(L) 5 Centimeters per Second

[Xcomp]

Originally Posted by cheung

*explodes* i'm going to buy the artbook just to get it signed I can't believe he's coming to London. That's fantastic.
thanks Xcomp, if it wasn't for you, i wouldn't have known anything about 5cm/s apart from the movie. I'll pay you back someday, maybe a pint after the screening in london?

LOL, thanks but it doesn't look like I'm going to make it after checking up some prices. The B&B in the Southbank area for three nights look pretty hefty...

The BFI site doesn't exactly say they'll be running an autograph session or anything, just an "on-stage interview" but, lets hope Shinkai stays to talk to his fans like he does at the other premières in Japan.

Shinkai's actually living in London just now to study English for a year. He made a post on his site when he settled down and another one about how he's been meeting a lot of Japanese fans there. One even brought a hard drive with them when they went to meet him

BTW, I just noticed this on the site but... Did ADV rename Akari as "Ahora" or something? Or does Takaki have a new girlfriend?

Originally Posted by BFI Site

Deriving its title from the speed that cherry blossom petals fall from a tree, Shinkai's new film is a trio of short stories concerned with the adversities of time, love, people and space. Starting in the mid-1990s and ending in the present day, we see snapshots of what is and what might have been in the lives of Takaki and Ahora, who start off as friends but look as if they may be blighted by conventions and distance.

[Asrialys]

My DVD box doesn't even mention any of the girls. And ADV's site seems to be broken, so I can't check there...

Isn't "ahora" something in Spanish?

[TinyRedLeaf]

Originally Posted by Xcomp

Wouldn't it be better if you just saved up for a trip to Japan and meet him there instead? Then you can visit Japan at the same time

Haha, I've already been to Japan twice over five years. The reason I'm miffed is because I'm intending to visit New York via London, but not around the time Shinkai would be present in London. *argh* So close yet so far.

Even if I were in Japan, how am I supposed to meet him if he does not appear publicly? I can't just go up to his door and ask for an autograph can I?

[DJ_RockmanX]

Originally Posted by Asrialys

Isn't "ahora" something in Spanish?

Ahora means "now".

[Xcomp]

Originally Posted by TinyRedLeaf

Even if I were in Japan, how am I supposed to meet him if he does not appear publicly? I can't just go up to his door and ask for an autograph can I?

Schedule your next trip there so that you make it in time for his next movie's première event

[Xcomp]

Just to say I managed to get a copy of the artbook and there's some more bits of info about 5cm in it.

I haven't translated the entire book but, I've listed most of the interesting "making of" bits of text in my review such as how in the opening scene of Oukasho, the place is modelled off a grove in front of Sanguubashi Station. Shinkai had tried to recreate the skies he's used to seeing in his home town, Nagano.

Then there's also the morning Takaki and Akari met up. The sudden change in weather from a snowy night to the clear blue sky with tiny sparsely separated clouds was done so that viewers could feel the sadness of the young couple’s separation and also the great world that lay ahead of them, almost to the point of despair.

Needless to say, the artwork's great even though it's not one scene per page. It's an interesting read too with all these little facts.

[Kinny Riddle]

Originally Posted by cheung

WHAT! Are you talking about HMVs in england? It isn't on their website and I know it's not out in the UK yet. Which HMV did you buy it from?

England? Bloody hell, no! What gave you the impression I'm in England? Is it my constant use of Brit slang? Though I did study there just a few years ago and know the London tube like the back of my hand.

You do realize they have HMVs over here in East Asia, including Japan, dont you?

Speaking of England, I wonder where in London is Shinkai staying. I know Hampstead Heath / Golders Green is beginning to have a lot of Japanese living there despite it being a predominantly Jewish area, I know since I myself stayed there when I was there.

[tresor]

@ 1080p native Plasma 20"
1 plus on both movies is the sound is a lot better, it is 5 channel, and more importantly the 2 channel sound is louder yet more crystal clear than before.

Spoiler for 2 from the spoilers:

From the music part at the end of the movie/checking the mailbox sequence it is very clear that Akari is holding the letter to her heart (I mean if Tohno is hearing this type of story no wonder he is head f'd) to protect it from the rain (her mailbox was not empty) & then Tohno is the 1/first w/ the empty mailbox in the next frame (hahaha). Xcomp is familiar w/ this controversy.
This 1 takes a little bit of work, stepping back about 40 feet from the screen the opening of the third part where Akari & Tohno are crossing the tracks in opposite directions it is very obvious that that is Akari walking across the track. It matches the crossing of Akari when she was a child (using the same distance perspective) at the end of the second/extra music video. the Higher Resolution image allows one to step back and still see this accurately etc.

Getting to the point: 1080p of Beyond the Clouds Places Promised (BtCPP) is so much better that it moves to #3 on my all time list.
The movie that benefits the most from the 1080p is Beyond the Clouds Places Promised (BtCPP). The main problem that I had (and I had friends of mine fall asleep during it) was that the movie seemed to not move.
At the HigherRes the movie moves quickly, because there is so much more to see.
The relative slow pace of the movie is for 1 to take all of the background in, and each inch of that 1080p is literally used. I previously watched a 720p version of the movie and was amazed that there was that much of difference from 720p to 1080p. And BtCPP is now very directly a love story. The different subtle lighting that is used for the girl in that movie shows a great depth (i.e., is not superficial/infatuates) of love that is very moving -> adds a dimension to this Akari situation that we don't get in 5cm.
After watching the Blue Ray version I would move it up to #3 all time on my list (from nowhere), it moved me so much.
The Background are truly stunning and more than that impact the viewer.
The much maligned character drawings don't pose as much as an issue to me because they now stand out in the 3d relief against the backgrounds and are more like actors standing against the green screen, so they stand in comparisons to the other characters drawn and less so to the impossible comparison with Shinkai.

Getting to the point: I like the DVD version upconverted via DVD player uncompressed playback via DVI @ 30" 720p. It is lighter and I like the colors better. (Yes, I also watched it at 42"+ 1080i)
5cm 1080p is better in a different way but is it better?
This version is darker than the DVD. The obvious is the details are better, which is good for sleuthing and impossible to print screenshots. This version is a lot darker, it appears that light parts of the movie are only there to effect the shadows. 5cm 1080p does prove that Shinkai is the current Chiaroscuro master. The darkness and shadows of the movie rings a death knell inside (compare with the lighting of the girl in BtCPP and the shadowing in 5cm 1080p).

One thing that works well with 5cm 1080p is that watching the movie from afar (40 feet+ back ~ the 1080p integrity allows) validates Shinkai point of view that the characters are just part of the ongoing backgrounds of life. From the distant point of view I see that Tohno is less obsessed (just found out that ghost is a synonym of obsessed) but that Akari appears as a ghost through-out the second part/movie/Cosmonaut to a clearly traumatized Tohno. The scenes with this Akari apparition are where Tohno would naturally talk to Akari (and would not do so with Kanae). That is based on the previous analysis of the Grass Harp via Xcomp, that Akari & Tohno were on the same wave length.

Using the distance perspective the third/part movie flies/makes sense. Seeing that Akari is the one crossing the train tracks at the beginning the feeling one gets is let's see what happens vis-a-vis Akari. At that point in the movie we are then in the same frame of mind that Tohno is and the rest of the movie/life flies by/back in the meantime while watching/waiting for the Akari resolution. In its way it is perfect.

I had the same reaction at the end of the movie that I always do, I always look for a way that the couple end up together and then say "this is the most bitter thing I ever saw."
5cm 1080p goes into the category: I am glad I have this version but.


Cool part, methodology for watching 5cm 1080p watch it at 40' + back play the SoundTrack to Whistler (Ordinary Day, She's The Source, Carousel, Never Ends,
Every Page You Turn, Turn The Lights On, Its A Long Life To Always Be Longing, Never Ending White Lights, Dose, Dead Dreams, A Hundred Million Feathers Weight, City of Vampires)
..The Dead Dreams, They're good.



2 Recommendations: Whistler (keywords NICOLAS LEA, season 1 & 2) is the best TV show I have ever seen, available via Ioffer (and no I don't care about Canadian TV nor Ioffer), and Aqua the Origination Anime (my favorite other city Venice!), excellent posts on Anime Suki and page 47 has all the info on how to buy it. Both these items complete are <$80.

[Samatarou]

5cm/sec is being shown in London at the NFT on Friday 20th June as part of an anime weekend,
Anime Now ... and Makoto Shinkai will be there for a live interview and book signing! You know, this is the first time since LOTR that I've actually felt excited about going to the cinema!

[clarakiss~]

Originally Posted by Samatarou

5cm/sec is being shown in London at the NFT on Friday 20th June as part of an anime weekend,
Anime Now ... and Makoto Shinkai will be there for a live interview and book signing! You know, this is the first time since LOTR that I've actually felt excited about going to the cinema!

oh you guys are lucky makato shinkai wasn't even at anime expo 07 (long beach, ca) when they had two screenings of 5 cm per second. i was bummed out but it was a really good movie.

[FuzzyWuzzy]

I just watched an amv of this anime in youtube.
Am I the only one afraid of watching this anime again?
It had such a huge impact on me and I'm afraid it will give me a big impact like that again.
I saw it a couple of times but those times have been so long now.
I'm afraid, very afraid.

[nachoiest]

WTF IS UP WITH THE ENDING TO THIS MOVIE?! I watched the movie thinking there would be a happy ending. WOW!

[deltakano]

Originally Posted by nachoiest

WTF IS UP WITH THE ENDING TO THIS MOVIE?! I watched the movie thinking there would be a happy ending. WOW!

Ah, don't you love how bittersweet life is?

[Xcomp]

Finally finished writing up the live interview that took place at the 5cm screening event in London that happened last Friday. It was great meeting Makoto Shinkai there and I thought the atmosphere was good too. Got quite a few laughs!

Shinkai talked about the importance of cats in his movies and someone also asked him if he ever considered a happy ending for 5cm and why he ended it the way he did. Quite an interesting answer he gave. Here it is for those who don't feel like reading the entire interview.

Spoiler for The reason for 5cm's ending.:

The ending seen in the movie was the one that had been decided upon before production but, along the way Shinkai had thought of changing it. However, he felt it wasn’t possible and in the end, kept to his original decision. The main reason Shinkai did this was because he felt it would have ended like a fairy tale where the story is wrapped up nicely. On the other hand, he didn’t want to end it that way because he knows that there must be some other important things that await both Takaki and Akari in the future which the viewers can think about for themselves as the two continue living their lives.

Feel free to read my write-up of the event although I didn't manage to snap too many pictures

http://xcomprandomness.co.uk/2008/06...at-london-bfi/

[FuzzyWuzzy]

Originally Posted by Xcomp

Spoiler for The reason for 5cm's ending.:

The ending seen in the movie was the one that had been decided upon before production but, along the way Shinkai had thought of changing it. However, he felt it wasn’t possible and in the end, kept to his original decision. The main reason Shinkai did this was because he felt it would have ended like a fairy tale where the story is wrapped up nicely. On the other hand, he didn’t want to end it that way because he knows that there must be some other important things that await both Takaki and Akari in the future which the viewers can think about for themselves as the two continue living their lives.

He left the ending hanging so it didn't really have an ending. So the viewers were asking "more!! more!!!" but there isn't anymore.

[WanderingKnight]

Edited out ~ Sorry for that.

[Feitolicious]

I can't wait to see this movie. It's looks really great! I hear it was sad though, so I might need tissues ^_^;

[FuzzyWuzzy]

Originally Posted by WanderingKnight

Blasphemy. Please learn to use torrents and watch it the way such a movie deserves to be.

He said AMV. Anime music video. If he said, he watched the movie in youtube, I would probably say the same thing and call him things even if I get a warning. But he said AMV! So I think that's really ok. Right?

[WanderingKnight]

Oh, I see. I retract from that statement--forgive me.

Definitely not good to post while in a hurry.

[Xcomp]

Originally Posted by FuzzyWuzzy

He left the ending hanging so it didn't really have an ending. So the viewers were asking "more!! more!!!" but there isn't anymore.

That wasn't a cliff hangar. Just not the happy ending most fictional work wraps up with.