5 Centimeters Per Second (2007).

Named after the speed at which sakura (cherry blossom) fall, this film by Makoto Shinkai is a story made up of three chapters, centred around a boy named Takaki. Chapter 1 (The Chosen Cherry Blossoms) tells the story when he is in middle school, and he is soon moving away. The story telling is mostly through letters between Takaki and Akari, and it reveals how they met in elementary school, and since then have had a strong bond, even after Akari had to transfer away. There are flashbacks, as his memories of their time together returns to him as he recalls the letters that she wrote to him. Very quickly, you get a sense of their special relationship. In the present, he is visiting her a year after her move, as he will be moving even further away. Shinkai really captures the frustration and pain that Takaki feels due to the delayed trains and lateness (almost 4 hours!) of his arrival. He has written a letter to Akari telling her about his feelings etc. Yet the strong wind whisks it away when he reaches in his pocket for money for a vending machine. This scene was truly a "Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo" moment as you can really feel the despair as his carefully written letter is lost. In this chapter, Takaki realises that he will never be able to be together with Akari due to their distance, and is greatly saddened by that. They promise to keep writing as his train departs the next morning. There is not a lot of spoken word in this chapter, silence is used to create the mood and shows that you can convey deep human emotions in such a simple way. Throughout Takaki's train journey, there are many shots of his surroundings, which really draws out the scenes, so that you also experience the pain of waiting for the two to reunite. It astounds me how Shinkai can so accurately describe and convey these complex feelings between the two characters with so little effort. You actually know very little about the main characters throughout the film, yet you can grasp a strong impression of their relationships and emotions. Shinkai successfully uses time jumps and changing perspectives to illustrate Takaki and Akari's relationship. The mood is mirrored in the colour palette that is used. The scenes in which Takaki and Akari are together, the colours are bright, filled with light; whereas Takaki's train journey was mostly gloomier blues and blacks. The snow was beautiful, and added to the melancholy tone.

Chapter 2 (Cosmonaut) links Takaki's desire to search for something far away and the space shuttle launch in Tanegashima. He is in high school now, where they have all started to think about college plans etc. Kanae features in this chapter. She is Takaki's classmate and has been in love with him since middle school, though as never confessed her feelings. She often goes out of her way so that they can go home together in the evenings and spend time together, though he is oblivious to her feelings and just sees her as a good friend. It is revealed that Takaki has had dreams with Akari in, and is often writing text messages which he never sends. Initially you are led to believe he is texting Akari, as you see things from Kanae's viewpoint. In the end, Kanae and Takaki are walking home when the space shuttle launches nearby. This is when Kanae decides not to confess her feelings as she realises that Takaki is searching for something which is more than she can offer him. The recurring scenes at the shop, and on the road home really emphasize Kanae's efforts to be with Takaki, truly drawing the audience into the mind of the characters. Visually, this is my favourite chapter. The sunlight gives the scenes a very magical feel to them, especially as this is set near the countryside, so there are some great views. Kanae's surfing scenes are also astounding, with the water so alive and real. However, the most amazing shots are of the sky and stars, especially of the milky way. As Takaki is often looking far into the distance, Shinkai uses this opportunity to really bring the night sky to life, with the soft clouds and glinting stars. The palette is filled with magentas, crimsons and violet tones to give a magical and heart warming feel to this chapter.


Chapter 3 (5 Centimeters Per Second) jumps forward in time to when Takaki is in his mid-twenties. He has a job (some computer programmer?) in the city. This chapter also features images from Akari's life. She is soon getting married and is also in the city. So right now, watching this film, I am led to think that she is marrying him. "Yay, happy ending". However, it is then revealed that Takaki has recently split up with his girlfriend because she seems to have realised that he has his heart elsewhere - still waiting for Akari no doubt. His thoughts and longing for Akari have been detrimental to his work and his relationships, and led him to quit his job as he cannot cope anymore. Again, Shinkai uses changing perspectives, as we see that Akari found a letter that she never gave to Takaki, leading her to feel nostalgic, but it is made clear that she has moved on. So somewhere in that, the ending montage suddenly begins, with some well known Japanese song being sung by a male vocalist. This was so frustrating. Firstly, should've been a female vocalist. And secondly, it just left the film with an unfinished feeling. Nothing like the spectacular ending that has been built up til now. However, the montage features scenes from all three character's lives, leaving the audience with a bit more to think about. Kanae is shown saying goodbye to Takaki when he leaves and by the sea and her surfboard when she is older. The final scene is one of great potential, yet is probably there for romantics like me to feel despair. Takaki and Akari (presumably we are led to believe it is her) walk past each other at a railway crossing, and as they do, both recognise each other. Both carry on walking but then turn to face the other. We are then taken to Takaki's perspective, just as a train rushes past... no wait.. make that TWO trains, one after the other. Of course when the trains pass the lady is no longer standing on the other side of the crossing and Takaki smiling, continues walking. The main plot flaw is that there would be no train, let alone TWO trains, that would be going on those rails so soon after pedestrians had crossed. They would've literally been run over if either character had been a bit slower. Guh.

From this mammoth of an essay, it seems that this film is rather long. Actually it's just over an hour and well worth your time. Despite the horribly frustrating and unsatisfying ending, this film has made me a huge Makoto Shinkai fan. In fact, I have started downloading one of his earlier films already. From the word go, the animation style really caught my eye. Clean lines, soft colouring and dramatic lighting all make for a beautifully drawn and impeccably animated masterpiece. Also, Shinkai's attention to detail and focusing is so effective at building an atmosphere that at times I thought this was shot with a camera. The anime style of a film is something that makes it appealing to me, and I think I liked this style more than new Ghibli! Shinkai really recognises that sometimes less is more in terms of revealing a character's personality and emotions. Everything about the first two chapters totally blew me away. I would say all three but the third's plot just left me feeling disappointed. I guess that is life, and Shinkai has really made a film that captures the essence of reality that is la vie. The music video/ending montage was just too much of a cop out for me to really enjoy but it did have some good scenes in. The train scenes especially links back to when Takaki and Akari where younger, so has a stronger impact on the audience (me). It's all very cleverly done. I highly highly highly recommend this. Watching this in HD made me cry it looked so good.

Oh and on a lighter note, it seems that no companies have product placed in this film, as brands such as "Ocasi", "Starbecks" and "Microsoft Vasta" make some appearances. So there was some lols.