5 Centimeters Per Second is the first anime movie I have ever watched. At first I thought that this film was a masterpiece, but I began noticing some flaws.
However, there are some major positives in this film. The first major positive is of course the visuals. There is a reason this film is nicknamed "5 Wallpapers Per Second" it is visually stunning. Any shot from this film could be used as a screen saver. The soundtrack is also fantastic and is one of the best in anime. Besides these elements everything else is average or bad.
First off, the animation is not really impressive and tends to be average, though the animation of cherry blossoms falling is very impressive. The characters are really bad in this film. The characters literally don't have character, the audience does not really know much of anything about the characters to be invested in them. We know where they live, what they think about and the sports that they play, but besides that nothing. The most well developed character in this entire film is Kanae and she's only in one third of the film! The reason why we feel so attached to these characters isn't because we are attached to them. No, we are attached to these characters because we can relate with their relationship problems on a personal level. This is poor character writing. The film also relies too much on dialogue. It begs the question, what is the purpose of having so many good visuals when I can easily just close my eyes and get the entire story by listening? The plot/story isn't really anything special and the pacing is very slow.
I have ripped on this film so much, so how does it have a 6/10 score or in my mind a good score (above mediocre but lower than great)? Well I think the biggest factor that shines in this film is the theme. The theme or purpose of the film is really important for the target audience (teenagers and young adults). I don't think this film is necessarily great, but I think it is still a necessity to watch because of the lessons it teaches the audience.
However, there are some major positives in this film. The first major positive is of course the visuals. There is a reason this film is nicknamed "5 Wallpapers Per Second" it is visually stunning. Any shot from this film could be used as a screen saver. The soundtrack is also fantastic and is one of the best in anime. Besides these elements everything else is average or bad.
First off, the animation is not really impressive and tends to be average, though the animation of cherry blossoms falling is very impressive. The characters are really bad in this film. The characters literally don't have character, the audience does not really know much of anything about the characters to be invested in them. We know where they live, what they think about and the sports that they play, but besides that nothing. The most well developed character in this entire film is Kanae and she's only in one third of the film! The reason why we feel so attached to these characters isn't because we are attached to them. No, we are attached to these characters because we can relate with their relationship problems on a personal level. This is poor character writing. The film also relies too much on dialogue. It begs the question, what is the purpose of having so many good visuals when I can easily just close my eyes and get the entire story by listening? The plot/story isn't really anything special and the pacing is very slow.
I have ripped on this film so much, so how does it have a 6/10 score or in my mind a good score (above mediocre but lower than great)? Well I think the biggest factor that shines in this film is the theme. The theme or purpose of the film is really important for the target audience (teenagers and young adults). I don't think this film is necessarily great, but I think it is still a necessity to watch because of the lessons it teaches the audience.