| 5 Centimeters per Second | |
 Theatrical release poster | |
| 秒速5センチメートル (Byōsoku Go Senchimētoru) | |
|---|---|
| Anime film | |
| Directed by | Makoto Shinkai |
| Produced by | Makoto Shinkai |
| Written by | Makoto Shinkai |
| Music by | Tenmon |
| Studio | CoMix Wave Inc. |
| Licensed by | |
| Released | 3 March 2007 |
| Runtime | 63 minutes |
| Novel | |
| Written by | Makoto Shinkai |
| Published by | Media Factory |
| English publisher | |
| Published | 19 November 2007 |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Makoto Shinkai |
| Illustrated by | Seike Yukiko |
| Published by | Kodansha |
| English publisher | |
| Magazine | Monthly Afternoon |
| Demographic | Seinen |
| Original run | 25 May 2010 –25 March 2011 |
| Volumes | 2 |
| Novel | |
| 5 Centimeters per Second: one more side | |
| Written by | Arata Kanoh |
| Published by | Enterbrain[1] |
| English publisher | Penguin Random House[2] |
| Published | 20 May 2011 |
5 Centimeters per Second (Japanese:秒速5センチメートル,Hepburn:Byōsoku Go Senchimētoru) is a 2007 Japaneseromantic dramaanimated film written and directed byMakoto Shinkai. It theatrically premiered on 3 March 2007. The film consists of three segments, each following a period in the life of the protagonist Takaki Tōno and his relationships with the girls around him.
The film was awarded Best Animated Feature Film at the 2007Asia Pacific Screen Awards. It received anovelization in November 2007 and a manga adaptation illustrated by Seike Yukiko in 2010.
The story is set inJapan, beginning in the early 1990s up until the present day (2008),[a] with each act centered on a boy named Takaki Tōno.[3]
In 1991, Takaki Tōno quickly befriends Akari Shinohara after she transfers to his elementary school inTokyo, in which he also transferred to just a year ago. They grow very close to each other due to similar interests in reading books and attitudes such as both preferring to stay inside during recess due to their seasonal allergies. Takaki and Akari begin to refer to each other using their given names without honorifics, which is an indicator of close friendship and intimacy inJapanese culture.
Right after graduating from elementary school in 1994, Akari moves to the nearby prefecture ofTochigi due to her parents' jobs. The two keep in contact by writing letters but eventually begin to drift apart. When Takaki learns that his family will be moving toKagoshima on the other side of the country the following year in 1995, he decides to personally go see Akari one last time since they will be too far apart to see and visit each other once he moves. He also writes a letter for Akari to confess his feelings for her. However, Takaki loses the letter during the journey and a severe snowstorm delays his train for several hours. When the two finally meet late that night and share their first kiss, Takaki realizes they will never be together. They find a shed to spend the night in due to the severe snowstorm and fall asleep after talking late into the night. Takaki departs from the train station the next morning and the two promise to continue writing to each other. As the train rolls away, Takaki decides that the loss of his letter is not important anymore after the kiss while Akari silently looks at her own letter addressed to Takaki which she decided not to give him.
In 1999, Takaki is now in the third year ofsenior high inTanegashima, where theTanegashima Space Center is located. Kanae Sumida, a classmate of Takaki, has loved him ever since first meeting him in middle school but has never had the courage to confess her feelings to him. She tries to spend time with him, waiting long after school for the chance to travel home together. However, Takaki appears ignorant of Kanae's feelings and only treats her as a good friend. Kanae observes that Takaki is always writing emails to someone and staring off into the distance as if searching for something far away. It is later shown that Takaki's emails are not being sent to anyone, and he, in fact, deletes them after he finishes writing them. He also has recurring dreams which feature Akari. On the day when she manages to ride the wave, Kanae decides to confess her love to Takaki. They are witnessing a space launch, which carries a research probe designed to explore theSolar System and doomed to fly into the unknown, to relay messages that will be received on Earth less and less often. After a failed attempt to tell Takaki she loves him, Kanae realizes he is looking for something far beyond what she can offer and decides not to say anything, though she believes she will always love him. With such thoughts, she cries herself to sleep.
It is now 2008 and Takaki is a programmer in Tokyo. Meanwhile, Akari is preparing to marry another man. Takaki still longs for Akari to the detriment of his lifestyle. He receives a call from his current girlfriend but does not answer which signifies the end of the relationship. Depressed, Takaki quits his job as he is unable to cope with his feelings for Akari. Akari goes through a box of her old possessions and finds the letter she had written for Takaki thirteen years ago in 1995. Takaki finds himself in a convenience store reading a magazine about the decade long journey of the rocket launched in the 2nd act. Takaki and Akari begin a dual narration where they both recall a recent dream. In the dream they relive their last meeting in the snow-filledIwafune and remember the wish to someday watch thecherry blossoms together again.
Later, while walking down the same road they knew when they were children, Takaki and Akari appear to pass and recognize each other at the train crossing. It is the same place they had promised to watch the cherry blossoms together thirteen years ago, just before Akari moved to Tochigi. On opposite sides of the tracks, they stop and begin to look back, but a passing train cuts off their view. Takaki waits for the train to pass and finds that Akari is gone. After a moment, he smiles to himself and continues walking as the cherry blossoms stir in the train's wake.
Makoto Shinkai has expressed that, unlike his past works, there would be no fantasy or science fiction elements in this film. Instead, the feature film would attempt to present the real world from a different perspective. Shinkai's film gives a realistic view of the struggles many people have to face: time, space, people, and love. The title5 Centimeters per Second comes from the speed at which cherry blossom petals fall, with petals being a metaphorical representation of humans, reminiscent of the slowness of life and how people often start together but slowly drift into their separate ways.[5] The movie marks the first time Shinkai has worked closely with a full staff of animators and artists.[6]
As in Shinkai's previous works,Tenmon composed this film's soundtrack. The film's ending theme was "One More Time, One More Chance" byMasayoshi Yamazaki.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "One more time, One more chance" | 5:34 |
| 2. | "Yuki no Eki ~One more time, One more chance~ (from "Byōsoku 5 Centimeter" Soundtrack) (雪の駅～One more time, One more chance～ (from『秒速5センチメートル』Soundtrack))" | 2:21 |
| 3. | "One more time, One more chance (Hikigatari Ver.) (One more time, One more chance (弾き語りVer.))" | 5:30 |
| Total length: | 13:25 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Oukashou (桜花抄)" | 4:51 |
| 2. | "Omoide ha Tooku no Hibi (想い出は遠くの日々)" | 1:41 |
| 3. | "Shousou (焦燥)" | 1:10 |
| 4. | "Yuki no Eki (雪の駅)" | 2:19 |
| 5. | "Kiss" | 3:14 |
| 6. | "Kanae no Kimochi (カナエの気持ち)" | 1:47 |
| 7. | "Yume (夢)" | 1:40 |
| 8. | "Sora to Umi no Uta (空と海の詩)" | 2:00 |
| 9. | "Todokanai Kimochi (届かない気持ち)" | 1:41 |
| 10. | "END THEME" | 2:53 |
| 11. | "One more time, One more chance PIANO ver." | 5:00 |
| Total length: | 28:16 | |
Completed on 22 January 2007,[8] the first part streamed onYahoo! Japan to Yahoo! Premium members from 16 to 19 February 2007.[9] On 3 March 2007, the full-length film had its theatrical premiere at Cinema Rise inShibuya, Tokyo.[10]
On 30 September 2022, the film received a limitedIMAX DMR release in Japan in celebration ofSuzume's release. This marks its first IMAX release.[11]
In the Philippines,5 Centimeters per Second, along with Shinkai's previous workThe Place Promised in Our Early Days, was premiered on 21 July 2013 at theSM Mall of Asia as part of the Philippines-Japan Friendship Month, with help and cooperation from the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines, Japan Foundation Manila, SM Mall of Asia Cinema and theFilm Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP).[12] The showings attracted 1,500 moviegoers.[13]
The DVD was released on 19 July 2007 in Japan.[14] The title was licensed byADV Films and scheduled for a December 2007 release,[15][16] but the release was delayed until March 2008.[17][18] The film's Region 2 DVD release date was pushed back from 4 March 2008 to April 2008.[19][20] The Blu-ray version of the film was released on 18 April 2008 in Japan.[21] The HD DVD version of the film was also released on 18 April 2008 and is region-free by default.[21] The official Russian release byReanimedia was already in stock in January 2008.[22] The film is also licensed in Taiwan by Proware Multimedia International.[23] On 11 July 2008, ADV announced that it was discontinuing print of the DVD.[24][25]Bang Zoom! Entertainment has re-dubbed the entire film at the request of its original Japanese distributor, and the new dub was first streamed viaCrunchyroll as part of their Day of Makoto Shinkai on 28 February 2009.[26] On 13 August 2010, Crunchyroll CEO Kun Gao announced plans to release titles on DVD, starting with5 Centimeters per Second.[27]Bandai Entertainment manufactured and distributed the DVDs, which included theBang Zoom! dub. This version was released 22 February 2011.[28] In 2015,Discotek Media announced that it had licensed5 Centimeters per Second for a DVD release on 2 June that year,[29] and then 28 February 2017 on Blu-ray. On 10 March 2022,GKIDS announced that they have licensed5 Centimeters per Second, along with three other works by Makoto Shinkai, and will re-release it on home video in 2022;[30] it was released on Blu-ray on 7 June, withVoices of a Distant Star included as a bonus feature.[31]
On 29 March 2009, distribution companyMadman Entertainment announced plans to release5 Centimetres Per Second in Australia, and released the DVD on 19 August 2009.[32] Madman later released the film on Blu-ray alongsideVoices of a Distant Star on 9 October 2019.[33] In the United Kingdom and Ireland,Manga Entertainment distributed the film on DVD within the region on 14 March 2011, and on Blu-ray on 29 October 2018.[34][35]Anime Limited later acquired the distribution rights within the United Kingdom and Ireland.[36]
Natsuki Imai, a Japanese television and film director known for her 2007 filmKoizora, views5 Centimeters per Second as a film "completely for adults even though it is an anime".[37]
The film won the Lancia Platinum Grand Prize at the Future Film Festival for best movie in animation or special effects.[38] It won the Award for Best Animated Feature Film at the 2007Asia Pacific Screen Awards.[39] The limited edition DVD of the film was ranked 3rd on the Tohan charts between 18–24 July 2007, while the regular edition of the film was ranked 7th.[40] The film was Japan's fourth most popular Blu-ray film in 2008.[41]
Shinkai has been hailed as the next Miyazaki, and his dreamy mindscapes often equal or surpass the anime maestro in breadth of detail and depth of emotion. Shinkai extends the innate possibilities of the anime dynamic, reapplying its principles of lush effects, inflated background detail and sometimes undernourished character animation to mirror the interiority of the characters in every nuance of their surroundings." – Ronnie Scheib fromVariety[7]
Mania.com lists5 Centimeters per Second as the best anime not byHayao Miyazaki.[42]The Japan Times'sMark Schilling commends Shinkai saying that he is better than Miyazaki "at piercing the veil of the everyday to reveal a poignant, evanescent beauty most of us notice only in rare moments."[43]Anime News Network's Bamboo Dong commends the anime for its "heartbreakingly gorgeous" piano score composed byTenmon, which "contributes to the dreamlike quality that the film has". She also comments that film "never comes out and tells you what the characters are feeling. It never follows a strict storyline, but between the interactions on the screen and well-timed shots of lonely landscapes, everything is as clear as night and day".[44] Mania.com's Chris Beveridge criticises the anime for its aliasing as well as it "seems to get a fairly low bitrate during a lot of it which leads to some noisy and overly grainy feeling areas. The film has so many lush colors to it that a lot of them start to show too much noise at times which is almost as distracting as the aliasing."[45] Theron Martin reviewing forAnime News Network commends "The production [which] also excels in its use of sound effects, especially in the bow-shooting scenes in Part 2".[4]
Taken individually, the parts offer nice little vignettes, but taken as a whole they paint a broader picture about the progression of life and love. The ending, which is where this work differs most from Shinkai's previous efforts, will doubtless be controversial and may leave some fans unsatisfied, as it opens itself to multiple interpretations. Some may feel as if it just ends without resolving anything, but if one considers Takaki's few lines of narration in part two, how that part ends, and how everything fits together, it becomes clearer that actually resolving things was never the point. WhereasVoices was about trying to maintain a connection andPlace Promised was about reestablishing one,Five Centimeters is ultimately about moving on from past connections instead of just living in the past, about finding a way to become happy in the present rather than just pining for what has been lost over time. In that senseFive Centimeters is Shinkai's most mature and complicated work yet." – Theron Martin,Anime News Network[4]
In 2010, "Trains" magazine rated this film 45th of the 100 Greatest Train Movies.[46]
The novel version of5 Centimeters per Second, licensed byMedia Factory, was released on 16 November 2007 in Japan.[47] It was the first novel written by Makoto Shinkai. The photographs in the novel were also taken by Shinkai.[48] The novel is licensed byYen Press for North America.[49]The English translation was done by Taylor Engel.[50] Another version of the novel,One more side, was released on 20 May 2011 in Japan. The author is Shinta Kanou, who also wrote the novels forVoices of a Distant Star andThe Place Promised in Our Early Days, two of Shinkai's other films. The English translation ofOne more side was released on 26 February 2019 by Vertical Inc.[51]
A manga adaptation of the film, illustrated by manga artist Yukiko Seike, was serialized inKodansha'sseinen manga magazineAfternoon from 25 May 2010 to 25 March 2011.[52][53] Its chapters were collected in twotankōbon volumes by Kodansha, released on 22 November 2010 and 22 April 2011.[54][55] It has been published in English as a single volume omnibus byVertical Inc.[56] The English translation was done by Melissa and Taka Tanaka.[57] In the manga adaptation, the second two sections of the story are expanded upon. Akari, Kanae, and Risa (Takaki's girlfriend from Episode 3) all receive much more focus.
Alive recitation of the film was held on 21 October 2020 to 25 October 2020 by the drama company "Reading Love" where all three parts of the movie were recited.[58]
On September 22, 2024, a live action film adaptation was announced5 Centimeter Per Second, to be released in the fall of 2025. The lead role will be played byHokuto Matsumura of the six-member groupSixTONES, his first leading role in a film.[59]
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