This film was written and directed by Makoto Shinkai, and was released last 2007. The Japanese title is Byōsoku Go Senchimētoru (秒速5センチメートル). It is made up of three short stories in the life of Takaki Tohno, from his elementary school days up to his adult life. Basically it is the story of Takaki’s first love, Akari Shinohara, and how it affected his life. It has a simple storyline, but it is coupled with the magnificent scenery and superb animation. It was a touching story, to say the least. It simply blew me away.

This is not your typical love story where the lead character gets a happy ending. In fact, it portrays the reality of first love. No matter how much you love each other, you will eventually drift apart if you lose contact with the other person. “Five centimeters per second” seems to symbolize the rate at which you find yourself drifting away from a person. A slow rate, but given enough time you just might be surprised at how far you’ve drifted away. And eventually, you will realize that you cannot go back to the way things were.

Such is the case in the love story of Takaki and Akari. They were very good friends in elementary school. They had to part in junior high because Akari had to move away. They keep in touch through letters, but Takaki will move even farther away from Akari starting high school, making it difficult (if not impossible) to stay in touch. Takaki and Akari meet one last time, hopefully to admit their feelings for each other. But the sudden snowstorm prevented them from doing so, and they parted with things left unsaid. Nevertheless, they had an intimate moment that night, and that is enough for Takaki to have something to hold on to in the years to come.

In high school, Takaki meets Kanae Sumita. She fell in love with Takaki, and it is affecting her performance in surfing and her studies as well. She was feeling insecure because she sees in Takaki someone who is good in everything he does, while she on the other hand is being indecisive. They eventually got to know each other better, and it helped Kanae to be more confident of her abilities. Right before they graduate, Kanae was confident enough to finally admit her feelings for Takaki. But then she noticed that Takaki was thinking of someone else, so she has decided not to admit her feelings after all. They parted ways after graduating in high school.

The final episode of the movie tells us of the life that Takaki led as an adult. It was surprising to see Takaki lead such a miserable life, going through the routines, hoping that one day he would meet Akari once more. But here it is revealed that Akari is already engaged. Alas for our hero! He was holding on to something that no longer exists. That scene when they almost met each other again made me cry. Takaki was so kind to Kanae, he deserved to be happy somehow! Towards the end of the film, Takaki realized how miserable his life had become. At that moment, he decided to let go of Akari’s memory and move on with his life.

I felt sad when I realized that Takaki and Akari will not end up together. But then I realized that I’ve been watching too much Hollywood movies where the lead characters eventually get their happy ending. I was reminded that this is the scenario that happens most of the time in real life, people moving in and out of your life. Isn’t there a saying that when a person leaves you, it means that their part in your story is over?

But despite the sad turn of events, the mood is not that gloomy in the entire film. In fact, we are treated to the beauty of everyday life, like the cherry blossoms gently falling during springtime, or the waves splashing on the shore during summertime. Somehow it reminds us to stay positive, for even in the most dramatic moments of the film, there is something to be happy about. Take for instance the final scene from episode 2. Just after Kanae has decided not to admit her feelings for Takaki, they were treated to the sight of a rocket ship being launched into space. A bittersweet moment, if you asked me. This movie just made me realize that what Alfred, Lord Tennyson said is true:

I hold it true, whate’er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
‘Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.

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