Back to LegioXEquistris's Profile LegioXEquistris's Profile

I have attempted to accurately describe why I dislike this anime, and I have failed momentously on every occasion (I may have even failed this time around). Some may call this lazy, but I find it suitable for the situation. In the portion of this review dedicated to addressing story and characters, I will compare 5 Centimeters Per Second to a literary work considered to be one of the greatest gothic novels of all time: Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. Is this a fair comparison? No. But it will be much easier for me to reference Wuthering Heights since it accomplishes what 5 Centimeters Per Second ... could not accomplish and is vital in addressing some of the more fundamental flaws of this movie.







WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!!!









In Wuthering Heights, Catherine and Heathcliff are two seemingly inseparable lovers just as Takaki and Akari are. Additionally, Catherine and Heathcliff refuse to change just as Takaki and Akari do. Even in the face of marriages (Akari and Catherine), their loves for their respective "similar beings" persist. Both relationships are intended to be shown as the negative way in which relationships that never change can be detrimental to those involved and those surrounded by them. Examples from both works would include Kanae and Isabella. However, unlike in Wuthering Heights, no proper alternative to this destructive relationship is ever presented. The movie comes off as a frustrated and cynical criticism of this relationship without a proper solution as to how to resolve this issue. In Wuthering Heights, Hareton and Catherine share a relationship that develops in a normal enough manner and progresses and changes with time as Bronte views that a relationship should. If a lack of a solution is Makoto Shinkai's method of presenting a theme, then this should have been a problem drama rather than a romantic drama turned tragedy. It is generally much more difficult to offer a solution to a problem than to point out its existence. This is one of the primary reasons Emily Bronte is such a respected author today. Bronte shows the negative effects especially well through Heathcliff. In 5 Centimeters Per Second, the audience has to be told by Takaki himself that his morals deteriorated because of his obsessive love. However, Heathcliff experiences a physical and evident turn from an innocent man with a passionate love for Catherine to a vengeful and malevolent villain. The approach taken in Wuthering Heights is much more affective and helps the audience become more invested in what transpires. Additionally, instead of facing his problems directly in the final scene, Takae walks away from his problems and refuses to apologize to those whom he hurt (i.e. Akari for not even telling her his true feelings when it is revealed that he could have easily done so or Kanae for refusing to even consider her as anything other than a friend). Shinkai couldn't even manage to have Takaki take a villainous role similar to what Heathcliff does in Wuthering Heights. Instead, it feels that everybody in 5 Centimeters Per Second needlessly suffers because Takaki is too cowardly to face his problems and tell anybody the truth about what he is feeling. Even in the end when he walks away from Akari, he has hurt her and himself by not running after her to apologize for never talking to her after their reunion. In fact, Takaki's problem is self perpetuated by his inability to act while Heathcliff simply is driven to becoming a bitter villain after his love, Catherine, is married to Edgar. More than anything else, the story feels like a major letdown and a source of missed potential.








SPOILERS END HERE







On the note of art style, the visuals are impressive and frequently serve to further and advance ideas and tone within the work. Such instances include the somewhat symbolic nature of the rocket launch in Tanegashima, the crossroads in Takaki's hometown, and the frequent changes in lighting and weather to influence mood (empathetic nature). The art style is impressive from a technical standpoint as well. However, there are some imperfections with the art. The art itself becomes noticeably more grainy in Episode 2 onwards (I don't know whether this is simply my computer acting up or that this really occurs. If you known the answer to this, please let me know). The bitrate also becomes noticeably slower, (once again, not sure if this is my computer or not).
The sound and special effects are pretty average. There really isn't much of note in that regard.

P.S. Thanks for reading this review! I just want to give a simple aside to the audience. If you have any constructive criticism on my writing style or the points that I bring up within the review, please feel free to let me know! I'm always open to suggestions and realize that my writing is far from perfect. If you have some insight to this anime that I missed, please, feel free to let me know.