5 Cm Per Second was written and directed by Makoto Shinkai and tells the story of two childhood friends, Tataki Tono and Akari Shinohara who struggle to maintain their relationship despite the fact that slowly begin to drift apart over time due their separation. 5 CM is composed of three short films that follows the lives of the two leads(more specifically Takaki), from their childhood up until the time of their adulthood.
The first short entitled Cherry Blossom, introduces us to the two young children and how they met. The similarities that the two share causes Tataki and Akari to immediately fall for each other in elementary despite their struggles to confess their love for one another. Both believed that they would be together forever until they become separated due to their parents' jobs and also from their graduation of elementary school, but the two children still contact each other from time to time through letters. Realizing that they may never see each other again the two children agree to meet one last time.
The second short, Cosmonaut, now shows Tataki in his third year of high school and focuses on Kanae Sumida, a classmate of Tataki who is hopelessly smitten with him. The second act shows how she endlessly tries to get his attention, only for her to realize that Tataki has no interest, since his mind has been set on something that he either still longs for or lost long ago.
Finally the last short, 5 Centimeters Per Second, takes us to the present where Tataki has become a computer programmer and Akari is preparing to get married. The two still have not contacted each or seen other for many years and suddenly ponders how their lives would have been if they were still together today(though it is not directly stated). One day a chance encounter with each other just might change their lives forever...
The beauty of these short films are that they accurately depicts how life can be very cruel. It does not always turn out the way we want them to be and we can become separated from the ones we care about, due to time and distance. The story does not become to cheesy or cliched like most other films(live action or animated) partly due to Shinkai's superb writing that portrays the story in a very realistic way. The characters are also very relatable too, they are just normal everyday people who face issues that people may have had resulting from the loneliness of being separated from the ones they care about.
The artwork for 5 Centimeters is absolutely stunning. The backdrops are beautifully drawn and animated with vivid colors that gives the film a dream-like feel. Also shots of the large scopes of land also gives off additional vibes to viewers that add to the film's message of distance and time separating individuals. The character designs are also fairly well done, but can feel a bit flat in comparison to the wonderfully drawn backdrops.
Composed by Tenmon, the soundtrack is made up of mostly piano pieces that play from time to time throughout the films that helps enhance the film's message and mood. They are wonderfully done and aids in giving out the message of separation through time and distance a lot more meaning.
Overall, 5 Centimeters Per Second is probably one of the most moving films I have seen so far. The ending does not turn out to be the way we want it to end, but its story telling lets us realize nothing turns out the way we want to. Being separated from ones we care about will cause us grief, but we must learn to move on and set the feelings aside to truly appreciate the beauty of life, even if some our experiences are not what we want them to be. This film should be seen everyone regardless of whether or not they like or hate anime. I have already seen this film several times and it does not get old. The message of the film gets etched in my mind even deeper every time, even though its message is bittersweet.
