I said beauty several times in that last paragraph, and it is in there for a reason. This is the only anime I have watched that has actually caused me to forget to breathe, some of the scenes in the movie are that mind-boggling from their art alone. Truly, if you're into romance anime this is a must see.
Story (8)
-premise (6)
Okay, the premise behind the show isn't all that original. Basic examination of love over time, what is original is the use of passage of time to show the main protagonist as he changes throughout his life.
-Implementation (9)
While the ideas behind 5 cm per second have all been done before, the movie is in many ways a masterpiece. Definitely a slow and tear-jerky film, it is slow romance being all it can be.
Characters (7)
The characters in 5 cm per second are in all probability the low point of the show, and are not all that low.
-Development(7)
The characters do in many ways change according to their lives, but I have to be honest in that the main character does not as much as he could. Although I say this, there is a large amount of development shown, as is to be expected given it covers many years of his life.
-Originality(5)
Characters are not original. But it's a romance, so there isn't much that can be done in the way of original characters, so I deem this unimportant and about average.
-Dialog(8)
The dialog is very well developed for the story, although as a slow romance there isn't much of it. However, the slow pace of the dialog adds to the atmosphere of the movie, there isn't an excess of talking and much of what there is is memorable.
-Other(9)
I admit, I didn't much like some of the characters, but everything about them screamed (to me) believable. The end of the story isn't a classic fairytale ending, but it's a believable one. For me, the fact that I can visualize actual people acting the way the characters in the movie act tells me the character design is well above average.
Sound(8)
The sound of 5 cm per second is memorable so much as it is an aid for the story. By itself the soundtrack would not stand out, primarily soft classical melodies, but with the story it adds that extra element.
-Background atmosphere(9)
The point of the sound in the movie is to add this background atmosphere, and it does it wonderfully. Tension in the never-ending stream of music builds as tension in the movie does, and releases the same way. When the story and art reaches its soaring climaxes, so does the music. Perhaps not memorable by itself, but the music is great with the movie.
-Themes(7)
The music to open and close the movie are merely continuations of the feel of the music throughout, so this category seems unimportant. However, it does allow for the time at the end of the movie to think about what just happened, and for that it does its job.
Art(10)
Anyone that doesn't give this movie a 10 for its art is out of their mind. Everything about it is stunning, from the way it moves as the story does to the detail in each shot. One can see every blade of grass in the field, and almost feel the wind as it blows the clouds overhead. The one thing that is noticeable is a decrease in the character detail, but the only reason it's noticeable at all is because everything else is so amazing.
I recommend that anybody that can tolerate romance watch this movie, if only for the art. If you are one of those that is into romance for the romance you will not regret watching this film.
