5 Centimeters Per Second

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.

Makoto Shinkai's film "5 centimeters per second" is one of the most moving and satisfying anime films of recent memory. The themes of love, loss and the emotional and physical distances between people have been explored before in his two previous works "Voices of a distant star" and "the place promised in our early years" however this new film strips away all the sci-fi elements and presents a raw and moving slice-of-life tale. Presented as 3 short films examining the same relationship over time I think that anyone that saw this film would be moved by one if not all the characters in the story. Whether it be the urgency Takaki feels when he goes to visit Akari,the sadness Akari feels as she is separated from her love or the quiet rejection Kanea feels when she realizes that her feelings for Akari are not the same, everyone can relate to some feeling. Shinkai's trademark visuals of course present and as usual they are lush, cinematic and always beautiful. His ability to take everyday places like trainstops, convenience stores and wide grassy fields and imbue them with a realistic yet dreamlike quality is amazing. 5 centimeters is an excellent film and worthy of being seen by a larger audience including viewers who may not watch anime. Absolutely stunning.

After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, I finally got my hands on the domestic ADV Films copy of "5 Centimeters per second." (**Amazon shipped the order to me on March 19**). Be it the original voice acting or the English dubs, this movie is a treat-fest. Both are done perfectly and should serve to excite fans of either one. I, however, prefer the Japanese voice acting; they are one of the best I have seen to date. Period. The story is compelling and simply amazing. A love story between two childhood friends, Takaki and Akari, who stood up for each other only to be distanced by the harsh reality of surviving in the cruel world. The story is divided into three segments. Each segment is righteously different, and take a different approach to build up the story. Another beauty to this title is the wonderful music. It isnt overwhelming, but not underwhelming either. A melodious piano being played in the background acts to compliment the romantic screenplay. This month, 5 centimeters per second and Appleseed: Ex machina being released back to back, there is nothing more joyous to an otaku like myself. You will be amazed at this "Legendary anime" (according to IGN.com:). According to the Japan Times (on the back of the DVD cover), Makoto Shinkai is hailed as the "Next Miyazaki." I am not that big of a Miyazaki fan, but if Shinkai continues to makes these Triple-A animes, then so be it. Next, I am waiting for the Collector's Edition. I know it is on the way.

好き嫌いは分かれる作品かもしれないが、マイ・フェイバリットな映像作品。忘れ難い。

Nonastante il film sia stato gestito per l'Italia dalla società francese Kazé, l'edizione è fatta benissimo! Ho acquistato il Blu Ray perché rispetto al DVD ha i contenuti extra e ovviamente una qualità decisamente migliore. Doppiaggio molto buono, il film è stato doppiato in Italia a Milano, quindi la qualità è assicurata (magari molti potrebbero pensare: certo che è doppiato in Italia, è la versione italiana xD... provate a dare un'occhiata al film Viaggio verso Agartha, il doppiaggio italiano è stato eseguito in Francia, sempre dalla Kazé, e fa schifo!!). All'interno non è presente alcun booklet. Il film poi si commenta da solo, uno spettacolo. Emozionante e riflessivo, Makoto Shinkai esprime al meglio i suoi pensieri su distanza, amicizia e amore. Nel complesso una splendida edizione, e consiglio il BD per la poca differenza di prezzo rispetto al DVD. Grazie Amazon per la velocità e la solita qualità del servizio.

5 Centimeters Per Second is probably one of the most memorable movies I have seen in a long time. It's a movie created by the amazing director Makoto Shinkai. This man is also the genius behind Voices of a Distant Starand The Place Promised in Our Early Days. Hailed as the 'next Miyazaki' by The Japan Times, Makoto Shinkai has created a reputation for heartbreaking narratives with breathtaking visuals, particularly his landscapes. *** SPOILERS AHEAD*** 5 Centimeters Per Second is the speed at which cherry blossoms (sakura) fall from their trees. As they fall, they drift further from the tree and also from each other. It is a metaphor that can be applied to the lives of people. We grow and change and we drift from the places and people we knew as children. This is not limited to the physical location of a person but the psychological state they are experiencing at any given time. Takaki and Akari become friends in elementary school as both are prone to illness and spend most of their time indoors while all the other children play outside. They plan to attend the same middle school, when Akari finds out her parents are moving the family to Tochigi which is quite far away from Tokyo. Akari leaves. 6 months later Takaki receives a letter from her and they begin to correspond via mail. Eventually this leads to a trip to visit Akari out in Tochigi. His arrival is delayed because of heavy snow and late trains, but at the end of it all, Akari is still waiting for him at the train station where he finally arrives. Akari grabs the front of his coat and cries. They walk, and end up standing in front a snow covered Sakura tree where they share their first kiss. It occurs to Takaki that this is going to be the last time he'll ever truly be with Akari, that time and distance will ultimately separate them forever. Sadly, this is true. 5 Centimeters Per Second is separated into 3 chapters (episodes): 1. Cherry Blossom 2. Cosmonaut 3. 5 Centimeters Per Second Personally I enjoyed 'Cosmonaut' the most, despite it not directly involving Akari. Instead it introduces a new character named Kanae Sumida as she struggles to find direction in her life and the strength to confess her love to Takaki, 'Tonokun'* as she calls him. In this part, Takaki has also now moved- to a town called Kagoshima- which increases the distance between him and Akari. Kanae develops feelings for Tonokun and they become friends much in the way Takaki and Akari might have, had they the opportunity to attend the same school. In the end, while Kanae does manage to conquer other challenges, she does not tell Takaki how she feels. Tenmon composed the soundtrack for this movie, which isn't a surprise since he's done the music for all of Shinkai's major works. Tenmon's piano melodies are lovely and incredibly haunting. I am not a big fan of the song that is played during the ending's montage. This is a pretty soft kind of movie with soft colours and tender moments. The sound was a bit rough for it, but that's just my own opinion of course. In any case, this is definitely one of my favourite movies and my favourite of Shinkai's movies (though Voices of a Distant Star comes pretty close). This movie makes me cry; I would compare it to Millennium Actress in terms of the emotion evoked by watching it (though Millennium Actress is a pretty different movie). ***ADV has gone out of business and so this movie release version is not longer available. However Bandai has picked up the license and so it's been re-released in a new version with new dubbing (done by Bang Zoom! Entertainment, at the request of the original Japanese distributor): 5 Centimeters Per Second ***

With such a visual compelling series, comes an equally compelling DVD movie for fans viewing pleasure. Although this series is not perfect, it is pretty close and brings amazing story, characters, and romance to a visually appealing 2007 film. Definitely worth the price to have in a collection but the quality may turn people off. Overall, I highly suggest the buy.

Wenn man sich zu so einem hohen Preis einen Film bestellt, dann muss man glaub ich nicht dazu sagen, dass man schon vorher von diesem Film restlos überzeugt und begeistert ist. „5 Centimeters per Second“ ist ein Meisterwerk sondergleichen, alleine schon von den Bildern her. Nicht umsonst trägt der Film den Spitznamen „5 Wallpapers per Second“. Die Lieferzeit von Japan nach Österreich betrug 39 Tage, entgegen den ursprünglich angegebenen (geschätzten) 8 bis 18 Tagen. Aber der Kontakt mit dem Verkäufer war sehr gut und auf der Website von JapanPost konnte ich die Lieferung verfolgen. Nach 37 Tagen war das Paket beim Zoll in Wien angelangt und zwei Tage später war es an meiner Haustür; zu meiner Freude zollfrei!