5 Centimeters Per Second anime review for anime-access.com by Matty~~

Written by matthewdloom on February 10, 2012 at 9:05 AM

Okay, this is the first time I’ll be reviewing an anime movie of this genre, so please bare with me if I seem a little obscure and judgemental. But I guess as a reviewer that’s what I’m meant to do.

So 5 Centimeters Per Second is a romantic, slice-of-life, drama anime which tells the diverse love stories of a group of people. Without going into too much plot detail, the film is split into three short stories, all based on 3 different stages of life and the challenges of love that come with being that age.

The first story is that of puppy love. A boy and girl who are best friends but are unknowingly in love with each other.

The second story is the classic love triangle. The boy and girl who are in love are separated by distance yet their love doesn’t fade. However, another girl is also in love with the boy.

The last story, and the shortest of them all being only 5 to 8 minutes long shows us the different outcomes of the characters lives. All superbly variant.

The film being set in three short stories most definitely adds another element, as you get to see hw the characters have grown and developed around their environments.

Animation wise this is a great looking anime, themed around the different seasons, summer, spring, winter and autumn, the colour styles are picked up beautifully depending on the current season. Bright and sharp colours are used for summer and spring, while colder, harder colours are used to portray winter and autumn.

The dialogue, well, there isn’t much of it to be perfectly honest. Most of what is being said is either a memory or a thought. If you are absolutely against anything even slightly sad, don’t bother watching this film as the dialogue is slow and sombre. This film speaks to us about the harsh realities of love, and does nothing to soften the notion that love does in fact hurt.

Special credit should be given to those who composed the score for this film, it has had some of the best Japanese music I have heard to date. The music in this film, especially the last song in particular is enough to make you tear up, no matter how much of a rugged Hells Angel biker you are. If the music doesn’t affect you, you have no soul.

Overall this isn’t the best anime film ever produced, it’s slow, sombre, sad, and if you have just come out of a relationship, or are currently in love with someone who might not feel the same way, or maybe it’s just a matter of distance, this film will either inspire you to change something about it, or depress you.

Review by Matty~~ ^^, for anime-access.com

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