Reviews

I know I'm a little late in reviewing this movie, since its been several years now and many have already spoken at length about this work of art. I'll straight up start with the fact that I disliked this movie. I disliked it with passion. We all live our lives a certain way, and most of the audience this movie is meant for is probably well aware of atleast certain realities of life, so really, we didn't need that hard slap of reality at the end. I know many teenagers will have watched it, but trust me kids, this is not for you. You don't need to know that love is fickle, that people change and keep changing whether you like it or not. You'll know that soon enough when you have to live in some wilderness - urban or otherwise - by yourself, with months going by between you hearing a kind word from someone. You'll know the world for what it is, and that people, no matter how extraordinary in their fields of work, are the same, one way or the other. Even psychopaths feel things, perhaps not the same way you or I do, but in their own way. And its all the same everywhere. Love is, at its core, susceptible to factors like distance, anger, jealousy, etc, no matter who you might be talking about. Trust me, you don't need to know that from a movie. So a solid 6 when it comes to enjoying it. I mean, it deserves a 2 in that category, but what brings it back is that it is simply spectacular to behold. The artwork complements the story flawlessly, and I do mean flawlessly. You'd never know how hopeless this movie was just by looking at the awesome sunsets and the vibrant blue skies. And frankly, that's what let me finish watching it even though I knew which way it was headed. The story... well, what story? Its the most ordinary that has been shown here, something most of us will probably be acquainted with. There isn't much story per se, but it works quite well with the inevitable conclusion that the director had planned for this movie. Personally, I don't think character development has been lacking in any way. This movie was always from the point of view of Takaki, and that was evident from the first scene. And his character is well established in every way. The other protagonist, Akari, serves her purpose in this story, again, as it had been intended by the director. And I believe that its okay. Execution was top class. Anime - atleast, most anime I've seen - make money by making their viewers cry. And I cried. Mission accomplished, I guess. I hate '5 centimeters per second' for making me cry, and I hate the fact that its probably Mr. Shinkai's best work. I mean, this is after having already seen 'The Garden of Words' and 'Your Name...'
Overall, its a fantastic work of art that I absolutely hate.