It takes 5 centimeters per second. Just like the title.
I had recently just finished watching the movie. It revolves around two main people;
Takaki and Akari. It's not really a movie, but 3 short stories that make up the whole plot.
The first shows how Takaki and Akari were in the beginning, how they met as a child and how they stayed in tact. They met in elementry school, and in middle school, Takari moved to Tokoyo. Later that year, Akari had moved there as well, in the same school.
During the year before their jr. high school, Akari had moved away to Iwafune.
Since then, they communicated through mail.
After all this time, Takaki's father's work was moving once again. Meaning, he too was moving. Before he would move, Akari had decided to make an appointment to meet. They could finally once again talk, face to face, since their homes were just several train stops away.
Takaki had scheduled his whole day. From the morning to the time they were supposed to meet at 7:00pm. But, it had started snowing. And by 5:00pm, all of the trains' stops delayed, having a 10-20min interval. And on the last stop before Iwafune, there was a 2 hr delay. By the time he reached the stop, it was 11 pm.
When he reaches it, he sees her there, still sitting, waiting.
Later, after talking and eating, they left the train station and walked out on the new snow.
Akari showed Takaki the cherry blossom tree she had written about in her letters, there, they had their first kiss.
They stayed in a nearby shack, huddled in a old woven blanket, and talked up to the morning.
In the morning, Takaki got ready to go home, and they said their goodbyes.
-x-
The second part starts off with Kanae using her scooter to go to the shore. It explained how she hanged out with Takaki, after he had moved here and how much she liked him.
It showed how he always had been writing messages in his phone, to someone, and sometimes, she wishes it was for her.
Later, during the time it was in Takaki's POV, his phone said he always had the same dream, about a girl in a field, but he doesn't know who. And once he finishes writing it, he deletes the message.
Back to Kanae, she finally had surfed a wave, for real, since 6 months ago. And with this, she hoped she could finally confess her feelings.
Scooting home together with Takaki, they stopped by a small grocery store, and in there, she almost did, by pulling the back of his shirt, but ended up saying it was nothing.
Takaki started his scooter, and Kanae did too right after the event, only hers wouldn't start up. So they ended up walking the rest of the way. Halfway, she started crying.
Kanae finally realized that whenever Takaki looked at her, it was always past her, faraway. Meaning he never actually did look at her, and would never like her the way she does with him. With that, she didn't talk to him the rest of the walk home.
She didn't want to be treated so nicely by him, ever again, or she might start bawling again.
Back to Takaki's position, he was at his dream, only, he finally sees who the girl is, as she moved her head toward his direction.
Finally getting a real look at her, Akari just smiled.
-x-
The last part shows Takaki as an adult in his house. He's typing on the computer, and suddenly, a single cherry blossom stops on the desk. He leaves the house.
Walking down a familiar road where they used run down together, Takaki walked past the train rails. And right beside him, a certain woman walks in the opposite direction. He knew that if he turned around, she would too. And he did, but at the moment, the train moved by, blocking the view of the other side.
Most of this short story shows how he never did move on, about Akari.
It flashes back between how his life was now to the past. He kept on working, doing what he can, trying to get over her.
Then, a scene shows Akari, at the train, reading a book. Right before she had entered the train, she had waved goodbye to two friends, saying she'll meet them at the wedding.
As the train moves, something on her finger glints against the sun.
Takaki then has a dream. "It was about how they were
-at the train station", Akari continues," walking down the street,
-and only the sight of their footsteps in the newly fallen snow can be seen" Takaki follows,
-"leading them to the cherry blossom tree", Akari finishes.
With that, the rest of the animation showed how they would cross each other, at the train station, or street, but with her being with someone else, and him being by himself.
The End.
-This made me sad, but I knew it was going to happen. No matter how much they had something in the beginning, over time, relationships change. Not every thing can end happy. Most unhappy endings are the more realistic and true ones.-
