[anime] 秒速５センチメートル ~ final review

I am so stupid! I was watching story 2 and was thinking, “geez…that guy looks very much like the one in story 1…” For some odd reason, I had the preconception that these three stories were all standalones. Well they’re not. Let me correct myself. All three stories revolve around the guy, Takaki Touno.

Story 1: Cherry Blossoms

After their one night reunion, Takaki and Akari go their separate ways…

Story 2: Astronaut

Here, Takaki is a highschooler and is friends with a classmate of his – Kanae Sumita. She has feelings for him and near then end decides to bring up the courage to tell him. But she realises that his heart is elsewhere and that she is not the one to fill up the emptiness within him. We see Takaki as a gentle character but always seem to be yearning for something. He expresses this in his text messages but they are never sent…

Story 3: 5cm per second

Takaki is now an adult and working in Tokyo – he throws himself into work, up to a point when he realises that he’s lost all direction in life, living basically an aimless life. One day, Akari sends him a message…

Story: 9

Characters: 8

Music: 9

All three arcs of the story was amazing. The whole animation draws you into the world of Takaki and Akari. Completely breathtaking…the whole gentleness of it…As I’ve mentioned before, the soundtrack also compliments the work. I just realised that the OST is not available for sale on its own!! It was released together with the Limited Edition of the animation (Japan version)! Well luckily someone has their hands on it – it’s on IMEEM. Have a listen…if you’ve watched the anime, I’m sure you will enjoy it!

I don’t know what it is but I really like this scene…all I can say is that Makoto Shinkai is truly incredible!

Edit: One thing that bugged me just a little was why Takaki and Akari could not have a happy ending. To me, distance would be the easiest thing to overcome. To say that distance pulled them apart was probably acceptable when they were kids but as adults? Sounds like a bit of a stretch…aside from this, I still consider it to be a 1 hour well spent!!

[anime] 秒速５センチメートル ~ the music

Remember how I mentioned how gentle the music is? It’s almost like it’s too shy! Quietly stepping in to make its entrance and quietly disappearing off again…well I’ve decided to buy the OST! HA! Well it wasn’t that expensive and given that I’ve put aside the crazy idea of going to Japan for a concert, I figured I could splurge on a few extra CDs! hahaha

Check out the music – my favourite track is 雪の駅 (Yuki no Eki) – it’s the heart to the anime – adding just the right touch. Honestly takes you out of this world! The other track – One more time, One more chance – this track is not bad but I prefer a softer piece to suit the anime (well the first story that I’ve watched). It gains too much volume and strength which doesn’t quite match the aura of Cherry Blossoms. But maybe I’ll change my mind by the time I finish the entire DVD….! ^_^

I’ve uploaded the two tracks to IMEEM.

How I rate this OST?

It’s basically worth it’s price!! Four STARS (out of 5)!! Honestly, just looking at the cover, I feel like I’m being spirited into another world! haha Which is EXACTLY what I look for! =)

[anime] 秒速５センチメートル ~ Byōsoku Go Senchimētoru

A Makoto Shinkai production, the English translated title of this anime is 5 centimeters per second, a chain of short stories about their distance.

At what speed should I live life, so that I can meet you again?

This is a selection of three independent animation stories of approximately 25 minutes long. Somehow, each ties back to the central theme of distance.

♦ 桜花抄 ~ Cherry Blossoms

♦ コスモナウト ~ Astronaut

♦ 秒速5センチメートル ~ 5cm Per Second

So far, I have only watched the first story – Cherry Blossoms. This was honestly an amazing piece of work! I was so captivated by the animation that I often forgot to read the subtitles! Seriously a breathtaking experience. For those who like quality animation, you have to check this out. The story was very simple, about two young students who were forced to separate when the girl moved to another town. They wrote to each other, cared about each other and one year later, decided to meet again. So simple and captures a gentle and quiet series of events but somehow becomes compelling thanks to the visuals and whispering music in the background. An outstanding work of art. I cannot further stress the sheer quality of this!

Please check this out! I will update again once I finish the following two stories…

Official Japanese website

Note there are wallpapers at the official website! MUST DOWNLOAD! It’s the last button on the right in the menu bar that runs across the page.

Official English website

Appears to be under construction – not much to check out…but there is a trailer.

Makoto Shinkai Fan Website

Looks like the person did a fair amount of translation work – worth a quick look.

You can also buy the DVD from here! It is definitely worth buying (well I’ve only watched the first story…) Although I’m directing you to the HK version, it has English subs and this is the real thing so no need to worry about crappy subs or video quality! Price is reasonable too!