Byousoku 5 Centimeter

Like its source material, '5 Centimeters per Second' is the mediocre piece of Shinkai's work in manga. Same issues with the story and characterization, but at least the art is consistent.

[Story - 4]

Same story as before: childhood friends try to keep their love alive despite the amount of distance between them. While I still dislike this story and its themes, due to how blatant and unrefined the execution is, I can admire that the pacing is a lot more suitable for a story with such melancholic ambience. I also appreciate that there is more thought given to portraying how more characters besides just these two deal with their lives, but that will be expanded upon below.

[Art - 9]

Artwork is as gorgeous as the movie's, if not even more so despite not being in colour. It definitely puts its own 'anime' spin on the character designs while staying true to the movie in terms of maintaining a cinematic feeling. This feeling, like the film, is conveyed through rather stunning, yet quaint, settings such as downtown Tokyo, the beach, etc. etc. Huge kudos to the artist, Yukiko Seike, for pulling this off with major success.

[Character - 6]

While I'm still rather annoyed with the characters, I'm glad that Shinkai decided to expand on their monologues. For starters, at least the male protagonist, Takaki, isn't as.....cringy as the movie made him out to be, as he actually has an arc of realizing he needs to let go. The female protag (Akari), however, is still woefully uncharacterized to the point of only being in the story to serve as Takaki's catalyst for angst.

However, the 2 other prominent women in the story get a LOT more fleshing-out here. Kanae's struggles isn't just with her feelings for Takaki, but with the general aimlessness of life that teenagers often feel. I'm not /quite/ pleased with the implications of her ending, but her arc is my personal favourite from this manga, as it feels so....universal as a life experience. Risa still feels a bit flat to me, and quickly vanishes as fast as she appears, but her dynamic with Takaki was rather enjoyable and thought-provoking since she helps Takaki come to grips with his inability to move on.

[Enjoyment/Overall - 5/6]

It's not as amazing or life-changing as everyone says it is, but 5CM/S is still somewhat enjoyable. I'd actually recommend this over the movie, as it just offers so much more depth than what the movie gave everyone. Feel free to give it a shot if you really want to see angsty romance; Otherwise, skip it over.

This manga is one of the best that I have ever read (and will probably read in the future).
I can not think of anything to change about it that would honestly make it any better. I won't lie though, I had to take a break every few chapters (especially after the first two), the emotions that it envoked just hit that hard. It is a very emotional tale of love and loss, one that will leave you both wanting more, and wondering if you could take anymore. Honestly, I loved every bit of this story. It left a piece of itself in me after I read it, and I hope it does the same for you.

===== SPOILER REVIEW HERE=====

Disappointment. That is my opinion about this manga. MC is literally piece of shit, and he got what he deserved.

Story (6/10) : This is about a guy who cannot move on, and got stucked in the past, but refuses to do anything about his condition. He is free to do anything, he got the time, he got the means available to look for his beloved, but no, nothing happened.

**SPOILERS**
So MC is separated with his first love, and after some time, they lose contact of each other. MC clings to his past, believing she is the only one for him, yet he refuses to contact her, in any way. He refuses to go to class reunions, which one of his classmates MIGHT have FMC's contact. He went to the town where FMC used to live, but he stopped at the station. He thought to himself that she might not be there anymore.

Yes, FMC MIGHT not live there anymore. But it's not like there is nothing left there. Her neighbors? no, he didn't try to contact them. Looking for information about her? nah, not worth trying. Ask his classmates? no, they won't know anyway. Literally nothing.

Art (7/10) : Gotta stay objective, the art is decent, it is not great, not bad either.

Character (1/10) : This is where it gets frustating. There is no character development. Time passed, but there is no change in MC's behavior. Literally nothing, it's like MC refuses to grow up, or even do something about his condition, then proceed to hurt people around him. He is only expecting other people to do something to his situation. MC is like your edgy teenager where he always whine about his problems, but refuses to do anything about it.

Without doing something, you will get no result, and when you get no result, don't rub it on another people's face. Glad FMC moved on. She dodged a bullet there.

Enjoyment (2/10) : Very frustating MC, not really enjoyable.

Overall (4/10) : This manga has potential, but is wasted on its characters.

"...they say that it's 5 centimeters per second."
"What is?"
"The speed at which cherry blossoms fall.
It's 5 centimeters per second."

(This is a review of the novel that also makes comparisons to the film and manga versions. Think of it as my feelings for all 3 versions.)

I began reading the novelized version of "5 Centimeters per Second" in order to have a different experience of one of my most loved stories in anime. Having already watched the film numerous times and reading the manga once, I already had a rough expectation of what to feel while reading this story. This expectation, however, prepared me little in what I ultimately felt while I read, invoking something much sadder, and much more genuine.

All versions of "5 Centimeters per Second" follow the same basic pattern divided into 3 distinct sections, detailing the life of the protagonist, Takaki Tohno. They are: "Cherry Blossoms," "Cosmonaut," and "5 Centimeters per Second." The novel however, has an extra story, called "The Sky Outside the Window." Something interesting I learned about the creation during this reading of "5 Centimeters per Second" was that Makoto Shinkai had roughly 10 stories he had written for his fledgling work, before ultimately picking 3 stories to represent the film version (which is the original version, the manga and novel came later.)

Briefly, "The Sky Outside the Window" is a very short story of a girl named Miyuki Ogawa, who is staying at home from school due to the blowing typhoon. Like many of the characters in this work, she is unsure of what she wants to do with herself. She has a novel started but is not entirely sure what she is going to do with this novel. After being inspired by the sight of the dazzling world during the eye of the typhoon, she begins to be a little more hopeful in leaving a little trace of herself in history. Interestingly, I remember watching a video of Shinkai talking about his early career, how he spent many hours creating "Voices of a Distant Star," and how he wanted to leave a little something for people to remember him by. Whether this is a coincidence or not is entirely up to interpretation.

Watching the film and reading the story is an entirely different experience. What the film could describe using its stunning visuals, the novelized version had to rely on words and the imagination to produce a similar effect. I feel, that by both watching the film and reading the story, viewers can certainly understand the story, but in very different ways. To see the beauty firsthand and using words to imagine it are ways that enhance the appreciation of this work.

The overarching theme of this work is that distance creates conflict. Physical distances and emotional distances, whatever kind of distance that puts us at odds with others is a central focus of this work. For Tohno, he is physically separated from his first love, Akari Shinohara, and in the later stages of his life, he is emotionally separated from the many people he comes into contact to. How people deal with this distance is of profound importance in this work. For Tohno, time does not appear to have moved at all after his final night with Akari. For Kanae Sumida, she tries to hide her feelings behind surfing and her unrequited love for Tohno. And finally, for Akari, she seems to have simply moved on. When faced with this decision in life, the choice to move on or stay in the past will have great significance and lasting effects.

The novel invoked the feelings and mood of Tohno's life very interestingly, by making the prose less...beautiful as the novel progresses. His childhood is written in the perspective of him as an adult, after the events had happened, and perhaps a little after the ending of the novel. His childhood is written with many beautiful images of cherry blossoms and the pseudo-philosophical monologues about his life, his love for Akari, and the overwhelming sense of happiness and loneliness he feels when he is together with her. His high school years, written in the perspective of his classmate, Kanae, is also characterized by his seeming lack of attachment to nothing. He is certainly kind, but it is in a more distant and nonchalant way than what most people would be comfortable with.

The biggest changes, however, takes place during the final stages of the novel, the appropriately named "5 Centimeters per Second." Here is where the film, manga, and novel diverge greatly. Up until this point, all versions told basically the same story in varying degrees of detail. The manga, for example, adds extra scenes and fleshes out some of the characters, even including an extended epilogue after the original ending of the film. The novel does not include this scene, however. It ends in the same place as the film. What the novel does better than both the film and manga is detailing the final stage of the 3 stories that make up this work.

In the novel's final section, we learn a great deal of Tohno's life after high school. While this section of the story is the shortest in the film, it is the longest in the novel. Many new details surface about him, including his university days, various relationships, and job careers. The most important revelation, I believe, is that Tohno works for a mobile phone software company, ironically enough. The novel details his initial excitement with work and his droning life as a programmer. Tohno feels that programming is almost mythical, in that he can control a program that can hold all the secrets in the world. Secrets that he wishes he could tell and things that he wish he could hear again. Also in greater detail in the novel is his different relationships with women, all, surprisingly, ending in separation of the two. Risa Mizuno, who is only briefly mentioned in the film and a little more so in the manga, plays a much more important role in the novel. We can understand much more about her, her being one of the few people Tohno can say he cares about.

Finally, between all 3 versions, this is the most clear in what he wants to do with himself after he sees something he links to a miracle. I felt sad all throughout, but something about the simplicity and genuineness of his final words made me feel a little more hopeful about the story. In the film, it ends with a bittersweet collage set to "One More Time, One More Chance," and reading the final few words left an impression on me much like that song did when I first saw this movie quite a while ago.

I feel that the ending can mean a lot to different kinds of people. It all depends on what we have been though up until that point. Whether or not we choose to stay, look back, or simply move on can say a lot about our experiences and opinions of others. "5 Centimeters per Second" gives one such interpretation through the eyes of Tohno, someone who is still living 15 years in the past.

This story has become one of my most beloved stories ever told. I greatly enjoyed reading the novel thoroughly and picking up all the new details that I learned through reading a novelized version of the story. Whether reading it or watching it, I feel the magic and bittersweet feelings of the story can reach out to audiences. It will mean something different to all kinds of people, and that is why I think this story is so brilliantly crafted.

It leaves an impression, a kind of imprint on audiences, to remind them of how distance is so ever prevalent, how memories are ever so painful and joyful, and how things will change with time.

However, even after all that, "I'm sure you'll be alright!"

Prepare a box of tissues before you read Byousoku 5 Centimeter.

Even if you are a rock, this manga has the potential to dehydrate you by exhausting you of your tears. The feels are so heavy they just can't be done proper justice in a review. Both the art and story are perfect and convey the feelings of the characters extremely well. This is a must read if you enjoy emotional dramas, romance, or if you just like to cry. The best part is that this manga also has great reread value, the feels will hit you again and again; and the tears just keep flowing.

TLDR; Read, feel, cry.

This is one of my favorite manga. It's a heartbreaking story about love, long distance relationships, not being able to quite let go, and moving on with life. It's a modern love story that can hit home for a lot of us! I'm not going to say too much about the story because most people are already familiar with the movie. But, I will say there is MORE to the story in the manga. It gives a deeper look into the characters. Not so much for Akari... who isn't really the focus in the story. (If you want more about her character read the light novel - which I will be reviewing once I finish it.) But, overall, I felt like the story was a lot more fulfilling in the manga. It also felt more hopeful.

Story - straight up 10/10!

Art - 9/10. Very well done!

Characters - 9/10! Sometimes the characters can be frustrating...but, that's life...isn't it? They're flawed and relatable. Even long after putting down the manga I find myself thinking about them. Their stories are bitter but there is a sweetness to all of them.

Enjoyment - 10/10! I never used to be a person who liked "sad" stories. This isn't the kind of story that makes me feel happy, per se. But, I enjoy it because I can identify with it. It's heartbreaking and heartwarming in an unusual way. Maybe like a friend who can truly empathize with your hardships.

Overall - 10/10. I can easily recommend this manga to anyone. It has a permanent place on my bookshelf!

I'm writing this review upon one reading and before I've actually watched the film, and I can already say that this is a story that, as you get older and upon multiple readings/viewings, becomes more and more clear and real to you.
Story: 10
As a twentysomething who, by my own admission, feels lost in life, the story already extremely realistic in terms of the main message of the story. Life isn't a novel where at the end it says "and they lived happily ever after." It's one where people go in and out of your life, occasionally crossing paths with people from your past while meeting new people along the way. And along with that, there will be people you will meet and then will leave your life physically, but leave an impression that lasts with you forever.
This story isn't about two kids who fall in love as children and then find each other again and get married. This is a story that many people have experienced. One where you wonder "if this had/hadn't happened, could my life be different right now?" I know I myself have, and I'm not even especially old yet. For me, that made the epilogue (which I know isn't in the movie), especially relevant, as, without giving a spoiler, my own life is currently there and really made the ending hit home for me.

Art: 9
The art style is wonderfully done and is very clearly based off of the movie's animation style from I've seen. There's the occasional moment where the art style feels a little off for the tone of the story as a whole, but I don't think it ever gets too far off that it's an obstruction to the story.

Character: 10
The characters are wonderful. They're human. They feel like people likely have met in your life. They have real wants and needs. They have flaws and questions. They don't need some unique character trait to make them "different" or be trying to do something insane with their life. They are the type of person who exists in the real world. That is commendable, as, being someone who has tried writing short stories, creating realistic characters is not always the easiest thing to achieve.

Enjoyment: 8
Now, I only give this an 8 not because I didn't enjoy it, but because it is admittedly dry at times. That isn't to say it suffers there, but much like novels written in the 19th century like Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights, it caters to a specific type of audience. If you're one who enjoys a story that doesn't need major drama or conflict to make its message apparent, you will enjoy this a lot. If you are expecting a conflict even in the range of Your Name (same author), you might come out a little underwhelmed, as this is much more of a realistic look at growing up.

Overall: 9
This is certainly a story that deserves to be read numerous times, as I can say upon even one reading that by the next time I read it, something in it will leap out to me as a thing I couldn't relate to during the reading I'm writing this review with, but do on the subsequent one. It's a book that, in a way, matures with you.

can i cry now?

no one died, but i am crying, really, really crying.

i didnt read the reviews because i might get spoiled about what happened, but i should have.. i should have so i could have prepared myself for what happened.

im really sorry but this could be a waste of your time to read my review. but please prepare a tissue or a handkerchief when you read this manga.

it is a great story, but really.. im a crybaby now while im typing this down.

i like the characters. but because of their age when things happened, it was awkward for them and they were both conscious. if only.. if only they were able to..

i enjoyed, but it was more like, i was washed away by the waves deep down at the bottom of the ocean (i dont know how to swim), so im gasping and trying to hold my breath while reading and waiting for the next pages on what could really happen.

the art is not that exceptional but considering

SPOILER
this isnt your manga with a happy ending.

if i were on his shoes, what could have i done to convey my feelings to her? aside from what happened during our last meeting, what else could have been the better way. it is not easy to live a life full of regrets. to live a life where you pretend that you are fine with this and that, it is sad. what kind of pain have you suffered all along? she was your happiness.

if i were on her shoes, i should have mustered my courage to give it to him. i should have said it too. i should have looked for ways to reach him. i should have traveled hours to get to him.

this is sad. i do not with you but, this is the type of manga that makes me really hook to reading mangas. the human sufferings.. the pain that every normal human being agonize every minute of life. It is painful but that is life.

What is more painful here is because for how many years, it has been like that. It has not been released. He didn’t have an outlet on where or to whom he could share it with. No one new, except for her of what he is suffering. How am I going to convey my feelings to what I just read? It is just not enough because the pain is so heavy that I wanted to shout. If I only he shouted, if only he cried, if only he tried to release that pain.. but he didn’t because he didn’t want to hurt anyone.. because he still loved her.

thank you for reading, although you havent grasped anything from that, maybe.

[Spoiler Warning]

I really love this novel, it has a gradual construction in character development, it is exciting, it has a good engagement, memorable characters, but my grade could not be higher than 7, because there is a problem here that I would like to be boring and me go a little deeper into it.

But first let's talk about why I like this work (the famous, let's leave the bad for the end) First I want to say that the first arc is my favorite (yes! The one where the characters are children, and they are going through the best and last moments together)
He has a great sensitivity in how the makoto builds the relationship created between these two characters, two children who, unlike most, like the simple things in life, the sky, a tree, simple things, but beautiful to appreciate, and it is this stop of them having this in common that make them so close to the point of beginning to appear something that goes beyond just friendship, it is certain that this is done very slowly to the point of breaking the excitement of those who read, but not it could be done in another way (did I mention that this is my favorite bow?)

Because of this incredible construction in the first arc, I just didn't like what comes next, not that I didn't totally like it, the execution is interesting, but the finish disappointed me and I'll explain why. In the second arc the story focuses on missing kanae, a high school girl who ends up falling in love with toono who is now a teenager trained on an island, totally isolated from the rest of the world and also from akari, who is now more distant than never, and the relationship that they maintained by letter disappeared with time, it was wearing out until it disappeared completely.
Kanae cannot open up with toono and say what she feels, and because of that she suffers since he is extremely attentive to her, but does not show feelings that go beyond friendship, and the plot develops from there, but ends up that in the end kanae understands his place and partially overcomes this situation, in the third and last arc, the parade is more focused on toono, what he has become and what has changed in his life after everything that happened, he is now an adult with a girlfriend and with emotional problems that affect the relationship between the two, this is basically the structure of the arch, showing how much the past can affect your present, the story here is more melancholy, it has a constant depressing air that goes on the character,

I confess that I really liked this approach and everything that happened so far, however, what I haven't said yet, is that up to this point I was really excited by the idea that Toono was going to find his past (and when I talk about the past I I mean Akari). It was what I was waiting for in my heart, I know it might seem a little cliché, but that was the right way for him to understand why his life sank into a sea of ​​loneliness, and disagreement between his various love relationships, it was the only way for him to fill the void inside him, even though he didn’t know what it was, and even if they met and simply understood that each one had his life now and that there could be nothing but friendship between the two. two, that would be enough, however, it doesn’t happen, you see the pages going little by little and only a few confused ones are dedicated to Akari, and in the end Makoto does what he does best… The characters simply pass for each other, they notice each other, and one of them simply disappears (in this case Akari) and at that moment toono gives a smile as if he understood and overcame everything that was happening with him, and even worse, several of the last pages are dedicated das kanae is a stereotype of a good people character, who appears out of nowhere and loves and does not give up on her, even though she knows that there will never be anything between the two.

I may actually be boring here, but for me, the first (best) phase of the toono's life just didn't have the finish it deserved.
Besides, everything is good, the art is exceptional, very beautiful features, and the best part, they do not save paintings, and this is something that I admire a lot, because there are things that can be shown in pens, but if shown in two or three, it improves by 1000%, something that happens constantly.
I think that's it ...

This manga is one of the best stories I have ever read, but in the same time one of the saddest.

The story is mostly about a relation between two people that one day breaks, and this two people don't accept this fact.

During all the story the author is mostly gonna show his point of view about this topic, telling what is gonna happened in this kind of situations and why. At the end he conclude saying what to do, and to be honest I really think that the message of this story is positive.

I also want to highlight that the story is very well written, all the dialogues and the drawings are very good. This allows the reader to be able very easily to dive in the word described by the author and then enjoy the reading even more.

By the way this is the first time that I like more an adaptation that the original. For me the manga version just feels more accurate and complete than the movie.

I truly recommend anyone to read this manga, I think that is it almost impossible to be disappointed.