5 Centimeters Per Second

..... one more time, one more chance...

“5 centimeters per second… is the velocity of the sakura petals falling from the trees… I wonder, if you’ll be there watching them fall with me next year?”

“I will, I promise.”

“Even if I were to send you messages everyday, our hearts will not be any centimeter closer, as you always seem so far away..”

5 centimeters per second is a Japanese anime movie, which is normally not something that I will normally look for when I search for anime as it doesn’t fit any of my “usual” genres. By usual I mean it is not a shounen-y anime with heroes battling villains, nor does it fit into the romantic comedy genre.

In fact, it is a poignant romantic drama with underlying tones of melancholy and loads of nostalgia.

It is certainly no comedy as it is just so… earnest. There were monologues by the main characters throughout the anime which gave deep insight into the characters’ feelings in the anime. Another plus point was that the female characters did not have the squeakily high and irritating voices so common in romance anime. The piano background music in the anime also enhances the mood of the anime, making it one of the most memorable ones, despite being so short.

The animation was also very well done, although the only complaint that I may have is that the characters kinda look similar. But staying true to its Japanese roots, all the characters have dark brown hair and eyes, which is an oddity in the world of anime and manga. The background and landscape were also beautifully designed with breathtaking views and colours.

This anime is broken into three parts and centres around the main protagonist Tohno. It depicts love in a wholly realistic manner, with the beauty and poignancy of first love as well as the difficulties of long distance relationships; unrequited love, understanding and acceptance, as well as the inability to let the past go and the angst when one’s motivation is gone. It is also rather interesting in a sense as it focuses a lot on the male’s point of view yet at the same time did not demasculinize the male lead too much by making him to sappy as some shoujos are wont to do.

The title of this movie as well as the sakura petals are reminiscent of the slowness of life and how people often start together but slowly drift into their separate ways

Below is the entire summary of the anime, so read no further if you do not want any spoilers.

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Young Tohno and Akira amidst the falling cherry blossoms.

The first part introduces Tohno, who as a result of his parents’ jobs, is constantly moving from one place to another. He met a girl Akira, who also suffers from the same circumstances. In addition, due to their frail physiques, neither are very sports-inclined and hence spend most of their time together in the library, borrowing the same books. They’ve managed to establish a good friendship, that not even bullies who enjoy teasing them together as a couple (as children and some adults are wont to do!) can destroy such a beautiful relationship. Both enjoy talking to each other and realize that they are both on the same wavelength. One day, whilst watching sakura petals fall down in the springtime, Tohno promised to watch them every year with Akira. Deep down, both Tohno and Akira probably realize that there is something going on.

However, Akira was due to move again after elementary school. Both of them were devastated. But what can they do as they were merely children, not able to voice out what they feel.

Half a year after the move, Akira began writing to Tohno (this was before the time of e-mail and handphones… snail mail!). Tohno responded eagerly, and hence began their correspondence. Before they knew it, the year has come to a close and it was almost spring time again. This time, Tohno was due to move even further away, which makes train visitations between him and Akira impossible. However, he made a plan to see Akira and the sakura petals once more before he moves and made the necessary arrangements. Akira was to meet him at her station at 7.00pm.

Tohno was optimistic, however, it began snowing heavily. As a result, his train and all the subsequent interchanges he had to make (5 in total!) were delayed due to the snow. His final train was also delayed for almost 2 hours due to wheel friction. Desperation, despair, hurt, hunger… At this moment, Tohno’s feelings were so palpable. Even the viewer sympathises for who has not experienced before, the feeling of letting a loved one down?

The weather was becoming progressively colder such that, despite his heavy heart, Tohno wishes that Akira did not wait for him any more and would just return home.

When Tohno arrived at the station much later than anticipated, to his utter joy, Akira was sitting there, patiently waiting, with a bento in hand to welcome him. They enjoyed catching up with each other and finally realized the depth of feelings between both. However, neither dare to vocalize those three words as yet, even though they came tantalizingly close to do so, just prior to Tohno’s departure the next day. And hence ends the first part.

The second part centres around Tohno in high school, and his classmate Sumita who has a crush on him because he always seems different. Tohno, who moved here (probably Okinawa as it was surrounded by the sea), is now into archery whereas Sumita was determined to be able to “ride the waves”, which she constantly fails at currently.

As a result of their after school activities, they both return home together at the same time on their separate motorcycles everyday. Or rather, it’s Sumita who waits until Tohno is ready to depart at their school’s parking lot so that they can return together.

On their way home, they’ll stop at the same convenience store where Tohno will always purchase the same drink and wait for Sumita who has a problem deciding, outside.

Often she would see him messaging someone on his handphone eagerly, though he’ll always stop when she’s around.

Time constantly passes, and it was time for them to decide on their future. However, Sumita is in a limbo as she couldn’t decide on what to do, couldn’t surf at the moment and is still to act on her feelings for Tohno.

However, she realized herself that these are shortcomings that must be overcome immediately. And hence, she set to conquer the waves, which she finally managed to, thanks to iron clad determination as high school days were coming to an end.

Teenage Tohno and Sumita.

Giddy with her victory, she decided to confess to Tohno on that very day. However, although opportunities were given, she found that she just couldn’t, as she finally realized that part of Tohno’s appeal was that he always seem so far away, and that his heart always seem to be elsewhere. Finally understanding him, she realized that a confession would be futile and would in fact hamper her friendship, thus, she desisted on letting him know her feelings.

It was also revealed that Tohno has been composing messages on his phone all this while, but not sending them.

Teenage Tohno and Akira.

And hence ends part two.

Part three begins with both Tohno and Akira in the working force. The setting was once again Tokyo. Both of them had a similar dream of their thirteen year old selves once again, which triggers memories and melancholy for both. This made Akira message Tohno once again, to let him know of her impending marriage. She also tried to call him but couldn’t get through as he never answers her calls. However, Tohno was devastated and had lost his motivation and his feelings which had sustained him over the period of time. The anime ends with both of them passing each other at a railway crossing, however as they reached their opposite destinations, both turned to look at each other. Unfortunately, passing trains hindered their view, and when the crossing was clear, Akira was gone.

Adult Tohno and Akira passing each other at the railway crossing.

If you enjoy this movie you might also like other works from Makoto Shirai who is the author and director of this movie such as Voice of A Distant Star and The Place Promised in Our Early Days. Both look very nice as they incorporate romance into science fiction. However, as they sound sad, I think I'll KIV these two, to let my heart recover, haha.

Note: The music on my blog has been replaced with the OST from this movie which I hope will set the mood and interest to watch this gem of a piece.