Beauty at 5 centimeters per second
I’m no anime expert —in fact, I haven’t seen more than a few anime films in my life— but I’ve watched Byôsoku 5 senchimêtoru (5 Centimeters Per Second) this weekend and found it visually overwhelming.
Every shot is carefully crafted: colors, lights, framing, camera movement… The movie mimics real cameras behavior so there’s depth of field and even lens flares, and they’re wisely utilized to create beautiful images. There are tons of details everywhere. Everything is exquisitely arranged. It’s really surprising.
Of course I’m only talking about the images here; the narrative —a bit plain and oversweetened for me— would be a different discussion. But even if one don’t find the plot especially compelling, this film is still very worth watching. Sixty minutes of visual delightfulness are guaranteed.
