The End of the World

[Categories: OAVs, Movies and Full Series]

Byousoku 5cm (5cm Per Second)

Posted by Martin  [Tags: iyashikei, Makoto Shinkai, realistic fiction]

“…I can survive, I can endure/And I don’t even think about her/Most of the time…”

Yep, I’ve finally brought my scattered thoughts together as promised. It’s going to be a long one, people, and a few links/trackbacks. Sorry about that. ^_^ I’ve already given my first impressions on part 1 but my feelings of the piece as whole have changed a lot since seeing it in its entirety and thinking over it at length. It’s the kind of movie you can think at length over, and also get a lot of benefit from a repeat viewing or two.

Chapter 1: Oukashou

This could be a stand-alone feature since its storyline and conclusion encapsulate a set of ideas, a time and a frame of mind so perfectly. I won’t reiterate the visual quality at length here since it’s consistent throughout all three links of the ‘chain’; besides, it’s stating the obvious anyway. Perhaps due to Shinkai’s already-established talent for sweeping cityscapes and sunsets, I was actually most impressed with the details - textures, objects and movements that you only notice in everyday life when you’re either bored out of your mind or utterly fascinated by something. I actually enjoy travelling by train and at the time of writing I live near a railway station; I find the sound to be soothing rather than annoying and the idea that a train journey offers time to reflect isn’t lost on me. It isn’t lost on Shikai either it seems, as he ably portrays the tension and impatience that is familiar to anyone who has embarked on a journey in which the destination and time of arrival are of great importance to them.

The concepts of shame, regret and so on are set up in this episode which presents us with what is (to me at least) a familiar sensation of nostalgia but at the same time a feeling of having irretrievably lost something precious and dwelling on the could-have-beens and “I should have…”s. I’ll address this issue later but some of the feelings here echo my own experiences: naming no names (the person in question will probably never read this, but still), I didn’t just understand but felt the uncertainty for the future, the sensation of losing oneself in a moment of peace and ‘togetherness’ and the regret of having found a soulmate who I may never see again.

Chapter 2: Cosmonaut

The second part harks back to the Voices… movie with the imagery of mobile phones and space rockets; nevertheless, the sci-fi themes are background details rather than being integral to the story. I wouldn’t call this part weaker than the others though. Its strengths merely lie elsewhere in that it captures yet another aspect of young love: that of the unrequited variety. Kanae is a bright girl with her whole life ahead of her but adolescence is a blur of unspoken emotion and missed opportunities - this part sums up how unrequited love can feel like the time, effort and affection is wasted. The imagery didn’t work quite as well here but Kanae’s situation hit almost too close for comfort. The setting-up of the final segment also takes place here as we see how all those messages Takaki writes go unsent.

In a way, this is a different take on the movie’s overall themes and messages but at the same time it’s very similar. By the end Kanae still hasn’t resolved her feelings although she’s won one personal victory; i.e. in her hobby of surfing. By the end though, she hasn’t found a solution to her problem: instead, she realises that there are some things beyond our control and as a result the nearest we can get to peace of mind is to understand and accept them. But then, isn’t that how real life often works?

Chapter 3: Byousouku 5 Centimetre

The final part’s own storyline is limited: it’s mostly that of an older Takaki reminiscing and another ex-girlfriend whose appearance is merely to solidify his situation in our minds. Its main focus however is tying things up: the pivotal scene, that of the meeting on the level crossing, brings things back full circle to the meeting in the first part between Takaki and (an as-yet unmarried) Akari. The symbolism is especially strong at this point and we as the viewer finally realise that this isn’t necessarily a happy ending.

I especially loved the shortened cut-style editing that showed everyday scenes and accompanied that great bit of music; it reminded me strongly of Hideaki Anno when he’s on the top of his game, which I can assure you is intended to be a compliment of the highest order. Everything that has happened is re-run, expanded on then brought to an open, bittersweet but painfully true-to-life conclusion. If you find it unsatisfying, don’t fret: watching it again may help you appreciate it more as I did.

Commentary

Well, those were my thoughts on the individual pieces. As a whole it sits well alongside the likes of Voices… and Place Promised…, although my opinion (which is shared by a number of others) still stands that it’s time he moved onto new themes and ideas. This trilogy is a journey through adolescent romance but it brings us right up to date so I feel it’s said pretty much everything that he’s likely to say about the subject. Interestingly, I didn’t get that tearful, overwhelming feeling after this movie in the same way that I did with his previous two efforts; instead, it was a feeling of understanding, acceptance and, strangely, a sort-of emptiness that lasted for a longer time afterwards.

This could be down to the unusual narrative structure that was picked up on over at Transientem, but at the same time I wonder if the gorgeous visuals distracted me from the thematic side of things, as was suggested by Xerox at Nirai Kanai. A repeat viewing helps with the latter issue but Shinkai is definitely trying to break out of the linear narrative structure, even one punctuated by flashbacks. Perhaps this movie feels different because the ending is open, or not happily resolved; to my mind it brings a heightened amount of realism and credibility because it has less of a ‘movie ending’ and more of a conclusion that comes from the closing in a chapter of one’s life.One very important issue, which I’ve mulled over at length following Owen’s post is that of precisely how easily the viewer can relate to the characters and how this affect his or her appreciatation of the film as a whole. This is easily summed up by the subtle difference between sympathy and empathy. All good drama, Voices… and Place Promised… included, evokes our sympathy insofar as being able to understand why they feel a certain way. A problem that often occurs is that some details of the situation itself distance it from our own experiences - in Shinkai’s case he relies heavily on science fiction themes such as parallel universes, long journeys by space ship and so on. In the case of 5cm though, it’s all grounded firmly in a reality that any one of us can immediately recognise; or at least, settings that closely resemble it. I’m sticking my neck out a bit here but I’ll throw out the decision that, because of this, Byousoku 5cm makes that leap to empathy.

Another related train of thought I had, which is nevertheless quite distinct, is how open to interpretation the movie is - as in, how much entertainment value is derived from what the writer is trying to say and how much is independent thought on the viewer’s part, inspired by the events on-screen. Telling a good story is one thing but what earns Shinkai my eternal respect as a storyteller is how his work evokes memories from my own life experiences. This ability that his movies exhibit gives two facets to the films’ impact: that of an emotionally powerful tale and that of a flood of past events and feelings that I’d long since buried at the back of my mind. I don’t know if anyone else gets this from his movies or whether it’s just me; I’d be really interested to hear what the rest of you have to say.

Conclusions

I said it would be a long post, didn’t I? All this has been stewing in my mind for days (some details for weeks) but in closing I still believe that Shinkai has adequately covered the metaphorical distance that separates two hearts, etc., etc. It’s done brilliantly but it hits so many raw nerves in me that I’d like to see him take on something new. Besides, I want to see him stretch his talents a bit.

When I place Byousoku 5cm alongside his earlier efforts (for some reason I view She and Her Cat as a bit different, but I’ll be blogging that little gem in due course), I see it as a purer production, able to convey its messages without the sci-fi trappings. This could be Shinkai’s breakthrough into the mainstream as a result but this simplicity of storytelling is combined with an increased complexity, maturity and variety of emotions - it captures that elusive ‘empathy’ feeling. The artwork quality also traces a gradual but upward path which I thought had reached its zenith with his previous movie. All this leads me to one final conclusion: as a film maker I believe Shinkai has finally come of age.

[Filed under OAVs, Movies and Full Series]  [Tags: iyashikei, Makoto Shinkai, realistic fiction]

Follow comments with this post's RSS 2.0 feed, leave a comment or trackback from your own site