It appears that my ability to keep to a schedule with these reviews has waned quite severely this year but here is another attempt to get back on track. And what better way to do so than to start a gimmick based on the month we are in? And how about that pun of a title eh? I bet no one has ever used that before. It is probably self-explanatory, but every Tuesday (if you ignore this first one which is coming on Wednesday) throughout May I will be reviewing an Anime film. Is this just a good excuse for me to watch more anime films? Obviously yes. The film I am kicking this off with is 5 Centimeters per Second (2007). The film is split into three short chapters and tells the story of a young man, Takaki (Kenji Mizuhashi), who though poor weather, long distances, and eventually obligations of being an adult keep him from being with his childhood sweetheart.
I initially thought that this film was going to be an anthology of themed shorts, which for anyone who has read a few of these reviews knows I’m not the biggest fan of anthologies. So, I was very pleased when I found out that it was in fact going to be following the same character and tell three connected but separate stories throughout his life. However, this did not stop the film from having the same issue that most anthologies have, in that certain sections are much better than others. In this case, the film's three sections not only follow on from another chronologically but also in terms of intrigue and narrative quality, going from best to worst. The first segment, ‘Cherry Blossom’, is by far the most engaging. It is the only section which really manages to run the gamut of emotions that the rest of the film is going for, and it is the only section that feels like it tells a rounded story. The second section, ‘Cosmonaut’, almost manages this, but falls off towards its ending. The final section, ‘5 Centimeters per Second’ is by far the least engaging, and as this is the section that is trying to wrap everything up this puts a bit of a dampener on the film, or this could just be due to the fact the film has a rather depressing and downer conclusion. This is going to be seen as a plus or a negative depending on the viewer, and I am not of the view that all films should have positive endings, but I think in regard to this film, the tone that it sets throughout makes it feel as though it is going for a more positive outcome so to go the other way it pulls the rug out from underneath you.
Narrative and character issues are quite often criticisms thrown at the film’s director, Makoto Shinkai. It isn’t a criticism I wholly get on board with, especially when it comes to Your Name (2016), but it is much more prevalent in this film. However, what can never be said about Shinkai’s films is that they are not beautifully animated. His animation style is the main aspect of his films that keep drawing me to them. He has a brilliant sense of scale, both large and small. The environments he is able to create throughout his filmography are always astounding, and the little details he adds to his environments add so much to each frame in terms of both visual splendour and world-building. In this film specifically, there is a large focus on weather and seasons, and these are all captured wonderfully, especially the wind and the snow. These are added to by the sound design throughout the film which is exquisitely done. There is a moment when Takaki steps on snow and the sound of it crunching beneath his feet sent a feeling through my bones that I can’t even explain, but it was wonderful. The film also uses colour brilliantly throughout and knows when to pull back on its use of colour to match the tone the film is going for in certain scenes. Honestly, my attempts to even slightly do justice to the film’s visuals are far too weak, but hopefully, the film’s stills will do it more justice than I can.
Despite some issues I have with the film's narrative and the choice to go for more of an unhappy ending, the film is engaging enough to keep you involved. Besides, it is just over 60 minutes long and is a visual treat, so it is quite honestly worth recommending on the strength of the visuals alone. If you do take up my recommendation and enjoy this film I would recommend going through Shinkai’s filmography, and if you really want to you can read a previous review, I did for his film Your Name. Shameless plug, I know, but if you can’t sell yourself who can?
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