Having been impressed by Makoto Shinkai's earlier works and having heard good things about this I was keen to see it; having finally watched it I must say that I was not disappointed! While it doesn't feature the science fiction elements of those stories it has a greater emotional depth and the backgrounds are absolutely stunning; I can't think of any animation where they looked so good. The film is broken up into three episodes; each taking place at a slightly different time in the life of Takaki Tono.
In the first episode Takaki has formed a close friendship with Akari, a girl in his class. When her parents move she transfers to a school in a distant town it looks as if their friendship might be over but one day Takaki takes the train to visit her. Much of the episode takes place as he is on the train which is getting further and further behind schedule because of the heavy snow.
The second story takes place a few years later and Takaki is his final year of high school, he isn't the star of this segment though; that honour goes to Kanae; a girl in his class who has fallen in love with him but can't bring herself to tell him how she feels.
The third story finds Takaki working in a job he doesn't particularly enjoy and still thinks of Akari although he has long since lost touch with her, meanwhile Akari is preparing to get married. One day the two of them pass as the walk over a level crossing; Takaki turns to look as two trains pass; will she be looking from the other side when the trains have passed?
The story itself might not be deep but it is touching and beautifully told; feeling far more real than most live action stories. The imagery is stunning; it contains an incredible amount of detail including many reflective objects that I imagine would be a real challenge to create. If you are a fan of anime or animation in general this is a must see.
These comments are based on watching the film in Japanese with English subtitles.
In the first episode Takaki has formed a close friendship with Akari, a girl in his class. When her parents move she transfers to a school in a distant town it looks as if their friendship might be over but one day Takaki takes the train to visit her. Much of the episode takes place as he is on the train which is getting further and further behind schedule because of the heavy snow.
The second story takes place a few years later and Takaki is his final year of high school, he isn't the star of this segment though; that honour goes to Kanae; a girl in his class who has fallen in love with him but can't bring herself to tell him how she feels.
The third story finds Takaki working in a job he doesn't particularly enjoy and still thinks of Akari although he has long since lost touch with her, meanwhile Akari is preparing to get married. One day the two of them pass as the walk over a level crossing; Takaki turns to look as two trains pass; will she be looking from the other side when the trains have passed?
The story itself might not be deep but it is touching and beautifully told; feeling far more real than most live action stories. The imagery is stunning; it contains an incredible amount of detail including many reflective objects that I imagine would be a real challenge to create. If you are a fan of anime or animation in general this is a must see.
These comments are based on watching the film in Japanese with English subtitles.