sunsetonarainyday

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Film: The Garden of Words (言の葉の庭) - 2013

Director: Makoto Shinkai

[sunsetonarainyday]

Film : Children Who Chase Lost Voices (星を追う子ども) - 2011

Director: Makoto Shinkai

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Film: Colorful (カラフル) - 2010

Director: Keiichi Hara

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Film: Angel’s Egg (天使のたまご) - 1985

Director: Mamoru Oshii

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Film: A Silent Voice (映画 聲の形) - 2016

Director: Naoko Yamada

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Film: Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し) - 2001

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

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Anime: 5 Centimeters per Second (秒速5センチメートル) - 2007

Director: Makoto Shinkai

This is one of my favourite anime films of all time. It’s not a generic love story where the male and female lead fall in love and everything is perfect but a story of separation using realistic characters who have realistic backstories. This movie is split into 3 parts: part 1 is called ‘Cherry Blossom’, part 2 is called ‘Cosmonaut’ and part 3 is called ‘5 Centimeters Per Second’. Part 1 follows the story of Tohno Takaki and Akari Shinohara and how they are gradually moving further and further away from each other. Even though they are in love, this movie shows a realistic example of how not everything can be overcome by love. Takaki visits Akari for the last time in this part, taking a long and delayed train ride. Part 2 is mostly narrated from the viewpoint of Kanae Sumida who is a high school classmate of Takaki. I love this part as it shows how Kanae had a backstory and a life before she met Takaki, different from a lot of anime I’ve seen before where the characters seem to only exist in a bubble. This part, called ‘Cosmonaut’ follows Kanae (who is in love with Takaki) and her journey of finding herself. She decides one day, after surfing her first wave in 6 months, that she will tell him how she feels but backs out last minute as she realises that Takaki was never looking at her, but at something far beyond (who the audience can guess is Akari). Part 3, ‘5 Centimeters Per Second’, shows Takaki and Akari’s life as adults. Takaki has quit his office job and still hasn’t moved on from Akari whereas Akari has now gotten engaged and moved on from Takaki. At the end of the film, in the train scene (my favourite scene), Takaki and Akari meet again while crossing a level crossing, however a train blocks their view of each other. When the train moves, Takaki sees that Akari has left and walks away - signifying his moving on. Even though this film is only around an hour long, it is one of my favourite anime films as it is realistic and the art is absolutely beautiful. I would whole-heartedly recommend.