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 Tno 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. Its
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 ones 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. Its the loss of this love that propels him into growing up and becoming a
teenager, but he doesnt 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 arent 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 doesnt 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 Takakis final meeting shows this in
spades. But they dont just show the beauty of the emotions in hard-hitting scenes,
its 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 peoples 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.