It’s hard to believe it’s been a year or more since I first watched the first chapter of 5 Centimeters Per Second. I made a pledge at the time not to watch the remaining two chapters until the day I had the entire film on DVD and in my hands. That day finally came today.
It was worth the wait.
I’ve praised the first chapter more than enough already, but I now realize I didn’t really understand the story it was trying to tell when I first watched it a year ago. The film may consist of three distinct parts, but the it’s the sum of those parts that truly matters most. I think it was half way through the “music video” in the final chapter that it finally hit me. It hit me so hard, in fact, that I had to stop myself from hitting the pause button and racing to the computer to write down all my thoughts on the subject. I know that the final chapter rubbed some people the wrong way with its unconventional presentation, but I thought it was absolutely brilliant. To unveil the entire story of the entire film, filling in the missing pieces never seen along the way, all in its final moments… that’s a hell of an ending.
But it’s still the sum of all parts. The second chapter left me the most impressed, actually. It was the most visually expressive of Makoto Shinkai’s work to date. I mean, the wind! And the clouds! Unlike his previous films, the backgrounds weren’t so much eye candy as they were characters within the story itself. And when the rocket blasted off into space at the chapter’s climax, I got to thinking about how all the work I’ve been doing this past month will be worth it when I can look up at the very same sight with my own two eyes and say, “I was part of that.” I really needed to see that, now more than ever.
In all honesty, a lot of Shinkai’s past work has left me nonplussed to the extent that I could never really write about it the way I’m writing right now. That’s always bothered me for some reason. I couldn’t understand how I could be so simultaneously impressed and annoyed by what he does, especially given how quick I am to impress and how slow I am to annoy when watching anime. I suppose he just wasn’t getting through to me. But not this time. He got through to me. He got through to me good.
If you haven’t taken the time yet to watch 5 Centimeters Per Second for yourself yet, you really should. Omo’s advice is good, of course - what I would give to see the film on the big screen - but you should at least consider purchasing it on DVD if it’s available where you live. It’s too pretty a piece of work not to watch in the highest quality attainable, and it’s got too much of Makoto Shinkai’s heart in it not to send a few dollars his and his production team’s way.
