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This article was originally published on our old servers on August 11, 2011. We decided to revamp the article and bring it back on the new GTG site.

5 Centimeters Per Second is one anime film you shouldn’t miss

It’s difficult to compile a list of anime films to see, but in the end, narrowed down the list to 10.

This is not a top 10 best anime list of all time, but rather, a highly-recommended list for both newcomers and veterans to check out. Each anime that is recommended on the list has a combination of an in-depth story, deep characters, great visuals, and special meaning.

With that being said, I hope you enjoy the picks!

10. Grave of the Fireflies

The Trailer:

Despite that this is one of my favorite anime films, I have only seen it once. However with that single viewing Grave of the Fireflies left an impact on me that few anime have ever done.

The narrative focuses around Seita, a fourteen year old boy who is the son of an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy in World War Two. Proud and determined, Seita is left with the gargantuan task of taking care of his four year old sister named Setsuko. The two live on their own after their mother is badly burned in the Kobe fire bombings of 1945. Before the choice of trying to make it alone, they start by living with their ornery aunt who does nothing but verbally berate them and belittles their efforts. Sick of her abuse, they set off to start their own lives anew.

After finding out their mother has died, Seita tries his best as a strong pillar of support for Setsuko. Soon, however he discovers that the adult world around him is apathetic to the suffering of two children, and little by little it chips away at his soul.

Grave of the Fireflies is a work of tragic beauty. On one hand, the relationship of Seita and Setsuko is heartwarming and is the only thing that keeps the film from being completely emotionally overwhelming. On the other hand, it is unafraid to show the darker side of humanity not in the aspects of real war itself (the enemy is never shown) but the overall indifference to the suffering of our fellow-man, especially children, in times of desperation. It’s almost as if the message of the film is that war was not the killer of these poor children, but the unwillingness to pay attention to their wellbeing by the adults around them.

Being part of the Ghibli filmography it is of no surprise that the visual prowess of this film would be exceptional. Every expression, every action in terms of character movement is animated genius. Never have I seen in an animated film a face contort to express crying so strongly that it made me break down in tears. The backgrounds of this film are sensational and yet maintain a quaint simplicity which makes it all the more tragic that it is destroyed in the end as well.

The live action adaptation of the movie.

This film is laced with symbolism which is never heavy-handed or ambiguous but always heart rending and powerfully applicable. The main source of symbolism is the fireflies themselves. Being insects that have a short life but beautiful in appearance, fireflies are used as an emblem for the main characters, this represents a life flame that is to be extinguished.

Fireflies are a strong symbol of transience and self-sacrifice, which in Japanese tradition is a thing of beauty. The tragedy that befalls these children is something should not be forgotten for they lived a noble life even though their lives were short.

Although I have sung much praise about this anime and that it is without a doubt, worthy of being on this list, it is a film that I will never watch again due because of how crushingly tragic it is, taking even the most stone faced people I know and moving them to tears. But it holds a special place in my heart due to the fact that it was one of the earliest anime films I watched.

All in all, Grave of the Fireflies is a film that must seen by everyone for its unflinching portrayal of how war effects innocent people. To me it is the prime example of the aim of an anti-war film.

9. 5 Centimeters Per Second

The Trailer:

“Five centimeters per second… That’s how fast a cherry blossom takes to hit the ground. Did you know that?” With that piece of trivia, starts a film that is anything but trivial.

5 Centimeters Per Second packs a punch for its allotted run time. There is a lot for a film buff to ponder. I rarely see a film that runs for only about sixty-three minutes exude so many themes and emotions such as love, loss, and anxiety all in little over an hour. All of this is done without the film ever feeling like it is being rushed or containing any scenes that merely act like filler.

This film is also unique in one regard, considering its director is Makoto Shinkai, who is known for making short films without the help of any studio. This is the first film where he now has entire crew at his disposal who gave him a hand in creating a feature length film. The movie truly presents Shinkai’s talent not only as an artist but as a director as well, showing that he has a bright future ahead of him in the world of animation.

This movie is a tale told in three parts: the first part being called Cherry Blossom which talks about the childhood friendship between Takaki Tōno and Akari Shinohara. The two are so close that they speak to one another without using any honorifics, which is very rare in Japanese society. As they grow older they soon fall in love. The duo is soon torn apart because of Akari moving away because of her father finding a new job in another town.

Part two is called Cosmonaut, and concerns Takaki coming to grip with his feelings involving Akari and how another girl in his life, named Kanae Sumida, is now in love with him – albeit the feelings are unrequited.

The final part of this film is called 5 Centimeters Per Second and focuses on the adult life of Takaki.

All-in-all, 5 Centimeters Per Second is stunning with a vast array of colors, shades of light and tone that contrast the themes of the story perfectly. The middle segment of the film, Cosmonaut, shows the skill of the background artist with some truly spectacular visuals that have to be seen to be believed, as every color is exemplified to their utmost brilliance It is a film that demands we stop and look at the huge world around us all the while holding onto the present that we must cherish.

Musically speaking, the soundtrack stresses bittersweet piano pieces that dreamily waltz in and out of scenes which, to me, are put to proverbial use for the characters themselves. The music is telling us that our lives and the people within it may sometimes drift in and out of it and that moving on is a part of life.

This is a story about growing up and accepting the reality that is around us. At times life might kick us and brow beat us with its challenges. Coming to grips with the world around us and accepting that there are some things in life that we cannot have is a huge part of growing up. In hindsight, all of this evokes a translatable emotion because we have all been through the pangs of first love and being forced to abide with the facts that life sometimes is not fair. It is a universal message that makes this anime a movie that anyone can appreciate.