Byousoku 5 Centimeter (5 Centimeters Per Second)

Alternative Titles

English: 5 Centimeters Per Second

Synonyms: Five Centimeters Per Second, Byousoku 5 Centimeter - a chain of short stories about their distance, 5 Centimetres Per Second, 5 cm per second

Japanese: 秒速５センチメートル

Information

Type: Movie

Episodes: 3

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: Mar 3, 2007

Producers: None found, add some

Licensors: ADV Films, Bandai Entertainment, Discotek Media, Crunchyroll

Studios: CoMix Wave Films

Source: Original

Genres: Drama, Romance, Slice of Life

Duration: 22 min. per ep.

Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older

Statistics

Score: 7.78¹ (scored by 381,552 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #857²

² based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #127

Members: 633,027

Favorites: 9,251

7.78

Ranked #857Popularity #127Members 633,027

MovieCoMix Wave Films

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Trailer

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Synopsis

What happens when two people love each other but just aren't meant to be together? Takaki Toono and Akari Shinohara are childhood friends, but circumstances beyond their control tear them apart. They promise to stay in contact, and although the progression of time widens the distance between them, the chain of memories remains ever-present.

Byousoku 5 Centimeter is a romantic drama that focuses on the mundane and harsh reality of long-distance relationships. Stuck in the past and unable to make any new memories, Takaki and Akari cling to the hope of seeing each other again. They live their everyday lives half-heartedly, both hurting themselves and the people around them.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Byousoku 5 Centimeter was completed on January 22, 2007. The first of three parts was available for streaming on Yahoo! Japan exclusively for its premium users between February 16 and 19. The complete film was released on March 3, 2007.

The film won the 2007 Asia Pacific Screen Award for Best Animated Feature Film.

Episode Videos

Episode 1

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Related Anime

Adaptation:

Byousoku 5 Centimeter, Byousoku 5 Centimeter

More characters

Characters & Voice Actors

Toono, Takaki

Main

Mizuhashi, Kenji
Japanese

Sumida, Kanae

Main

Hanamura, Satomi
Japanese

Shinohara, Akari

Main

Onoue, Ayaka
Japanese

Sumida, Sister

Supporting

Mizuno, Risa
Japanese

Mizuno, Risa

Supporting

Mizuno, Risa
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Chung, Jin Ho

Producer

Shinkai, Makoto

Director, Sound Director, Episode Director, Script, Storyboard, Editing, Original Character Design, Original Creator, Art Director, Director of Photography, Color Design

Foster, Steven

Script, ADR Director

Yamazaki, Masayoshi

Theme Song Performance

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Opening Theme

No opening themes have been added to this title. Help improve our database by adding an opening theme here.

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Ending Theme

"One more time, one more chance" by Masayoshi Yamazaki

More reviews

Reviews

Sep 13, 2008

3 of 3 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 10

TheLlama (All reviews)

2501 people found this review helpful

From Makoto Shinkai (Voices of a Distant Star, The Place Promised in Our Early Days) comes 5 Centimetes per Second, a movie that tells the story of two childhood friends in love, and how they try to keep their relationship going through hardships that life throws at them. Throogh three small stories, or episodes as they're called, we're told the tale of how they grow up and farther away from each other.

The movie tells of a love that's slowly torn apart because the lovers move further away, both in heart and home. It's underlying themes are beautifully incorporated into the story; about growing up, letting go of an unreachable past, and taking control of one's own life. Though they're not necessarily very obvious throughout the movie, the final scene symbolizes these themes, and what the main characters decided on in the end.

The character we follow through the movie is Takaki Tohno, and we get to see how he looks on the events that unfold as a child, a teenager and finally, and adult. We see how he develops through these stages of life, and how it all relates to his childhood friend and love, Akari Shinohara.

The emotions are protrayed in an incredibly beautiful and realistic way; how they portray the love between Akari and Takaki, how they portray the girl who has a crush on Tohno during his high school years, Kanae Sumida, and finally, how they portray their development from children to adults all makes them characters you'll place your heart with. They're characters you'll love, feel sad with, and you'll wish for them to live happily.

The animation quality is astounding, from the detail in backgrounds to the astounding ligthing effects and camera angles that help bring the mood of the scenes to a level different from mostly anything else. The only beef I have is that the characters' faces lost a bit of detail from time to time, but aside that the movie is a visual pleasure that goes beyond pretty much everything I've ever experienced.

Tenmon, who's made the soundtrack to other Shinaki films, does an astounding job on the soundtrack for the movie, with piano pieces that effectively and beautifully amplifies the mood of the movie, be it melancholy, calmness or nostalgia. However, if you don't like piano soundtracks, chances are you'll not like it, since it's mostly the piano that's used throughout the movie (I love them though, and that's what made me give it a 10).

The seiyuu also do a marvelous job of portraying the characters, their emotions and age. I've only watched the Japanese version of the movie, so I can't say anything about the quality of the English voice acting. But I'd recommend it in Japanese anyways =)

5 cm per Second is a movie that takes a story of growing up and makes it into something that cannot be described as anything less than a masterpiece, with astounding themes, storytelling, art and sound. If someone told me I could watch one movie before I died, I'd undoubtedly choose this one.

To 'Not Helpful' voters (and you 'Helpful' voters too): Feedback greatly appreciated =)

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Jul 17, 2014

3 of 3 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 7

palladia (All reviews)

1306 people found this review helpful

I'm...confused. I wanted so much to enjoy this movie. I was absolutely sure that this was going to be one of those works of art that leaves you breathless, sitting there for minutes, maybe even an hour after it finishes, just trying to take it all in.

If you love this movie, you will most likely hate me for this review. Call me someone with a heart of ice, whatever you will. I am simply expressing my thoughts on it.

I'll break this into a two-part review. The first part will be my thoughts, written as I think of them, the second part an analysis read more

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Apr 13, 2008

3 of 3 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 6

yanmzry (All reviews)

697 people found this review helpful

I happened upon this anime in several anime fan sites as it was considered one of the higher rated animes even until today. Reading how some people said it rivaled works that of Miyazaki, I had high expectations for it. But unfortunately it was a total letdown.

The only thing I really enjoyed about the movie was the animation quality and detail that was put into the movie. The animation was just simply beautiful from the vividness of the background to the fluid motion of characters but then, sadly, the praise ends here.

The story and the characters were very anti-climactic as no real progress is met read more

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Aug 22, 2010

3 of 3 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 7

Lindle (All reviews)

168 people found this review helpful

Makoto Shinkai is a fairly big name in the industry of anime films. The mind responsible for Voices Of A Distant Star and The Place Promised In Our Early Days among others, he has made his name for creating absolutely stunning landscapes, coupled with beautiful animation, set to simple stories of romance. And amongst his movies, 5 Cm Per Second is often hyped up to be the best.

Now, let me get this out of the way now: The visuals in 5 Cm Per Second are nothing short of amazing. Shinkai creates some of the most brilliant landscapes I have ever seen. He emphasises the seasons with absolute perfection, bringing out all the most beautiful aspects of Spring, Summer and Winter (Fall is not pictured in this movie), making an incredibly immersive experience. Coupled with some of the highest-end animation I've ever witnessed, the visuals are probably the single biggest draw of the film, and I seriously recommend that you watch this in the highest quality that you possibly can.

The story is separated into 3 acts, the first being about two childhood friends, Takaki and Akari, who were separated by distance. They keep in contact, but as one of them is about to move elsewhere, the other makes a journey to see them one last time. The second shows Takaki in high school, and is told from the perspective of another girl who is desperately in love with him. The final act shows Takaki and Akari as adults, showing the epilogue to their love separated by distance.

The story, in all honesty, is very lacking. The actual plot of them is pretty much summed up in the above paragraph, with the rest of it simply being character interaction and focus on the scenery. This could actually have been the formula for a brilliant movie, but the problem is that the characters all fall completely flat. Not a single one gets any development, and we barely get any feel whatsoever for their personalities. Rather than putting any focus on the characters, the movie only really cares to use landscapes to convey emotion rather than giving us anything remotely human.

Now, this may make it sound like this movie is bad, but to tell the truth I can't really bring myself to say it is. The story and characters may be completely 2-dimensional, but the story overcompensates with enormous production values, and it actually works. Hell, if you're the kind of person who generally likes love stories then you'll probably really enjoy that side of it as well. In essence, it's good if you're into that sort of thing. Even if you aren't, I'd still recommend watching this just for the amazing depth of the environment Shinkai builds.

However, one thing that should not go unmentioned is the song at the end of the movie, "One More Time, One More Chance" by Masayoshi Yamazaki, which is quite possibly the largest concentration of pure, unbridled tearjerker ever compressed into a single song since Johnny Cash performed Hurt. The soulful voice, combined with the beautiful imagery and shots of the couple in their young adulthood bring home the entire plot perfectly in a way that will have you crying your eyes out in no time.

Overall, 5 Cm Per Second is overrated, but generally entertaining and far from the worst way to kill an hour or so, and if you're a fan of romantic stories then you'll absolutely love it.

Final Words: A must-see for fans of romance, and a great example of scenery porn for everyone else.

Animation/Graphics: 10/10
Story/Plot: 5/10
Music/Background: 10/10

Overall: 7/10

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