Introduction

There is one criticism that can be leveled at Makoto Shinkai's works that not even the most diehard fan can deny. His movies are formulaic. Whether or not they are heart-wrenching, tearjerking, emotional masterpieces, no one can say definitively. But from a purely objective, critical standpoint, many of his works tell some variation of the same story.

That's not to say this is necessarily a bad thing. The "Shinkai formula," as I will be calling it henceforth, is a wildly successful one that has produced some of the most critically acclaimed works in anime, as well as some of my personal favorites. The more you watch, though, the more the sparkle starts to wear off, and tired tropes begin to show.

5 Centimeters per Second was the start of Shinkai's popularity as a writer, artist, and director. It is the fourth movie credited to him, and easily the most successful up to that point. I believe that the success brought by this movie is what inspired him to base future works on it from both a writing and production standpoint.

This review is going to be short because the movie itself is not long, clocking in at just under an hour. There's not too much to write about, but I hope I can get my feelings across without needlessly hating on it, because I know this movie is loved by many of you.

Synopsis

The movie is told in three distinct parts, each representing a successive time period in the life of young Takaki Tono. In the interest of not spoiling anything, I will only briefly outline the plot of each.

The first act, Cherry Blossom, sees Takaki exchanging letters with his childhood friend Akari Shinohara. He promises to meet Akari one year after she moves away from their hometown of Tokyo, and undertakes a long train journey to reach her. The following act, Cosmonaut, follows a teenage Takaki after he moves to the island Kagoshima. A female student, Kanae, from his high school develops feelings for him and struggles to tell him because his mind always seems to be in a different place. Finally, the final titular act has Takaki return to Tokyo and slip into a depressive monotony after he ends another relationship.

Strengths

The audio and visual presentation of this movie absolutely floored me. 5 Centimeters per Second released a decade before today's defining Shinkai work Your Name, and, in my opinion, manages to match the quality of the latter.

This may be the best sounding anime I have ever seen, or heard, whichever it is. I felt in every scene as if I could close my eyes and still picture perfectly what the scenery looked like. Every single moving piece on the screen for the entire runtime of the film has an accompanying sound cue that enters and exits seamlessly.

The visuals are similarly stunning, as has come to be expected of Shinkai through his more recent productions. I can't really say too much here that hasn't already been said, but the set pieces in this movie could be compared paintings or photographs in their own right.

Weaknesses

Where this movie really failed to come together for me was in the plot. The subtitle found in the credits dubs the movie "a collection of short stories about love." I think this accurately describes what the film was initially trying to achieve, and the fatal mistake made by Shinkai was attempting to connect them all.

The only thing that remains consistent throughout the three episodes is the main character, Takaki, and his memories of Akari. She does not appear in the second part, and barely has any dialogue in the third. Additionally, Takaki changes location, age, and school in each new section, leaving almost no connection to the previous.

These play out more like a collection, like the movie itself says, than a cohesive story. 5 Centimeters could have been more successful for me if it had abandoned the idea of following the aging of Takaki and featured new characters altogether.

I use the word "aging" here rather than "growth" because Takaki exhibits zero character development at all. From the moment we first meet him to the film's closing scene, he behaves exactly the same towards Akari and his memories of her. Despite the significant changes that side character Kanae and even Akari herself undergo, Takaki is unable to move past his feelings alongside them.

Conclusion

Some may argue that the purpose of the movie is to illuminate the point I made above. Takaki's refusal to move on and stubborn attachment to his childhood romance with Akari could be a poignant reminder that not all love is requited. My problem with this film is that it does not present it that way.

Classic anime imagery including train crossings, winding roads, and cherry blossoms give the impression that this story is something greater than it actually is. In reality, I found 5 Centimeters per Second an enjoyable, but ultimately pointless watch.

If Takaki learns nothing, how then can we be expected to learn anything from this? If you viewed this after a recent heartbreak or depressive episode, this could surely resonate with you. As a reminder of the less desirable emotions in life, these events are an excellent depiction.

However, Shinkai chose to present this as a movie, and in doing so, fell into the same trap as his other works suffer from, albeit to a lesser degree. The "Shinkai formula" produces stunning images and sounds every time, but this time, fails to prove a need for the story's existence to the viewer.

Perhaps this could have seen more success as an art exhibition instead.