Great! So what exactly will I be discussing in these reviews?
Plot
Character and their development
Viewer Engagement
My favourite moment
My least favourite moment
Anything else!
So... which film is going to be the subject of my fifth Film Review on my blog?
5 Centimeters Per Second (2007)
This is a film that I recently finally got time to watch, not once, not twice, but three times over. It was the Japanese animated film called '5cm Per Second'. Today, I will be discussing the English Dub with you all.
I would like to warn you in advance that this review will contain spoilers for the film.
Plot:
'5cm Per Second' is constructed in three short parts, telling the story of Takaki as he grows up. The narrative is split, being told by two different narrators. In parts one and three, Takaki tells the story in a self-reflexive manner, having experienced the happenings of these events and telling the reader the story of this time with knowledge of what would happen next. However, part two was told by a different party, a girl who was infatuated with Takaki when they were in High School called Kanai. I felt that this structure allowed the viewer to gain insight, not only into how Takaki viewed these events, but into how other people regarded Takaki himself.
Character:
When I watched this film, I had to watch it three times as two times my POV was skewed by the presence of friends of mine, who also wanted to watch it. However, I feel that this has not limited my perspective on the characters, but enhanced them!
Takaki:
Both of the friends that watched this film in my company, shared an opinion on the character of Takaki. They both seemed to find him boring and had very little interest in what his story had to hold as there was very little immediately captivating and interesting about him in a conventional sense. As much as I agree that he could have been viewed as boring, the short stories we are presented to as a viewer, are pieces of mundane realism; mere snapshots of daily life where nothing outrageous occurs. It is only through Kanai's POV that we learn what makes Takaki special, as he does not regard himself in that manner.
Kanai:
My friend, very much identified with the character of Kanai when we watched the film together, and since then, I struggled to not see parallels between them. However, I feel that this does not weaken my interpretation of her character. This is because it demonstrates that the character of Kanai is accessable to the audience and her life was authentic, despite differences between herself and my friend. Kanai's shyness, and admiration for the object of her affection, as well as her struggles with ambition made her accessable to an audience and she was therefore, very interesting to watch.
Akari:
I loved the way in which Akari was depicted within this story, as we know very little about her as the story progresses. You hear from her in story one, when Takaki goes to visit her when they're still in Middle School before he moved away. However, after that point, she is seen but little more is learned. Instead, when we see her in story two, she is silent and her face is partially obscurred. And when she is seen in story three, you rarely see her face when she is speaking. This established distance between Takaki and Akari as time passed on. He no longer knew her.
Engagement:
Despite the opinions of my friends that said that the story itself was boring, I found the three parts of Takaki's story to be very interesting because it was like watching a person's life on screen.
Favourite Moment:
The ending, it felt ever so nostalgic to watch Takaki walk toward the train tracks, down the same route he and Akari once walked when they were in Infant School prior to her moving away. I loved the way that a parallel was established and how the pair finally came together again, just for a moment.
Least Favourite Moment:
The ending. Yes, I am aware that the ending was also my favourite part. But the ending broke my heart so much, that I resented having to rewatch it twice over. Each time, it sent my mind spiralling into a state of existential dread. It made me recall promises that I had made to friends I no longer speak to due to them having moved away, and the promises I have made to my current groups of friends. It broke my heart to be faced by the reality that time can split two people up so much while also providing such beautiful memories. It was the epitome of my existentialism!
Anything Else:
N/A
I hope you enjoyed my review and will consider watching this film.
Thank you for reading!
And remember:
Per Ardua Ad Astra!
- Imogen. L. Smiley
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