Helena Wang

Five Centimeters per Second

99/100 cherry petals

Love is undoubtedly something many strive for. Unfortunately, as Makoto Shinkai shows

through his film, Five Centimeters per Second, preserving such a frail thing as love is challenging indeed.

This is especially true for Takaki Tōno and Akari Shinohara, a couple who are not only moving far away

from each other spatially, but also mentally as they traverse the muddling pit of confusion known as

maturity. It’s through this maturation that we are able to see the underlying themes of the movie. For

the child Takaki, to grow up, for the teenage Takaki, to let go of the past, and for the adult Takaki, to

seize control of one’s life.

The story begins in the beginning, childhood. We are introduced to two elementary students.

Akari and Takaki, who are in love. Although neither had vocally expressed it, their actions, such as

forgoing honorifics, (which is only seen in japan with boyfriend/girlfriend and man/wife) showed their

true affection for each other. It’s the loss of this love that propels him into growing up and becoming a

teenager, but he doesn’t forget about his past, rejecting even the warm embrace of fellow classmate

Kanae Sumida as she tries to comfort him. Finally, well into his adult years, he has a final meeting with

his love as he sees Akari across the train tracks. Both turn their heads just enough to catch one final

glimpse of one aother, before a train passes between them. When it leaves, Akari is gone, and Takaki

smiles and decides to finally let go and to move on into the bright future.

Unfortunately, those who enjoy twists and turns aren’t going to find it in Five Centimeters per

Second. The plot is nothing to write home about and can be summarized in three words, “Boy meets

girl”. With so much invested in other aspects of the film such as the ambiance shown in the beautiful

scenery, the plot really sticks out as lacking refinement. However, while the film may disappoint viewers

in how simplistic its plot is, it simply doesn’t need it. Just as Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Life is a

journey, not a destination,” the true beauty of the film is not in where the characters end up, but in how

precisely and skillfully their emotions are portrayed as they are getting there.

The film portrays emotions with astonishing realism and beauty, not just through how stunning

the visuals are, but also through the on point voice acting and breath-taking music. Scenes like Akari and

Takaki’s final meeting shows this in spades. But they don’t just show the beauty of the emotions in hard-

hitting scenes, it’s also there in how they portray the young love between Akari and Takaki, how they

portray the girl who has a crush on Takaki during his high school years, and finally, how they portray

their development from children to adults. It makes them all characters that one, ironically, falls in love

with. They're characters one will feel love, joy, and happiness with, as well as despair, longing, and

regret, all while cheering them on toward a happy future.

With its the stunning art, ephemeral music, and the simple, yet complex characters with their

all-too-familiar emotions, 5 Centimeters per Second portrays the brilliant fire of hope and love, the

despairing feelings of loneliness and uncertainty, and finally, the ceaseless march of harsh reality in such

a way that one can truly feel and recognize it. This inevitably tragic story depicts to what extreme people

are willing to go for love and how reality disregards it, marching ever onward, heedless of people’s

hopes and dreams, and dangling happiness just out of reach, while in reality, that happiness is already

within our grasp.

While lacking a strong plot, for its incredible proficiency in displaying emotions, I give 5 Centimeters per

second 99/100 sakura petals.