feels "lost"; mirroring Takaki himself. Ultimately though, she accepts her feelings that although she is in love with Takaki, he would never return those feelings; gazing far into the distance without noticing her.

The final episode takes on a dual perspective: one of Takaki, and the other of Akari. Now an adult, Takaki's emptiness has taken a drastic effect on his life. Living alone in an messy apartment, working lifelessly everyday, the pictures that are painted reflects that he has lost all sense of direction in his life. Close to a breakdown, he quits his job as an attempt to take back control. On the flip-side, Akari is seen happily boarding a train, planning to see someone. The final scene of Takaki and a young woman, who looks similar to Akari, walks by each other in a railroad. Both Takaki and the woman notices and looks back, unfortunately their view being blocked by the passing trains. Once again Takaki hesitates to see if she is still there, only to see that she is gone. A promise is then said...one that involves meeting with each other again...a journey that Takaki once took with a purpose...that since then he had lost.

After watching the film, it made me think about the current state of things...the Anime Industry was just the tip of the Iceberg. I feel that the emotion of love itself became lost and confused in today's world...just like Takaki. Just like how anime itself uses vice in order to draw attention to itself, it ironically is also reflected by the state of how people connect with each other in today's relationships: Looking more at appearances, certain characteristics from dating sites, as well as and how much income one makes rather than what matters deep down...trying to understand each other. Maybe that's what Makoto Shinkai is trying to say in his work, that the complications of life itself can ultimately destroy even the most simplest and purest of emotions.

With that being said, I do highly recommend this film. However, from what I've seen the DVD is usually sold in limited quantities from time to time. As of this writing, Rightstuf.com has the DVD in pre-order for $14.99 (Originally $24.99), and as of this writing, will be released April 24th, 2011. So if you do want to save some money, jump on this. Like me, you just have to take that chance, rather than hesitating...for you might regret it.

Now I'd just like to say that I'm not a person who cries at movies. And it was this that told me how good this movie is. Because I cried twice.

The story of this is brilliant. Told in three parts, it talks about two childhood friends, Takaki and Akari, as they get seperated and begin to grow apart as the distance grows between them (which makes the title of the movie extremely clever when I worked it out). This way of storytelling by making it into three parts was something that helped the story of the movie a lot and would be something I'd like to see tried in a big Hollywood movie because of how clever it is.

The first part tells you about how the two became friends before being seperated and then Takaki's journey to see her. This one is possibly the best of the three and is superbly done. It shows how young love can blossom and has some really touching moments, especially when he gets to the train station (avoiding trying to spoil the story here).

The second part of the three shows what happens when he moved from Tokyo and is about to decide which college he wants to study in next. Kanae Sumida fell in love with him as soon as he arrived, finding him different from others. They meet in the car park to ride their mopeds, and I won't say anymore to again avoid spoiling it for people who haven't seen it yet. While you feel it more in the final part, you begin to feel sorry for Takaki as he begins to forget Akari.

The final part is the shortest and shows what happens when they are both adults. While Akari has moved on and is now engaged, Takaki has been unable to, and when you see him wallowing in borderline-depression over a can of beer you will feel bad for him. The music video afterwards which finishes the movie aswell as sum up the rest of the movie. There is no way that you could not feel emotion at this.

But the movie works because of the characters in it. Everything that happens in this is something that people can relate to. You can feel the characters grow up, and this is something I don't seem to feel in a lot of movies. They all feel like people that I could walk down the street and find because they feel believable.

As you can probably tell by looking st images, the animation is absolutely jaw-dropping, and an absolute work of art. I can't say anything about it that could do it justice.

This is a movie that you absolutely have to watch at least once in your life, and once you've seen it, I don't think it's possible to forget. Brilliant.

5 Centimeters per Second is a heartwarming story of timeless love. Besides the good animation and music, the main attraction of this masterpiece is its excellent storyline and realistic characters.

The movie shows the happiness of finding love, the joy of being in love and being loved, the pain of separation, and the truth that there are things we can never get back and that we must move on. The film shows what love is from different points of view. And for sure, we can relate to this movie for its realistic events, relationships, and outcome.

This is a story of real life. And it will touch you to the very center of your soul. Maybe you will cry, or maybe you won't. But one thing for sure is that this movie shows us the truth and we see parts of our lives in this heartwarming and touching show of love.

Highly recommended!

To keep this simple, 5 Centimeters Per Second was indeed, a very nice anime-movie to watch.

The storyline: I really enjoyed the story, until the end. I can't say I enjoyed the final chapter at all, really. It feels incomplete to me; I feel as if Takaki should have gotten a better ending. Not just a smile and acceptance, since this was all about him. I'm happy (for the most part) for Akari, but of course the fangirl inside of me is also unhappy she didn't hold on for Takaki. All in all, this was more heartbreaking than love-y for me. Beautiful, in many ways, but still a heartbreaker.

The music: I was happy with the musical choices, nothing clicked to me as if to say 'this sounds out of place', therefore i'm rather content here.

Characters: They were all well developed. I liked getting to learn bits of their history as the story unfolded and I also thought it was really nice getting to see each characters point of view.

Animation: This is what drew me in to watch 5 Centimeters Per Second. Absolutely breathtaking. I have never seen such captivating work in an anime before. I highly recommend others to watch this anime for the graphics at the very least. So so SO stunning.

Had to watch this multiple times and as a fellow artist superb work. I am ecstatic for the detail. One of my most favorite artists and with such a solid story line which really is memorizing. I would like to know what they used for the animation for the anime. I will be looking for future pieces by this artist.

Must watch this if you enjoy true love stories. Gives hope to the world if love as such may be true.