Have you ever had someone in your life that you had true love for? Before your understanding of human nature and the hardships of the future? That same feeling of excitement in your stomach, the warmth of that person's hand, the daydreams that would seem to last eternally? But you knew it wouldn't and couldn't last forever, and it broke your heart. If you could have one more time, one more chance,
what would you have done differently?
The true message behind 5 Centimeters Per Second was captured in a single moment at a pedestrian railroad intersection. What would you do if you passed your true love in one instant, years later, after a lonesome journey, only to find that what you were looking for the whole time may not have been there anymore. Makoto Shinkai managed to turn a lifetime's story into a three-segment short film, illustrating the agony of space between two would-be lovers. His ability to capture emotion within the frame is astounding, and the pauses he uses with the exhilarating imagery only greatens the effect. With these movies, it's more about the things unsaid than the things actually said.
Review (Spoilers!)
If anything, the biggest selling point of this film was the typical buildup that warps into a very, sad and unexpectedly agonizing downfall. This one didn't actually make me cry (though I'm not afraid to admit that I did get watery a few times), but I did feel extremely miserable afterwards. Why? Because it's so very true. Happy endings only rarely happen.
The first episode, Cherry Blossoms, was masterfully done. The whole narration with letters allowed the imagery to speak for itself. You could feel the freezing pain of Tono as he waited on the train for hours upon hours and the upwelling of joy when he saw Akari still waiting for him at the train station. This is love between two young people in its rawest form, without any stains or disruptions. Something so pure, as they've yet to realize how fragile it truly is. This kiss scene had the greatest quote as well:
"At that moment, I felt like I understood things like the existence of eternity, the heart and the soul.And the next moment, I became unbearably sad."
The introduction to the series left a sweet taste in my mouth. I truly thought happy endings would ensue. Only then did I realize good films never end happy.
The second chapter, Cosmonaut, features Tono now in highschool. The imagery constantly displays Tono staring off into the distant planets and stars with Akari standing by his side. The actual story involves another girl, Takaki, who has been in love with him since she first saw him. However, she had gone through all of highschool never saying anything. She would always see him e-mailing some person, wishing that the person was her. When she finally gathers the courage to say something to him, they see an amazing rocket fire off in the distance towards space. Only then does she realize that Tono had been looking past her the whole time, into something beyond his reach. In this episode, Tono is always portrayed as silently determined, kind and persistent. He always seems like he knows exactly what he's doing and exactly what he wants, but deep down inside you know that all he longs for is a reunion with Akari. Throughout the episode you think that he might be e-mailing Akari, till he mentions that he had developed a habit of writing e-mails to nobody, and then deletes them. It's quite sad to see this boy, with all of his life in front of him, so caught up in the idea of his past love. This episode does a great job of NEVER mentioning Akari, which only pronounces their distance even more.
The final chapter, 5 Centimeters Per Second, shows Tono now working, tired, and meandering through life with a lost sense of purpose. He's broken up with his girlfriend of three years, quit his job, and truly unhappy with the way things are going. You see his room, littered with the debris of a lonely life. The imagery is so unsettling because of how realistically it portrays the single lifestyle. Akari, on the other hand, has moved on and is to be married. In the final moment (and the beginning), Tono is walking down a street with sakura petals blowing in the wind. He crosses the same railroad tracks that he and Akari did when they were children, and she was there, except this time they were both adults. Just as the bars went down, they both started to turn around only to be met by the rush of a speeding train. When the trains finish moving, she is no longer there. The. Saddest. Moment. Ever. He smiles, and then walks on. The music video part of the chapter was just a tad weird, but the whole point is to get you to focus on the lyrics of the song (the true basis for this movie). Masayoshi Yamazaki's "One more time, One more chance" is literally the foundation for everything.
Themes run rampant throughout. The use of distance, measuring how long it would take for the space equipment to get to the launch bay, how close Tono and his new girlfriend have gotten after 1000 messages. The portrayal of sakura blossoms and snow, and the use of the train scene both at the very beginning and the end. There's a shitton more to talk about, but I could spend days analyzing them and getting nowhere. What I want to talk about is the soul of the writing.The story is about how time and space destroys the idea of love. Relationships rarely stand the test of time, and I believe that this film spoke volumes to me because I had been in a very similar experience. People will drift away gradually and slowly, 5 centimeters at a time. Each scene bleeds with a saturated emotion that is so constantly muted and surpressed that you want to explode. 5 Centimeters Per Second is an amazing portrayal of bittersweet endings, understanding that people change over time, and that you must learn to pick yourself up and move on, no matter how much pain you have to bear. You may look around every corner, in every alley window, and at every bus stop, even if you know that person is not there. Instead just remember that love existed, that you felt and were apart of it, smile, and look forward.
I had to write this review. I woke up to a grey sky this morning, thinking nothing except how emo this anime was. In a different light, however, it's refreshing to see something like this and get it out of your system. There is a lesson to be learned here, and it is that if you're always stuck moving at snail pace, waiting for something to happen or to find that one someone, nothing will ever come true. Always look forward. Coming up! The Sky Crawlers review! Also, sorry for the bad habit of reviewing shit that has already been out for like, years lol.
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