Title: 秒速５センチメートル Byōsoku Go Senchimētoru
English Title:
- 5 Centimeters per Second
- A Chain of Short Stories About Their Distance
Language: Japanese
Year: 2007
Cast: (Voice)
- Mizuhashi Kenji
- Kondō Yoshimi
- 花村怜美 Hanamura Satomi
SYNOPSIS
This Japanese animation film is made up of three sections: 桜花抄 Ōkashō (Cherry Blossom Extract), コスモナウト (Cosmonaut), and 秒速５センチメートル Byōsoku Go Senchimētoru (5 Centimeters per Second).
桜花抄 Ōkashō (Cherry Blossom Extract)
Tōno Takaki and Shinohara Akari are classmates in elementary and they slowly build a close friendship. Later on, Takaki realizes that he is in love with his best friend. Just when he is gathering the courage to confess his feelings, Akari and her family have to move away.
コスモナウト (Cosmonaut)
Takaki has lost contact with Akari but he is still in love with her. His high school classmate Sumita Kanae is secretly in love with him but she refrains from confessing her love because she is aware that Takaki loves someone else.
秒速５センチメートル Byōsoku Go Senchimētoru (5 Centimeters per Second)
Takaki is now working in Tokyo as a computer programmer. He has lost touch with both Akari and Kanae, but he still loves Akari. While crossing a railroad track, he sees a familiar-looking face but when he looks back to see if the woman is someone he knows, a train passes by and blocks his view.
REVIEW
I don't really watch a lot of animated films but I really enjoyed Byōsoku Go Senchimētoru or 5 Centimeters per Second. The title refers to how fast cherry blossoms fall to the ground: five centimeters per second. Since this is a story about love and relationships, I think it also indicates how fleeting human relations are, and perhaps how moments spent with our loved ones pass by so fast.
The story is quite simple but very realistic. The characters are so raw and easy to relate to. I think these are the movie's major selling points especially to those who are not really anime fans.
Another reason why this movie is a cut above the rest is the exceptionally talented voice actors. They were able to convey so much emotion with just their voices -- hesitation, uncertainty, hope, happiness, sadness, and frustration.
Honestly, I would have been happier if the characters ended up together and lived happily ever after. I have to say that I tend to expect a happy ending after watching a lot of fairy tales. Even until the last few minutes of the movie, I kept hoping that Takaki will encounter the love of his life again and this would be a promising sign of what the future will hold.
The movie's animation is so beautifully done that I sometimes think that these animated pictures (particularly that of the scenery) have to be better than the real thing. It's so good that I'm actually planning to watch writer-director Shinkai Makoto's earlier works. However, since many people say that this movie is his best work so far, I'm actually afraid I'll be disappointed when I do watch the others.
This short production has made a lot of impact on me. However, I can't help but wonder if a live-action adaptation will be made and if it will be as good, if not better, than the animated version.
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秒速５センチメートル Byōsoku Go Senchimētoru
