5 Centimeters per Second
| So, I watched that anime yesterday night. and well I guess I'd give it a 7 out of 10. I liked the first chapter, but the other two chapters were a little meh, can anyone help tell me what I didn't get out of the story? First chapter was good in the beginning, but it got really boring while he was on the train. Once he reached her then it was good. Second chapter was okay. I don't understand why there needs to be another girl. Does it portray the fact that a guy won't give up his love for someone new? I think about that :P Third part was short and well, kind of bad. I have no idea why they just showed a song to end everything. The song and everything went by a little fast but I'll explain my questions into detail under. 1st Chapter ========= 1) Was the letter Akari holding at the end of the first chapter the letter that Takaki had that flew away while he was at the vending machine? What was it for? 2) why did it seem like Akari was the only one who was sending letters? ========== 2nd Chapter ========== 3) What exactly was the point of the second chapter? As explained in what I thought about it from above. 4) (Taken from above) Does it portray the fact that a guy won't give up his love for someone new? 5) What was the point of the rocket ship? 6) What is Kanae's point in the story? 7) What happens to Akari during Junior High? (If it's possible to know) 8) So Takaki was sending text messages (to Akari I suppose?) but later on I think he said he couldn't do it or didn't do it? (I have terrible memory lol) Was he afraid of sending it to her or what? 9) Was the significance of Kanae mastering surfing or whatever what she was going to do after school? ========= 3rd Chapter ========= 10) In the third chapter, they're all grown up I suppose... Did Akari and Takaki lost contact with each other? 11) From the song playing at the end, was that Takaki with another guy? (it went really fast but someone or her? was waiting in the snow I think, then a guy with an umbrella comes up and she walks away with him) 12) The dumb video went by really fast, but was that Takaki who was always by her or always saw her or someone who looked like her? IDK 13) What exactly is the point of the third chapter? 14) Does the third chapter show that Akari (if that lady was Akari walking with the other man who I think isn't Takaki) wasn't as faithful as Takaki? or was their lack of communication with each other (I guess) cause them to lose touch with each other? 15) Does this story show that distance is possible? LOL I have no idea... What exactly did I not get from this story? 16) At the end where they walk past each other and I guess the girl was Akari, what was the point of that? Will they see each other again the next year? (as Akari said in the beginning of the story when they were children?) They looked back before the trains passed by, but Takaki ended up being the only one there and walked away... Hehe Guys must be more faithful in relationships ;P Thanks and sorry for the long and confused questions! This is all from a question I posted at Yahoo!Answers if you're wondering. I am a curious person as well. I read in the other forums about the cell phone text'. It's a shame they lost contact after the train. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AkTiEKe39crlrgjGy2ciGyLsy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20100716051531AA7DmOr |
| You'll probably need to watch this again in a few years. XD But jokes aside, 5cm per second is really quite a cryptic piece. I'll start by answering as many of your questions as I can. Chapter 1 1.) That letter is actually a different letter from the one Touno lost at the train station. It's addressed to Touno, and was presumably a letter that Akari wrote and intended to give to him. 2.) Touno did reply back, every time. The only reason his letters aren't read out are just because of the narrative style. Basically, that's the way the story is told. Chapter 2 3 - 6.) I'll try and explain later. 7.) Presumably... she learns? That's what most people do at junior high, or so I believe. 8.) Unfortunately, no, he actually wasn't sending texts to her. If you'll listen to his monologue again, he actually wonders to himself: "Since when did I get into the habit of writing texts to nobody...?". In that scene in episode two, where he gets his little part of the narrative, we're shown one of his texts, where he writes about his dream of the woman with him, staring at the landscape. He chooses not to save the text, and deletes it. 9.) To be honest there's very little 'significance', but in a way, that is in itself important. I'll explain in more detail below. Chapter 3 10.) Yes, they're grown up. Touno has a job (though he has, apparently, quit it), and Akari is getting married. Presumably they lost contact since before the events of episode 2. 11.) This one confuses me; can you say it again, in more detail? Touno with another guy? 12 - 16.) In detail below. ========================================= As for the questions I have skipped over above: before they can be answered, the meaning behind this anime must first be discussed. Note first, that these are my own impressions and interpretations of this movie, and as with anything else, may well only be a matter of opinion. 5cm Per Second is a story about real life. Not a light, comedic romance, not a fable with a moral, and certainly not some sort of fantasy story. It is about real life. Episode one begins the story by introducing us to the characters and, more importantly, their feelings for each other. We come to understand through the letters, the flashbacks, and Touno's narrative, that Touno and Akari like each other. These mutual feelings are conveyed through this portion of the story and made obvious with the kiss they shared under the sakura tree. Of course, it also makes one feel rather warm and fuzzy inside, just as you would expect the average romance story to do. However, it also introduces ideas that are built upon more significantly later, particularly in the last episode. There are several obstacles presented in this part, the first of which is distance; Akari and Touno are separated by it, and even despite their letters it continues to tear them apart, as subtly implied by his having to move even further away. Another such obstacle is time, which has resulted from the snowfalls; Touno's lone struggle against time and his immense sadness not only adds tension to this portion of the story, but also foreshadows their eventual separation as the years pass away. Touno's closing line to the episode, "I just want the power to protect her", also show us his innocent and somewhat childish outlook on the situation. With these woven in, the story begins the departure from a simple romance to something that can depict the long road of one life in a simple hour. Episode two fast-forwards to a time when Touno has been at his new school for a fair while. It introduces a new character, Kanae, who leads much of the narrative in this part. The change to a new character's perspective may be quite confusing at first, but hopefully it's more easily understandable after having seen the rest of the episode, or the entire movie. The 'purpose' behind this is to offer a new view, a new window, into the life of Touno. Kanae serves not only as the main character of this portion, but as another way to portray the harshness of love, as well as the gradual growth of a person into an adult. Throughout this episode we're shown a number of things repeatedly. The first is, of course, Kanae's love for Touno. She's nigh-on obsessed with him, and finds herself happy just by being around him. The other is more subtle, but you'll find that it is actually Kanae's struggles. She has trouble with surfing, can't think of what she wants to do in the future, and finds herself unable to confess to the person she's in love with. Her continued struggles against her failings is the movie's way of depicting real life struggles; her very endeavors represent the way teenagers her age cope with the things that they are faced with. In particular her resolve to confess on the same day she surfs properly is reflective of the many varied wishes a person of her age would similarly be having. The fact that she manages to surf, but also comes to the realisation that Touno has never liked her, is a way of saying that not all of these wishes or dreams will come true. Her painful acceptance of this fact represents growth. The rocket is another hint (a metaphor, if you will) at the pain that comes with distance. In Touno's short little intrusion into the narrative in episode two, he wonders about the rocket's liftoff and muses that it must be the most lonely journey in the world, flying above in the darkness of the stars. This is quite tragically ironic, considering that Touno's own life (and that of the viewer, or so this movie assumes) is a journey that will inevitably come with loneliness at some points. Episode three is the wrap-up to these three short stories and chronicles an unknown span of time in Touno's grown-up life. We are shown glimpses of his new lifestyle and of the life he now leads, and given closure of sorts to the romance that began years beforehand. I've made this way too long by accident, so I'll keep this part short, but the main message of this last third of the movie is conveyed through three main things showed: Touno's briefly glimpsed relationship with a woman at his workplace (and the subsequent breakup), both Touno and Akari's memories of that meeting in the snow, and finally, their continuing lives. Touno's new relationship with the woman, which had been going on for three years, revisits the harshness of reality. Their flashbacks portray regret and suggest the idea that life doesn't always go the way you expect. Perhaps the most powerful thing depicted here, though, is their continuing lives. In the last scene, where the two are about to see each other again but have their view blocked by trains, Touno is seen smiling and turning to walk on. The two of them are able to live on in spite of being separated. ================================== I do not think that there is any clear-cut, obvious moral to this story, like "people should be more faithful" or anything like that. Rather, to me, it means that people will meet and create memories, move on, and be able to hold these close despite having left. In the end, what 5cm Per Second shows is not really a matter of fixing, keeping or even having a relationship, but a part of life that comes and passes. I really think that it's up to your own interpretation for the most part, though. I would advise you to pick a little less at the details of this, and feel the emotions behind this yourself. ^^ |
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| Haha thanks! Very clear answer =] Sorry about number 11, I meant to say Akari with another guy :P I also noticed a girl with glasses, who probably texted Touno during the song part of ep. 3. and alright I get ya. I'll have to get over the romance part and look at its other features of what make it a movie =] I thought the Rocket Ship was sort of like an easter egg to his other movies? I was told that. Anyway thanks a lot! |
| The man with Akari is her unnamed fiancée, and that woman with glasses is Touno's girlfriend, who breaks up with him. I have absolutely no idea whether or not the rocket is an easter egg. XD And I can actually understand exactly what you mean when you say the other two chapters are a little meh. Unless you're really looking for deep meanings in it, 5cm can be quite dull or strange. I also found the ending incredibly hard to stomach, since it seemed so tragic to me. You can think of that tl;dr post I wrote above as my way of dealing with it. |
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| Meh, I think I have a slighly different opinion for this anime... 1) The letter Akari was holding was from her to Takaki, it just means that she loves him just as much as he does. She was exactly as him. 2) I don't see why this question was asked at all :D. The idea is to show that Takaki was reading them all, just look at him while he's reading, if my memory's correct they don't show his face, that's the whole point. Chapter 2: 3) They show that even after years of separation Takaki still holds the same feelings towards Akari. This is a really difficult question... One more point to this chapter is that He can choose another girl at anytime, this is to show us how strong indeed are his feelings for Akari. 4) More like guys are really affectionate, but in my opinion this is solely for the character. 5) Now this is an interesting question. I have some ideas about this, I hope that both of you, midgemage and Chu4Lyfe can help me about it. It represents something beautiful getting farther and farther away ahead of us all. About that moment, Kanae realizes that her hopes and love for Takaki are one-sided and sees the rocket. But she is desperately in love with him. The same day she said: "If I don't tell it to him today, I will never do it". And in the end of the day she didn't confess. We could say that something departed along with that rocket towards space, and we're sure that this thing wasn't her tears. This is a partially tragic chapter. Why partially? Well he isn't as torn as she is, Takaki suffers because he can't see his loved one, he doesn't think of anyone but Akari, which is a critical hit for Kanae. Practically the first sentence answered the question directly <.<. 6) Hmmm, I believe I made that clear in the upper paragraph. 7) That's not given because it's not that important, or this is what I believe :D 8) I'll try not to repeat, but... Those text messages are addressed to nobody, he never sends them. They are to represent his loneliness. They are about events that he made up. Now that's more interesting, why does he make these things up? 9) I won't answer that. Chapter 3: 10) Well, that's what the impression makes you think. We can't say for sure. 11) Really? I couldn't bring myself to focus the images, my eyes were soaked so I couldn't see. 12) - 16) I too think I'm going to answer it as one. "Yesterday I had a dream. A dream of the distant past. Within that dream, the two of us were still thirteen... standing upon the vast field, blanketed in snow as far as the eye could see. In the distance, the lights shimmering in the houses were set sparsely, far and wide. All that was left upon the newly fallen snow were our footprints. Just like that we wished, without hesitation, that one day the two of us would be able to see the cherry blossoms together again." --- Last lines in the anime. That quote should contain almost all of the answers... |
| It's been so long since I asked this. Lols. But the Manga summed up a lot of questions I had, not sure if its canon to the story or whatever but I loved it ;D |
| This truly was one of the most tragic stories (I didn't cry though). If only it had a happy ending - but that rarely happens in real life. I came here pretty late but I just watched the movie today and you guys helped me understand the context Thank you very much. |
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Coloneltreavy said: This truly was one of the most tragic stories (I didn't cry though). If only it had a happy ending - but that rarely happens in real life. I came here pretty late but I just watched the movie today and you guys helped me understand the context Thank you very much. this guy said evrything i want to say, including the "late" part... but man, i know this anime wants to show you that this IS real life works, but i dont know, i still wants some happy ending in the end so that i wont be so depressed, but other parts of me wants it stay like it is so it wont destroy the "realistic" story in it.... but sigh, some of my mind regret watching this because of the depression.... ps: sorry for bad english |
daichisama said: And why do you keep calling it romance? It's a tragedy! So Romeo and Juliet was not a romance? Mind=Blown |
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| Nothing, it's not that special. Wait, this threads really old. |
Slyr3do0nFeb 1, 2014 7:22 PM
Slyr3do0n said: Nothing, it's not that special. Wait, this threads really old. Fite me. |
| People completely misunderstood the movie. This should be re-watched so you can truly appreciate it. I've seen a lot of other magical bullshit romance shows with fairy tale like forced happy endings. What made this movie so good is that it reflected reality perfectly. And while the ending was a sad one, it was a memorable one as well. Give it one more time, one more chance if you didn't appreciate it the first time. You will realize the complications of chasing a destiny. |
Chu4Lyfe said: 16) At the end where they walk past each other and I guess the girl was Akari, what was the point of that? Will they see each other again the next year? (as Akari said in the beginning of the story when they were children?) They looked back before the trains passed by, but Takaki ended up being the only one there and walked away... They never ran into each other as adults at the railroad crossing I'm too lazy to explain this, but just read here http://anime.stackexchange.com/questions/4387/five-centimeters-per-second-what-does-the-ending-mean you could also cryptically say that he'll only be able to meet her if he is able to overcome this part of the past. xD Since lots of people are sad because of the ending, I'd really recommend to read the manga. It's true there's not much story and such but if you give it more of a thought it can be quite interesting: *SPOOOIIIILEEEERRR* Kanaes situation is ironically exactly the same as tounos. She doeesn't even know where Touno is but she wants to meet him badly though he's not there. She has another person who loves her but she clings at the past and on her feelings to him from then. She isn't able to live on without meeting him <one more time> (xDD) so that she can be finallly sure about his feelings. Now it gets interesting: While touno looks after akari everywhere on the streets knowing she can't be there but still unrationally looking after her Kanae (at least to me it seems so) uses modern technology - other people, other ways - to find about his whereabouts It doesn't even take her much time to find out his whereabouts (or rather his phone number but we can count them as the same^^) Pls. don't ask me why touno never used such ways to find about akaris whereabouts. It's impossible that he didn't know her full name since he wrote so many letters to her in the past where you need an address and a name. So why did he never try to use people to find out her whereabouts and why did he never use such methods when it's shown that Kanae has no problems to solve her case the same way?! Well it really isn't my place to find this out. There are other people who may do better in asking this. Anyway The manga ends with some kind of cliffhangar aka. the story is not finished. As lots of people already have said the story represents real live: it's always on-going and it's not something you can easily set a FINISHED on. As is the manga. Though it's finished there are many possibilities of how the story may continue. My mother is in her 40's and finally got to meet her best childhood friend again. Ironically after she gave up on her and decided to set a"finished" to the past (and touno is clearly not in his 40's so there is still room for everything) Nobody knows how the story will continue, what may happen to kanae and touno. There are several possibilities though They could get together, touno could be inspired by kanaes strong desire to find him (and how she was able to do it) and take action herself. Kanae might want to confirm if touno has still feelings for akari or not and somehow arrange a meeting between them etc. Well long story short:the story goes on - Touno may still be able to meet Akari - also because he isn't obsessed with her anymore and doesn't depend on the condition to meet her. That way he could additionally meet her with proud, wouldn't need to be ashamed of getting seen by her and like that fulfilll the train promise that is mentioned in the manga and FUGGG now I really wrote a lot xD I guess that's cuz midgemage mentioned the last chapter is nothing special unless you give it a deeper thought xDD |
Crystalis777Mar 9, 2014 4:31 AM
| Something something something |
| The speed 5cm/s after 13 years (approximately the time which two of them last seen each other) is about the distance of the south pole and the north pole. It is the metaphor of the distance between them. Though I think it was a happy ending in the movie (even more in the manga) I just can't help myself being depressed..... |
| Life is a song - sing it. Life is a game - play it. Life is a challenge - meet it. Life is a dream - realize it. Life is a sacrifice - offer it. Life is love - enjoy it. |
| First of all, everyone should make their own interpretation, because this movie is difficult as everyone's life. To fully understand this, you may need to watch several times. Even then, you will never come up with accurate meaning/interpretation because it changes from one people to other. That's why I truly love Shinkai, because he is one of the few who can perfectly reflect reality and create something unique. This movie is worth watching in different ages, like Exupery's "The little prince". But I wanted to emphasize that you must pay attention to the titles of episodes. For example, Second episode is titled "Cosmonaut". Bot Kanae and Takaki are cosmonauts there. They are wandering in wide, infinite space, somewhere far away. |
| Tohno didnt even know the phone # of Akari |
| 16) At the end where they walk past each other and I guess the girl was Akari, what was the point of that? Will they see each other again the next year? (as Akari said in the beginning of the story when they were children?) They looked back before the trains passed by, but Takaki ended up being the only one there and walked away... It portrayed that Akari already move on while Takaki's still looking on the past. If you read the manga he once said that he's not good on expressing his feelings, i think that's the only thing that he regret. Because he didnt maintained their communication. |
louigel017 said: The speed 5cm/s after 13 years (approximately the time which two of them last seen each other) is about the distance of the south pole and the north pole. It is the metaphor of the distance between them. Though I think it was a happy ending in the movie (even more in the manga) I just can't help myself being depressed..... Wow, you are amazing... Even I didn't noticed it after everything I went through with this movie/manga O.o |
Rohn said: Takaki still loved her to the end of the movie, and probably forever - probably even if he loves and gets married to another woman, he would still love Akari. But really, it's their own faults, they probably weren't in relationships 5 years in the future, but decided to end it early after they kissed. She didn't hand him the letter. Bad decision making, not really realistic. Meaning, they could've had part times in high school to save money, and then rode the shinkansen to anywhere within mainland japan, in 12 hours max and met up easily after graduation, or gone to the same college. Who cares. There are a lot of plot holes if you just apply logic. I guess they were kids and kids make glaringly big mistakes? Is that the moral of the story? Or when you're 12, 5 years is a long as time from your perspective? I dunno... They probably felt like retards 5 years into the future. Like... "the fuck... we could be together if we didn't have downs back then" No... you're actually, well, not wrong, just it doesn't work that way... You see, I watched this movie years ago before reading the manga, I couldn't certainly understand it until I did, specially cause it made me realize how real the movie was, so real, that it was as if a part of my life had been written into a movie. When you are a kid, you don't think about love or anything, you just like hanging around with that person, that's enough for you. Akari didn't give him the letter so she won't have him tied, she wanted him to make a life, his own life, she was really far away and she knew he could do well by himself. At the time Takaki left Akari, he was thinking that he wanted to become someone she could be proud of, she wanted to protect her and both her and his feelings. He started changing a lot, became more outgoing, went out a lot and so on, but then he couldn't accept it, he had changed too much and couldn't accept that 'himself' as his real 'self'. During chapter 2 'cosmonaut' Takaki wanted to be with Akari, but you know, time flies away, it's hard to go back to someone you haven't seen nor talked for a long time and telling him/her you love her, it's not easy, Takaki just couldn't found himself to do it, then, he became obsessed with moving on, he wanted to forget her, to find someone new but he couldn't. In this half, Takaki is no more than a kind guy who doesn't care about other feelings, when Sumida tries to confess, his expression was that kind of "please, don't do this", as if telling her that he knew, but he can't return her feelings. In chapter 3 and the manga, Takaki is with a new person, but after so long, he became so hollow that he couldn't love anymore. He became so obsessed with moving on that he never faced his own feelings at all, he didn't write any letters to Akari, most of the time she had to do it first, not telling her how he felt was a regret much bigger than he could hold. Losing an important part of your life, as Akari was to Takaki is too much, I know this myself, i did the same thing and hurt a lot of people along the way... i just couldn't forgive myself for not doing anything with my feelings, for leaving them aside, for changing who I used to be and for hurting the people around me, I had lost all my feelings, I could neither feel happy or sad, I can understand exactly how Takaki felt. At the final scene with the train, Takaki thought that, if he turned around, then she would do it too, at that time, "you will be okay, Takaki-kun", those words are strong, seriously, just hearing those words can help a lot, cause it was what he wanted to hear, he knew Akari was going to be okay, that she would make her life all over again if needed with someone new, that she would fine someone who loves her as much as him, but what about him? would someone else actually love him? how would he be okay? he just wanted someone to tell him that, so he could actually believe its true. I do agree with you that they did huge mistakes, but that kind of things happen irl too, i did this myself. What you could learn from this is... face your feelings properly, don't care about rejection or distance, just do it, cause it's really hard feeling how everything went downhill because of that and you could hurt a lot of people in the way. Having regrets is tough, specially one that big. Don't ever leave things unfinished, be clear with your mind, don't change so other people like you, in the end, you won't accept youself. |
| Idk this movie as I was watching it, the main protagonist seemed to be in pain 24/7.. the distance that will never grow closer.. the effort you need to make .... the time that you lost... the future that doesn't wait for you... everything must've driven him nuts but he was trying to stay composed maybe?? But I feel salty about Akari not marrying takaki because how they both didn't try to look for each other... but hey not everyone has the same mindset and of course there will be one of not more people who will sway your mind... but idk i was really heartbroken by the fact Akari moved on while takaki was still in pain.. but maybe takaki was able to smile during the train tracks because he envisioned that Akari moved on... ash but I'm still salty fawwwwk.... And so far I think I'm the only one in 2015 who watched this and made a comment here won't |
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| This one is truly a masterpiece. The story is amazing. The message still ringing in my heart after years.(dont care much about the graphic) |
| This salad is salty favored |
| Just watched the movie. Carto738 said: This is what my impression was after finishing it. I've been desperately searching on the forums, trying to justify the movie. I want to enjoy it, I really do. I absolutely love feels, romance, drama, things of that nature. But I just can't enjoy this for some reason...Sorry for rezzing, but I really don't understand how people can say this anime is a masterpiece. Don't get me wrong, I'm a massive fan for tearjerker romance anime; just take a look at my list. However, this anime did not: 1. Make me feel 2.Make me cri nor did I understand anything at all. Once the anime ended, I was just like "Wait, that's it?". The only thing deserving any recognition in this anime from my perspective is the art, which absolutely stunning. If anyone here can explain why I didn't enjoy this movie as much as everyone else, then please do. If worse comes to worst I'll just read the manga. |
midgemage said: You'll probably need to watch this again in a few years. XD But jokes aside, 5cm per second is really quite a cryptic piece. I'll start by answering as many of your questions as I can. Chapter 1 1.) That letter is actually a different letter from the one Touno lost at the train station. It's addressed to Touno, and was presumably a letter that Akari wrote and intended to give to him. 2.) Touno did reply back, every time. The only reason his letters aren't read out are just because of the narrative style. Basically, that's the way the story is told. Chapter 2 3 - 6.) I'll try and explain later. 7.) Presumably... she learns? That's what most people do at junior high, or so I believe. 8.) Unfortunately, no, he actually wasn't sending texts to her. If you'll listen to his monologue again, he actually wonders to himself: "Since when did I get into the habit of writing texts to nobody...?". In that scene in episode two, where he gets his little part of the narrative, we're shown one of his texts, where he writes about his dream of the woman with him, staring at the landscape. He chooses not to save the text, and deletes it. 9.) To be honest there's very little 'significance', but in a way, that is in itself important. I'll explain in more detail below. [i]Chapter 3[/i] 10.) Yes, they're grown up. Touno has a job (though he has, apparently, quit it), and Akari is getting married. Presumably they lost contact since before the events of episode 2. 11.) This one confuses me; can you say it again, in more detail? Touno with another guy? 12 - 16.) In detail below. ========================================= As for the questions I have skipped over above: before they can be answered, the meaning behind this anime must first be discussed. Note first, that these are my own impressions and interpretations of this movie, and as with anything else, may well only be a matter of opinion. 5cm Per Second is a story about real life. Not a light, comedic romance, not a fable with a moral, and certainly not some sort of fantasy story. It is about real life. Episode one begins the story by introducing us to the characters and, more importantly, their feelings for each other. We come to understand through the letters, the flashbacks, and Touno's narrative, that Touno and Akari like each other. These mutual feelings are conveyed through this portion of the story and made obvious with the kiss they shared under the sakura tree. Of course, it also makes one feel rather warm and fuzzy inside, just as you would expect the average romance story to do. However, it also introduces ideas that are built upon more significantly later, particularly in the last episode. There are several obstacles presented in this part, the first of which is distance; Akari and Touno are separated by it, and even despite their letters it continues to tear them apart, as subtly implied by his having to move even further away. Another such obstacle is time, which has resulted from the snowfalls; Touno's lone struggle against time and his immense sadness not only adds tension to this portion of the story, but also foreshadows their eventual separation as the years pass away. Touno's closing line to the episode, "I just want the power to protect her", also show us his innocent and somewhat childish outlook on the situation. With these woven in, the story begins the departure from a simple romance to something that can depict the long road of one life in a simple hour. Episode two fast-forwards to a time when Touno has been at his new school for a fair while. It introduces a new character, Kanae, who leads much of the narrative in this part. The change to a new character's perspective may be quite confusing at first, but hopefully it's more easily understandable after having seen the rest of the episode, or the entire movie. The 'purpose' behind this is to offer a new view, a new window, into the life of Touno. Kanae serves not only as the main character of this portion, but as another way to portray the harshness of love, as well as the gradual growth of a person into an adult. Throughout this episode we're shown a number of things repeatedly. The first is, of course, Kanae's love for Touno. She's nigh-on obsessed with him, and finds herself happy just by being around him. The other is more subtle, but you'll find that it is actually Kanae's struggles. She has trouble with surfing, can't think of what she wants to do in the future, and finds herself unable to confess to the person she's in love with. Her continued struggles against her failings is the movie's way of depicting real life struggles; her very endeavors represent the way teenagers her age cope with the things that they are faced with. In particular her resolve to confess on the same day she surfs properly is reflective of the many varied wishes a person of her age would similarly be having. The fact that she manages to surf, but also comes to the realisation that Touno has never liked her, is a way of saying that not all of these wishes or dreams will come true. Her painful acceptance of this fact represents growth. The rocket is another hint (a metaphor, if you will) at the pain that comes with distance. In Touno's short little intrusion into the narrative in episode two, he wonders about the rocket's liftoff and muses that it must be the most lonely journey in the world, flying above in the darkness of the stars. This is quite tragically ironic, considering that Touno's own life (and that of the viewer, or so this movie assumes) is a journey that will inevitably come with loneliness at some points. Episode three is the wrap-up to these three short stories and chronicles an unknown span of time in Touno's grown-up life. We are shown glimpses of his new lifestyle and of the life he now leads, and given closure of sorts to the romance that began years beforehand. I've made this way too long by accident, so I'll keep this part short, but the main message of this last third of the movie is conveyed through three main things showed: Touno's briefly glimpsed relationship with a woman at his workplace (and the subsequent breakup), both Touno and Akari's memories of that meeting in the snow, and finally, their continuing lives. Touno's new relationship with the woman, which had been going on for three years, revisits the harshness of reality. Their flashbacks portray regret and suggest the idea that life doesn't always go the way you expect. Perhaps the most powerful thing depicted here, though, is their continuing lives. In the last scene, where the two are about to see each other again but have their view blocked by trains, Touno is seen smiling and turning to walk on. The two of them are able to live on in spite of being separated. ================================== I do not think that there is any clear-cut, obvious moral to this story, like "people should be more faithful" or anything like that. Rather, to me, it means that people will meet and create memories, move on, and be able to hold these close despite having left. In the end, what 5cm Per Second shows is not really a matter of fixing, keeping or even having a relationship, but a part of life that comes and passes. I really think that it's up to your own interpretation for the most part, though. I would advise you to pick a little less at the details of this, and feel the emotions behind this yourself. ^^ Actually many people don't like the anime because the story falls aprt from ep. 2. For example you can't love someone while you can't remember the person you are in love. You can't expect an answer when you aren't even writing to that person. Kanae couldn't know that she wasn't the one he desired. He didn't know what he want's himself then. So the story could move several ways: 1) she either chikens out (fails to confess and no point in ep. 3 as it is because his previous relationship ended and the next never started/began?!), 2). she confesses and gets rejected, so no point in ep. 3 as it is, both relationships ended, but we could be showed what happens next to the protoganist 3). she confesses and he agrees to date her, but there is no point in ep. 3 as it is, and ep. 3 could be about their relationship, whether it worked or not. Or ep. 2 should be remade where he remembers her and tries to connet, but fails. She moves on, he can't. Then there will be no contradictions. Sorry for my english i hope you understand what i meant. |
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