Today I bought my favorite animated film of all time and thought I would share a bit about it in case the 4-7 readers I have on here are interested (lol).

It is called “5 Centimeters Per Second” and is a film by acclaimed director, Makoto Shinkai.  Shinkai has also created my other favorite animated films called “The Place Promised In Our Early Days” and “Voices of a Distant Star.”  I really have to buy these on DVD before they get sold out everywhere…the publisher, ADV films recently went out of business.  Anyway, back to the films.

Shinkai’s films usually revolve around a young couple in love and a large obastacle coming in between them.  Shinkai also describes his films as being about the change of relationships with the flow of time.  His stories are very simple, but hit very close to home for many people due to their closeness to common occurrances that happen at one point or another in every person’s life.

Another thing that sets his films far apart from others is the incredible scenic vistas he uses in all his films.  It is like a personal signature saying “hey, this is my film.”  The background environments are breathtaking.  He uses a technique where he goes out shooting pictures with his camera, then later chooses the best shots and redraws them with intense attention paid to details.  Shinkai doesn’t concern himself with keeping them exactly as they appear in the pictures, he says he tries to create magical, wonderful settings and that requires his artistic flexibility.  Regardless of how he does it, the results are breathtaking.  It makes you really feel like you are part of the story and in the environment.

So if you are ever out for something a little different in terms of movies, then watch any of Makoto Shinkai’s films.  They will not dissapoint.