Makoto Shinkai is very good at depicting slice-of-life star-crossed love stories and this is the movie which first introduced me to his work.
Basically, the three "episodes" comprising the movie is about a guy and his first love and how even as an adult he hasn't been able to let go of her. He mightn't be aware of this, or does little to remedy it if he does, but it sort of hangs over his relationships with other women.
The final episode showing their lives as adults is short but raw, and if you know what it's like to be forgotten by someone you once loved or still do, it will resonate with you.
The settings are beautifully animated. My two criticisms would be the middle episode -didn't understand why the focus shifted to a third character rather than the two protagonists. And also the choice of EP which could have been so powerful. It sounds like something for middle-aged folk rather than something befittting the young and heartbroken.
In any case, it's still a true work of art and as relevant and worthwhile now as it was when it first came out almost 9 years ago.
