Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

5 Centimeters per Second Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman March 1, 2017

Not one but two pull quotes adorning the cover of 5 Centimeters per Second fete Makoto Shinkai as “the next Miyazaki”, and while that may be true from a purely aesthetic standpoint, there are manifest differences between the kind of magical realism that informs so many of Miyazaki’s best known pieces (Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the Sky, Princess Mononoke, Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away) and what is a resolutely more purely realistic take on the vagaries of life and young love as evidenced in this piece by Shinkai. In an interview with Shinkai included on this Blu-ray as a supplement, the writer-director (and producer) of 5 Centimeters per Second talks about “speed” in its various iterations being the theme of the film, and that certainly is part of the film’s title at least, one which refers to how quickly cherry blossoms fall to the ground in the spring. But there are other redolent ideas wafting through this film, much like those selfsame cherry blossoms, with the persistence of memory, unrequited love and acceptance adding into the film’s kind of plotless ambience.

I recently mentioned how Moonlight took the idea of a “three act structure” to a new level, positing three different time frames for its lead character Chiron. Something quite similar is at hand in 5 Centimeters per Second, as the film details the passing years in the life of its hero Takaki Tōno, beginning in the 1990s and moving up into the early 2000s, in three “episodes”. That said, the first episode in particular plays with time in a kind of teasing manner, shifting back and forth between several eras as it slowly unfolds the history between Takaki and a little girl named Akari Shinohara.

While the ping ponging time element makes the chronology of the relationship a bit too over convoluted, at least given the film’s relatively brief running time (barely over an hour) and its absence of a viscerally riveting narrative, it does start to reveal some of Shinkai’s ideas about speed, distance and (especially) memory. It turns out that Takaki recognized Akari as a kindred spirit virtually from the get go, after he transferred into his school and then Akari followed a year later. Both were (are?) outcasts, and bonded over shared interests. With a “made for each other” ambience firmly in place, Shinkai then begins to toy with what might be perceived as an almost inherent Japanese tendency not to be overly emotional or to reveal one’s feelings to other people (something that plays out in all of the “episodes” in the film).

The main thrust of the first episode is actually a long train trip Takaki takes to reunite with Akari, after she has moved away and the two (as teenagers) have continued their relationship via letters (pre email) and phone conversations. With Takaki due to move even further away soon, this could be their last chance to reveal their feelings to each other. There’s a kind of An Affair to Remember element at play here, with two seemingly predestined lovers kept apart by the vagaries of fate, though (without posting any spoilers) there’s actually a kind of bittersweet “happy ending” to this section of the film, albeit one laced with an undeniable melancholy.

The second section of the film follows Takaki in his high school years, where Akari is out of the picture and a new girl named Kanae has obviously fallen hard for the young man. Once again the inability of characters to reveal their feelings to each other plays a central role, but this section of the film almost seems like more of an interruption of the Takaki and Akari saga than a development on its own merits. This episode, entitled Cosmonauts, does feature some of the most sumptuously beautiful animation of the entire film, with Shinkai offering some, yes, Miyazaki-esque landscapes that are truly breathtaking.

The third episode is rather brief and acts as a kind of coda to the foregoing, with Takaki now ensconced in an apparently at least somewhat unfulfilling job. As he attempts to reconcile his unhappiness, Akari’s story as an adult is revisited, and she, too, has made certain decision that are both forward looking but also inevitably tied to memory. Shinkai offers an again melancholic but weirdly sanguine take on the situation, something that adds to the “realistic” ambience of the film. What’s fairly remarkable about 5 Centimeters per Second is how, despite the film’s brevity and lack of a traditional narrative arc, there are rather deep emotions that are uncovered, both in the characters themselves and, hopefully, in the audience. The film’s lustrous animation may be the “hook” that draws many viewers in, but there is some rather moving content here, though it’s often cloaked in a traditional Japanese reserve.

5 Centimeters per Second Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

5 Centimeters per Second is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Discotek Media. This fairly short feature resides quite comfortably on a BD-25, with only some very minor banding intruding in what is otherwise a lustrous looking visual presentation. Shinkai has a number of different techniques on display throughout this film, with some shots looking photo realistic, others looking quasi-Impressionistic and still others having the minimalist aesthetic of a lot of anime (where faces are complete blanks, with no features or defining characteristics). The most remarkable thing about the visuals here, aside from some of the landscapes, is the palette, one which is often suffused with pinks and purples, perhaps subconsciously redolent of the cherry blossoms that play such an important part. Some of the scenes featuring the young Takaki and Akari are noticeably softer and lack really sharp detail levels, something that one assumes was done intentionally to evoke a kind of remembrance aspect. Line detail is strong and the image has no issues with instability.

5 Centimeters per Second Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Though the disc advertises a Japanese 4.0 mix, it's actually delivered as a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.0 track. LPCM 2.0 tracks in English and Japanese are also on tap, but the surround track offers a much better accounting of the (sometimes treacly) score, as well as the nice ambient environmental effects that make sequences like the long snowy train trip so memorable. Dialogue (which includes a lot of voiceover and/or narration) is rendered cleanly and clearly with no problems whatsoever.

5 Centimeters per Second Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• English Credits (480i; 2:49)


• Teaser (1080p; 00:38)


• Trailer (1080p; 1:41)


• Storyboards (480p; 1:03:22)


• Music Video (1080p; 5:35)


• Makoto Shinkai Interview (480p; 36:28)


• Cast Interview (480p; 37:28)

5 Centimeters per Second Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

5 Centimeters per Second is kind of unapologetically slight on one hand, offering vignettes instead of a really developed and organic storyline. What's so remarkable about the film, then, especially given its brief running time, is how much emotion it manages to accrue as it wends its way toward its elegiac but accepting denouement. The visual delights of this film are also remarkable and help the film to overcome any passing narrative hurdles. Technical merits are strong, and 5 Centimeters per Second comes Highly recommended.