Review - 5 Centimeters Per Second (2007 - Dir. Makoto Shinkai)

Beautiful.


Right, that's my work done. Feet up. Nice cup of tea. Ah. Ambassador, you are spoiling us with your films that only need one word reviews.


What? You actually want a bit more of a review? Pesky readers.

Split into three sections, each part focusses on a girl/woman who is connected to a boy/man, Takaki in different parts of his life, starting with his childhood. There are three different women in his life: Akari (long hair), Kanae (short hair) and Risa (glasses) - the descriptions should help you to recognise the various characters at their hair colours are fairly similar. There are lots of references to speeds and distances within the film as this is the main theme, the speed that characters come together or grow apart and the distances between them.


5 Centimeters Per Second looks absolutely gorgeous. Please Manga hurry up with the Blu-Ray release. There is a lighting effect in virtually every frame. There are so many details in the backgrounds that it will definitely reward repeat viewings, as with the director's other excellent main feature The Place Promised in our Early Days.

The only problem I had with it on my initial watching was that it finishes very abruptly, especially since the running time is only an hour and the last five minutes is taken up with a song. I had to watch the last section again to appreciate it. I don't think that this will be a problem when I view this again.

As always, watch with the original Japanese language and subtitles. The dubbed version is okay but, as always, the meanings of certain parts are changed slightly. Go for the original.


When anime first hit this country with Akira, Fist of the North Star, Urotsukidōji etc., the press had a field day about how violent/pornographic anime was and how it shouldn't be allowed into the country. I wonder whether the headlines will now read: SHOCK HORROR! BEAUTIFUL GENTLE CHARACTER BASED DRAMA FROM JAPAN! BAN THIS SICK FILTH! Erm... probably not.
8/10
evlkeith





If you like this you could try:
The Place Promised in our Early Days, Tekkonkinkreet, Summer Wars, Origin Spirits of the Past, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.