THE GOOD:
Stunning visuals (especially on Blu-Ray/HD-DVD)
Unique voice acting (original Japanese cast)
Simple, yet very touching soundtrack
Great storyline and plot
Bonus interviews (DVD)THE BAD:
Dub voices SUMMARY:
With 5 Centimeters Per Second, Makoto Shinkai (director of previous acclaimed films like Voice of a Distant Star and The Place Promised in Our Early Days) brings us this spectacular, breath-taking and extremely amazing work of art that you will definitely want to add to your movie collection. This movie is just so awesome in many ways that it might not even matter if you're an anime fan or not to like it. First off, the movie is divided into 3 chapters: "Cherry Blossom Extract", "Cosmonaut", and "Five Centimeters Per Second". Each one of them puts us in different perspectives of the characters and takes us on a journey of mixed emotions, thoughts and just sheer realism in its overall aspect.
Visuals
I give these a 10 out of 10.
This is one of the most beautiful aspects of the movie that just leaves a huge impression throughout the movies. The detail is beyond incredible (godly on Blu-Ray, by the way). From a small pencil, to a whole landscape; everything has that evident magical Shinkai touch that he never ceases to apply. The backgrounds are drawn using a beautiful realism technique. Every little detail, every little aspect is just gorgeous and so rich in colors, that it makes you look at the normal things in every day life in a completely different way. The character design isn't really special, and at first, they might look slightly flat and boring compared to the extremely detailed backgrounds. However, the characters seem to blend into the movie despite their lack of detail. Everything flows from the very beginning, right to the very end. Notice the different aspects of the visuals in the next screenshots:
The detail and beauty is just great, isn't it? Very vivid colors and realism.
Tohno chasing after Akari down the road. Notice the beautiful shades that the tree leaves carve into the pavement.
The textures and reflections, like in the chairs above are very similar to the ones in real life.
You think that's all? Well, not even the amount of screenshots here will do the actual movie half the amount of justice it deserves.
Like I said before, even the smallest things, like this pen and book, have an astounding amount of detail. Wow. You can even see the pen brand and everything!
This screenshot shows how Shinkai is very acclaimed for his landscape paintings. Notice the calm, yet very appealing cloud textures and the sunset lighting flare on the back.
Here we see how the art adds a unique realism to everyday things. Even a streetlight like this one looks great.
All in all, the graphics are just plain out of this world. They are definitely of high quality and detail and is one of the main aspects that you'll enjoy as you experience the grasping and melancholic story, which I will now proceed to...
Story/Characters
I give it a 10 out of 10
The story, first of all, is very real in its essence. It's not a normal fairytale where everything is linear, and usually ends up with a cliché outcome. The realistic aspects of the story are what also makes this movie very special. No matter who you are, you will be touched by this movie. Personally, I was slightly teary-eyed when I finished watching this. It is THAT emotionally touching and has that certain melancholy throughout the movie that just leaves you dumbfounded. The concept, which is distance and the speed at which people drift apart, will also most likely establish a connection with yourself and your inner thoughts and feelings. The unique plot will make for a memory that will last for a long time and, like it or not, it's very real. The realism is executed with such grace, calmness and simplicity and gives you a big slice of the pie that is life for you to savor with delight and sadness. Slight problems come when there's sometimes a lot of small details that you'll probably only notice them when you re-watch the movie, though.
Like I said, the movie is split into 3 episodes, and culminates with a short, 5-minute episode featuring an insert song and all the emotions of the movie expressed again in a brief "music video"-ish presentation. I will not reveal much detail about the storyline, as that will just spoil it, and it is up to you to enjoy this memorable tale.
As for characters, we have the male protagonist: Takaki Tohno. Very kind, young, and clean and noble in spirit. His personality is not the complete aspect of the movie, as the story is much more concentrated in the bonds and relationships between the main characters.
 Takaki Tohno
We then have Akari Shinohara, an also kind and very sweet girl. Most part of the story revolves around Takaki and Akari's long distance relationship.
 Akari! She looks so sad... =(
Then we have Kanae Sumita, a cheery, spirited girl who is unsure about her future. Her perspective mostly consists of her feelings towards Takaki.
 Kanae is my favorite character, and in my opinion, she's the most developed in the story.
I won't go much further with explaining the relationships of the three, as doing so will spoil the story, and we don't want that do we? Overall, the characters and story are amazing. Simply amazing. Next section!
Music/Voice acting
I give it a 9.5 out of 10.
The soundtrack is beautiful. Trust me when I say this; I managed to get my hands on the soundtrack and it just blows you away. Tenmon (the composer of the soundtrack) is an acclaimed music composer among anime fans for his fantastic scores and the ones from 5cm/s are definitely no exception. The simple, yet emotional melodies consisting of (for the most part) piano really touch you inside and add to the greatness of the film while you enjoy it along with the stunning visuals and the awesome story. The composition and structure of the progressive instrumental tracks fit the theme and events PERFECTLY. Mixed with the rest of the movie's great aspects, it gives the finer touches in the movie experience.
As for voice acting, the Japanese actors are...wow. If you really pay attention to their voice, you can truly notice the pain, the happiness, the sorrow, the cheerfulness and all those important emotions that are portrayed throughout. The voices are very calm; they are not your typical forced voice that you normally find on regular anime. Shinkai did a great job choosing the actors, as they talk with their normal voices. I personally thought that the main characters' voices were lovely and very relaxing to listen to. On the other hand, the English voice acting for the North American release is...well, average to say the most. Well, there rarely comes a time when English voice acting is extremely good, and sadly this is not one of those occasions. Compared to the originals, their voices sound too forced and honestly don't add to the movie experience much. I suggest watching this in the original language with subtitles, as the Japanese actors are much more enjoyable.
DVD Features
I give these a 10 out of 10.
The DVD features are great in my opinion. It comes with various interviews, including the voice actors and the great Makoto Shinkai himself. It also comes with a "Making of the Movie", and watching all of these extra features will really give you an idea of how the movie was made and the process of doing it. It will also give you a chance to meet the voice actors in person and the director. Overall, a very nice addition to the featured film.
This is definitely a must-watch movie. It is so awesome in so many ways. Other-worldly visuals, great soundtrack and great voice actors, and a touching storyline are presented in just one movie. Everything comes together in a 1-hour film filled with tears, joys, and life. The depth in this movie is like nothing I've seen before, really. I am not overstating when I say this is clearly one of the best anime movies of the era. It's definitely up there with Hayao Miyazaki's masterpieces (Shinkai himself even said he does not like to be compared to him, but it's true). Simply put, watch this hell of an awesome movie. You'll love it and keep it in your heart for a great time to come. |
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4.90/5.0
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