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Theowne
Baron
Registration Date: 02.11.07
Location: Toronto, Canada
Posts: 1290 |
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I set aside this week to watch the full "5cm per second" as well as "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time". Just finished 5cm per second. With all the praise and comparisons to Ghibli, perhaps I was expecting too much. Review
Honestly, I can appreciate how finely-tuned the directing and writing is, I can appreciate how detailed the animation is, but emotionally, it just left me cold compared to anime like Whisper of the Heart or Honey and Clover. The main reason for this is that in the latter films/anime, you really become attached to the characters, their motivations, and their flawed-but-great personalities. But I felt like there was very little character exploration or development in this film. Only in the second part did you see a bit of it, with the character Sumida and her unrequited love. But for part 1 especially, the director is communicating the "idea" and "atmosphere" of loneliness and regret rather than doing this through his characters. I appreciated the sadness of the situation between the characters, I appreciated how well the feeling of loneliness was displayed in each of them, but I just didn't end feeling anything for the characters themselves, they were blank slates to me. And that eliminated any lasting emotional effect it may have had. In "Whisper of the Heart", I was made to care so much about the characters as people, human beings, that I wanted to see them happy together. I simply did not have that same feeling when watching this film and they felt just like characters, conceived by a writer, props used by the director to deliver (well-written) monologues about loneliness and regret.
But perhaps this is what Shinkai was intending to do, and he certainly does that well. The final part was a big-let down and mostly the reason why I don't consider this a great film. The final section should, ideally, connect the themes of the first or resolve the entire thing in some way, but for the most part, the whole thing could have boiled down to that one scene where the two characters see each other near the tracks. The director introduces a new character than doesn't do anything with them. The music video was intrusive and completely unnecessary, in my opinion. I think the director is good at exploring a "snapshot" of an emotion or a feeling, of regret, or longing, and etc, but it's difficult to sustain an entire film based on that - or create a connection with the characters. I guess my final opinion is that I appreciate the flash and detail, but I didn't get enough "heart" out of it.
Post last edited by Theowne on 08.05.2008, 04:26 PM.
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 08.05.2008, 04:22 PM |
   
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Roarkiller
Your Daddy-O
Registration Date: 06.03.03
Location: Home, resting...
Posts: 6077 |
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You're right in just about everything.
Frankly the last part was the weakest link, although what Shinkai was trying to tell is open to discussion. I for one believe that he was trying to show how Takaki was suffering in his life while trying to hold on to his memories of Akari, while Akari had not only moved on with her life, she had even almost totally forgotten about her. The reminiscence scenes during the closing song was, in my view, rather weak and redundant, although you have to give it credit for showing much of their lives (but still too compressed, if you understand). That last train scene IMO was to show that Takaki had finally given up on Akari forever (remember, Akari probably did not even give him a second thought, which was probably why she didn't wait at the train junction).
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quote:
Originally posted by fenkashi
Screw your opinions, they are not relevant ^^.
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| 08.06.2008, 08:17 AM |
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T.C.
Totoro
Registration Date: 08.28.07
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 709 |
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finally bought this recently.. i couldnt find it anywhere with subs until now. it was one of the first anime's i watched so i really like it but yes the last part is almost entirley unneccesary.. and even the second part had some problems in connecting the series.
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| 08.15.2008, 05:43 AM |
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fizzy
Kodama
Registration Date: 05.04.06
Location: AUS
Posts: 42 |
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Just an update regarding the DVD release for those who don't follow R1 industry news:
The R1 DVD has be discontinued as of mid July. ADV films have been experiencing financial difficulties all year long, culminating in July when Sojitz, a Japanese licensing company pulled out of their partnership. Effectively 30 (approx.) ADV titles were transfered to FUNimation, however, 5 Centimeters Per Second was one of two titles that didn't survive the transition (for unknown reasons).
Consequently, the UK launch has been shelved (ADV UK had to cancel many upcoming releases) and an Australian release looks highly improbable.
Being only released in March this year, copies are bound to become scarce. I suggest purchasing from Rightstuf if your desperate for a legit copy. There is of course the chance that another company or even ADV themselves will re-solicit the title (in fact I believe the chances are quite high given it's reputation amongst fans), however nothing is certain as of writing.
Press Release:
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/200...t-of-print-dvds
Post last edited by fizzy on 08.24.2008, 07:21 AM.
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| 08.24.2008, 07:20 AM |
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arren18
Administrator
Registration Date: 08.15.06
Location: Edinburgh
Posts: 10669 |
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quote:
Originally posted by fizzy
Consequently, the UK launch has been shelved (ADV UK had to cancel many upcoming releases)
Excellent.
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| 08.24.2008, 10:14 AM |
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