(L) 5 Centimeters per Second

[Vexx]

They were in middle school, I'll assume 9th grade since separate high schools were what separated them. Typically in Japan - 9th graders are 14 on average. Old enough (Romeo and Juliet were that age if I recall?) for some passionate feelings that were enhanced by the separation.

The letter writing reminds me of times in the late 70s and 80s when that was the only cost effective form of communication (phone calls were outrageiously expensive). Its one reason I prefer forums over "insta-chat" as well.... gives one the option to think more clearly before inserting one's foot in mouth.

[Cal-Reflector]

Originally Posted by Vexx

They were in middle school, I'll assume 9th grade since separate high schools were what separated them. Typically in Japan - 9th graders are 14 on average. Old enough (Romeo and Juliet were that age if I recall?) for some passionate feelings that were enhanced by the separation.

The letter writing reminds me of times in the late 70s and 80s when that was the only cost effective form of communication (phone calls were outrageiously expensive). Its one reason I prefer forums over "insta-chat" as well.... gives one the option to think more clearly before inserting one's foot in mouth.

The age issue was brought up before; they separated when they graduated from elementary school; the first letter Akari wrote to Takaki was six months later, they met up roughly one year after they parted, which would place them at the end of seventh grade. At soccer practice, Takaki and his benchmates were called "Ichi-nens" or first years; seventh grade.

So yup, they're 13; one can see them as acting more mature than their age or just experiencing an extremely ideal (rare), pure, sweet young love.

[Vexx]

ah, then I misinterpreted the schools... I suppose that makes the relationship more unusual or impressive. But since they were both "intellectuals" (/outcast in elem.. though they both seem to have improved that label somewhat in the present) - I've seen that kind of dedication at that age as well among the "10%" outliers

[Theowne]

I'm impressed. I watched the subtitled version, and there were some things I would've liked to have been translated (certain letters on-screen), the subbers mostly did a good job. I really liked what I have seen so far, there is a very gentle mood and atmosphere to it, I am looking forward to the rest.

Spoiler for one scene:

There was one scene in particular which I felt was very emotional, when his letter drifted off into the wind. The emptiness, the hollow feeling of such a thing happening has a real impact. To think of something so small yet so valuable and meaning so much, simply being lost in an instant for no reason, no gain, only by simple chance. It made me shudder...

[leongsh]

It's nice to read about people picking up more nuances from the first part of the movie as they rewatch it. My guess is that easily 90% of the visuals in the piece has been put in there for the purpose of telling the story by giving the time and space to reflect, visuals telling on the unspoken thoughts, visuals augmenting and emphasising the dialogue giving us the nuances that make it feel oh-so-real and oh-so-emotional. Simple case, where at the waiting room train station, Akari wakes up to see Takaki standing there. She grabs his lower front of his coat to pull Takaki a step closer as she bows her head and sobs in relief - thus emphasising how much he means to her there and then. Small little touches here and there to accentuate the emotions and the feelings that the director wants to communicate to us.

Makoto Shinkai's works are not cerebral pieces. They are pieces that are for the express purpose of communicating emotions and feelings. Just as you should not be listening to Billie Holiday's album "Lady in Satin" criticising on a cerebral/technical basis her choice of accompanying music and recording her badly scarred voice but should be listening to the raw emotion that she sings with, and the experience, the honesty, the sheer heartbreak that she communicates in her singing on that album.

[Cal-Reflector]

Alright, I guess I'll come out and say it: Does anyone know the process by which an anime (or an animated short feature) becomes an Oscar nominee? Perhaps one needs to hire a company to actively promote it in the LA area theaters? The reason I ask is obvious: If he has not included it as part of his plans, Shinkai should consider reaching a wider audeince with his work through recognition in the American mainstream; go after an Academy award.

If not qualified for full animated feature, Ouka-Shou would certainly have been a formidable contender for best animated short.

I'm serious. No rabid-fanboying here.

[Kaoru Chujo]

Originally Posted by Cal-Reflector

Alright, I guess I'll come out and say it: Does anyone know the process by which an anime (or an animated short feature) becomes an Oscar nominee? ....

I searched from Wikipedia, and here's what I found:

The film has to open in LA County in the year prior to the awards and has to be at least 40 minutes long and have a good digital print (details specified on the Wikipedia page). Then it has to be nominated by members of the academy in the branch related to the category.

So the first thing to do is to figure our how to get the film shown in LA this year. I do not know Shinkai's distribution plans. I believe that opening in any small theatre will do, and there are a lot of screens in LA County.

Next, an animation would have to be nominated, I presume, by someone in the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch of the Academy, of which the Executive Committee Chair is Jon Bloom, according to this page.

The Academy does not disclose the names of its members, but anyone who wins becomes a member, so perhaps the thing to do is find out who won in the feature animation category before and track them down and either send them or get Shinkai to send them a copy of the film. Past winners can be found from this page.

[Guardian Enzo]

The whole point of re-watching this piece for nuance is a good one. I rarely re-watch anime, even ones I love - but 5CM demands it. So many visual moments stand out in the memory, and so many small details reveal themselves in repeated viewing. As mind-blowing as that is, though, the pure emotion of the story is equal to the standard in every way. It's a brilliant expression of love in its purest form, something all of us have either felt or wish to, at the deepest level of our soul.

I don't know if the remainder of the film is as good, but based on the first part it certainly merits Oscar consideration. Indeed, an LA showing - even, theoretically, one screening - makes the film eligible. In reality, though, the only Japanese films that end up being seriously considered (i.e. Miyazaki) have been ones with a wide distribution. In this case I just don't see that happening. If there's an American distributor with enough depth to see the universality of this story and the guts to think they can market it, praise be to them - but I don't see it.

[orion]

I don't think that it's eligible.

It ran afoul of Rule 2, paragraph 3 with the Yahoo preview imo.

3. Films which, in any version, receive their first public exhibition or distribution in any manner other than as a theatrical motion picture release will not be eligible for Academy Awards in any category. (This includes broadcast and cable television, as well as home video marketing and internet transmission.) However, ten minutes or ten percent of the running time of a film, whichever is shorter, is allowed to be shown in a nontheatrical medium prior to the film’s theatrical release.

Then there's the restrictions on how and where it's to be exhibited in Rule 3. That would take a lot of coordination.

Plus, it would be going up against Shrek The Third and Ratatouille (Pixar). It would be slaughtered imo.

[Kaoru Chujo]

Originally Posted by orion

I don't think that it's eligible.　It ran afoul of Rule 2, paragraph 3 with the Yahoo preview imo...Plus, it would be going up against Shrek The Third and Ratatouille (Pixar). It would be slaughtered imo.

That all sounds right to me, unfortunately. Even if it were eligible, the results of the past couple of years tell me that big-budget schlock will always beat quality at the Oscars. Getting it into theatres or onto TV around the world -- and into the hands of good film reviewers -- may be the best that can be done.

[loli_demon]

That was excellent, I loved being able to hear his personal thoughts and emotions. Makoto Shinkai is a true carpenter of story. It would seem that imagination and delirium were extracted straight out of a masterfully woven book. ...so, where can I buy the book is the question

[Quajafrie]

There's no way it can win the Oscars. Only the high-budget titles can do that, and even Miyazaki won the Oscar because there wasn't any "big" cartoon name on that year. So, it's impossible.

And I also can't stop re-watching this little gem. I don't usually like re-watching, but here I find new things every time. It's just amazing how Makoto Shinkai made the film so realistic; it's a story of life.

[Mgz]

OH GOD, from reading AS i know this is a powerful awe inspiring animation 1337l33tz0r skillz, but I WERE NOT PREPARE FOR THIS. I almost cry (my eyes were very wet for a moment >.< ). The animation is soooo beautifully crafted that it sends a chills to my spines, how the hell did HE do that, is it even possible to make such a realistic animation, jesus. Not only that, the background music and the seiyu acting were making a different too, and the dialog (tho this crappy sub) is still beautiful like a poem. He gotta submit this to the oscar, maybe limited release in a few theater or so , man, I'm gonna send hate mail to the Oscar if this movie didn't win >.<

also, the lacks if technology lends this movie a very romantic style... it would completely ruins the movie if the main characters have a cell phone (hi, i'll be late, see ya later, don't wait for me) blah blah blah... I never feel so emotionally attaches to a character like this before.

[Guardian Enzo]

Actually, there were a couple of pretty big American releases the year Spirited Away won. I'd argue Miyazaki won, as much as anything, because John Lasseter - a personal friend of Miyazaki and involved in the distribution - personally championed the film and did everything possible to see it win. It was also, of course, the best of the nominated films by far and that does (occasionally) make a difference.

[Samatarou]

Originally Posted by orion

I don't think that it's eligible.
It ran afoul of Rule 2, paragraph 3 with the Yahoo preview imo.

Doh! There goes that Oscar! (And I do think it could definitely have won one.)

Even if we consider the whole movie as a candidate, part 1 amounts to substantially more than the 10%/10 minutes allowed. And I suspect it would make no sense to submit just part 2 or 3 since their plots are almost certainly too dependant on part one.

@Kaoru Chujo: The 40 minute minimum is only for full length features, shorts can be much shorter. (A Grand Day Out was 24 mins for instance.)

@Quajafrie: I disagree about the need for big backers, Nick Park won three oscars for Best Animated Short (1990, 1993 & 1995) years before Aardman teamed up with Hollywood, so it is definitely possible for a virtually unknown foreign studio to win in this category. However I would agree that for the ‘big’ Oscars you do seem to need lots of money and influence to sweeten the road to victory, certainly I heard that being said only last week. But the fact is, the animation Oscars are considered by Hollywood to be on par with “best bottle washer” so the process is less cut-throat.

edit: I was just looking at Rule Number 19 and 40 mins is the dividing line between shorts and full length feature films, so part 1 would be a short, but the whole caboodle would be a feature. Moreover, for short films only there is an exemption re. being shown in LA cinemas: it is sufficient to have won an award elsewhere to be eligible for a short Oscar, no theatrical release is required. However the award must be won before any internet transmission etc so 5cm/sec would still be disqualified for an Oscar.

[Cal-Reflector]

Well I'll be darned, maybe Shinkai can be a little more careful next time about the planning the release and distribution of his infrequent works!

But wait; for the short animated feature: "It had to have won a prize prior to its first internet transmission?" As in officialy sanctioned internet transmission and not what the fans manage to scrounge up on their own? In that case Part 1 could be technically be submitted on its own for consideration, no, as long as it won some sort of prize in Japan? I know, I'm being unreasonable now, but I'm afraid I'm not patient enough to wait till Shinkai comes out with his next work to see it go up against the heavy weights (upstarts).

Because really, its up to the Japanese now to remind the world that the roots of animation lies not in CG but in down to earth 2D, like Walt Disney.

[Mgz]

phew, just done submitting to imdb, I choose the title as

"Byousoku 5 Senchimeetoru"

and taglines is a chain of short stories about their distance. Hopefully it is the right thing. (<-- rookie contributor)

couldn't submite Ayaka Onoue and the art director guy, imdb doesn't know them

also the English (?) title is a bit confusing. should it be Centimeter or Centimetre ? and with the s or without the s (centimeters vs centimeter)

[orion]

But ep. 1 is part of a whole film and not a standalone piece like The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello and Yahoo! Japan streaming it prior to its March 3rd theatrical release wasn't a fan venture. It was purely a commercial venture to increase attendance at the premiere. If they had premiered it at a film festival, then they would have still been eligible. (Rule 3, paragraph 2) That's what The Girl Who Leapt Thru Time and Paprika did.

Plus, short films are suppose to be non-commercial ventures. This is a commercial venture.

They just have to plan better next time. Paprika delayed a DVD release to try to become eligible for Oscar, but didn't get the paperwork done in time supposedly IIRC, so no breaks for this one either.

[Mgz]

Mr Shinkai says about this work:
"We did thorough location hunting, and are trying to scoop this present real world up by the style of animation. Our daily life rarely includes eventful dramas, dramatic treachery or sudden revelations. Nevertheless, after all the world is filled with flavor and beauty here and there, and it is worth to live. We try to depict such an aspect of real life by this film, and to make your familiar landscapes more shining than usual after finished viewing. We aim to make such works which cuddles up to your daily life.

I wonder which location that the animation team base on. If I happens to travel to Japan someday I definitely would take a trip here

[Dop]

And Makoto Shinkai said 'Let there be lighting'
And there was, and it was absolutely gorgeous!

Just watched the first part and it was beautiful. The lighting, the attention to detail, all absolutely marvellous. Anyone who got to see this in a cinema should consider themselves blessed. I can only imagine how great that must be.

The most wonderful train journey in the snow leading to a delayed but beautiful reunion. I can't wait to see the whole thing.