7.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Told in three interconnected segments, we follow a young man through his life as cruel winters, cold technology and, finally, adult obligations and responsibility converge to test the delicate petals of love.
Starring: Kenji Mizuhashi, Satomi Hanamura, Risa Mizuno, Yűko Nakamura, Hiroshi ShimozakiForeign | 100% |
Anime | 93% |
Romance | 19% |
Drama | 13% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit)
Japanese: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.0
Japanese: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
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.
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.
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 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.
ほしのこえ / Hoshi no Koe / Voices of a Star
2002
雲のむこう、約束の場所 / Kumo no Mukō, Yakusoku no Basho / Beyond the Clouds, the Promised Place
2004
彼女と彼女の猫 / Kanojo to kanojo no neko
1999
言の葉の庭 / Koto no Ha no Niwa
2013
Hoshi o Ou Kodomo / 星を追う子ども
2011
The Motion Picture
2012
君の名は。 / Kimi no na wa.
2016
聲の形 / Koe no Katachi
2016
天気の子
2019
2012
2012
Kimi no suizô o tabetai
2018
2008-2009
ヴァイオレット・エヴァーガーデン
2018
おもひでぽろぽろ / Omohide Poro Poro
1991
2007-2008
時をかける少女 / Toki o kakeru shôjo
2006
2013
Anime Classics
2011-2012
2013-2015