Going backwards in time now; we covered Kimi no Na wa, then Garden of Words and we are back on the Makoto Shinkai spotlight with 5 Centimeters per Second. This movie has Shinkai written all over it, especially for those who have seen Kimi no Na wa. The movie is set up to take place in three 20 minute episodes, or short stories as it is called in the movie which revolve around the one male character. The first one takes place when he is younger, and his relationship with a girl who he loves yet is separated by distance from. The second one takes place when he is a little bit older, around his teen years from a different girls perspective in his new town – this girl is infatuated with him, yet struggles to admit her feelings to him because although he is nice to her, she feels he is “not looking at” her. The third one is when he is older, caught between the memories of those he is currently romantically engaged with and those who he has been with in the past and can never shake their memory. He allows it to haunt him, where as it isn’t really the same for everyone.

This compilation of short stories is sad; it is a tragic story with a great life lesson that you will have to watch it to understand. It is a story of self-discovery through the eyes of the one who is being discovered, as well as those who are discovering how they feel about him too – which explains him in very profound ways. Like all works of Makoto Shinkai, this is plagued with place – place is a major factor in this movie; not only because of distance, but also seasons and areas. All the places he is in are very different and all the times express a different climate, sometimes the landscape is a hindrance and sometimes it is a blessing. There is beautiful art without, really capturing the essence of the stories without a word needed to be said.

Is this for everyone? No. Did I enjoy it? Yes. If you are a massive fan of Makoto Shinkai then this will be for you; if you don’t mind sad stories, then this is also for you. You can tell that Shinkai was heavily influenced by this movie when he made Kimi no Na wa; in character design, landscape design and story design – there is just so much of him in there. It is a beautiful movie with some sad truths but also some light in the meaning of things; it isn’t all so dreary – but it can be really hard to take in if you are not prepared or are in an emotionally vulnerable state. This is a beautiful movie though, one you will not forget.