MagiStream

First episode of Mirai Nikki makes it look very promising...I'm definitely going to continue watching it!

So a friend of mine just told me about an anime that her sister found to be very well done, so I watched it. I think it's recommendation worthy, so without further ado I shall fill one out.

I want to recommend an anime!
Title: 5 Centimeters Per Second
Genre: Drama, Romance
Number of episodes: Depending on what version you're watching, there's either a 'Movie' or 3 episodes. They have the same content, though, and both run for a little more than an hour combined.
Plot: This 'anime' centers around two childhood friends, Takaki Tono and Akari Shinohara, and the growing physical and mental distance between them. [From Wikipedia- The story is set in Japan beginning from the 1990s and ending in modern day, with each segment centered on a boy named Takaki Tōno. It is important to note that the first episode takes place during a time period when cell phones are uncommon and email has not yet reached the general populace.]
Why you think it’s worth recommending: The background art is gorgeous. It's very realistic, and plays along with the story very well- the more details you notice, the more you'll find ways to connect it to the story. Considering that the whole thing only has about 72 minutes of screenplay, it gets its point across very effectively- the first 'episode' was enough to get me to feel completely numb (too many feelings = short circuit). There's not really much to say about it, but it's quite good and it'll make you think for a bit.
Anything else to keep in mind about it: N/A

It was enjoyable, for lack of a better word, and I'm glad I spent the time to watch it. It's not something outstanding, but it's a little touch of reality, which is already quite a lot in the anime world.

5 centimeters per second was too...disjointed for me. And I felt like it didn't use the scant time it had very efficiently. It was tons of background scenery and characters doing their own thing without any interaction. I actually think this AMV brought out more feelings in me than the actual movie/3 episode thing did.

I think that 5cms is a hit-or-miss thing. As someone who has had to deal with situations similar to ones both in episodes 1 and 2, I'm quite a softie for this movie, and, personally, for me the scenery porn works very well to enhance the mood, since I'm generally a nature-oriented person.

I DO think that the plot of the movie per se is far from brilliant, but, like I said, it's one of those movies that works if you have a reason to relate to it. Shinkai in general is one of those directors who is widely acclaimed for the visual beauty of his work, but the stories and melancholic mood are definitely not for everybody. I've still yet to watch Hoshi O Ou Kodomo, it's been sitting on my laptop for months, but I'm waiting for the right mood. Probably will watch it when the cherries start blooming here. I'm such a sucker for melancholic sapfests. /shot

I actually sometimes like melancholy anime. I'll have to go check some of those out. Has anyone here seen ef: a tale of memories? I thought it was quite interesting, and it did almost make me cry sometimes. Lol. I thought it was good but that's just me.

Slight spoilers for ef: a tale of memories...?

I checked out two episodes of Ef, but it seemed confusing and the character art - atrocious to me, so I didn't bother continuing. :<

As for melancholy anime, I like Shinkai's work and the "unholy" Key trilogy - Air, Kanon and Clannad (+ After Story).

Lol, it was confusing to me too. And I guess I didn't mind the art. But yeah, the love triangle thing was almost unbearable to me. Dunno why.

I tried Kanon but I couldn't force my way through it... I don't know why. But I did really, really love Clannad: After Story. The first season was just okay... To me, I thought it was slightly typical but not much thankfully. I did like it, but I loved After Story.

I've always hated those melancholy shows-In my mind, anime is for explosions and magical powers and mecha-but then I realized I haven't really given them a chance. I saw the art and the plot and just dismissed it.

Maybe I'll watch one of them one of these days. What to start with...

EternalFox wrote:Lol, it was confusing to me too. And I guess I didn't mind the art. But yeah, the love triangle thing was almost unbearable to me. Dunno why.

I tried Kanon but I couldn't force my way through it... I don't know why. But I did really, really love Clannad: After Story. The first season was just okay... To me, I thought it was slightly typical but not much thankfully. I did like it, but I loved After Story.

I also love Clannad because of After Story, but you can't really get to that without watching the first anime, which is pretty moe moe for a lot of time. But then the second half of After Story (starting after that gang thing, after which the story focuses just on Tomoya) sweeps away every perception of it being a moe moe show. O_O

On a curious note, I remember that I didn't like Nagisa much when I watched Clannad the first time, but on my rewatch not so long ago, she actually grew on me quite a bit.

I think the reason why I love it so much is because, to me, no other anime has shown the notion that life/time goes on, no matter what happens, in a way that is actually relatable and doesn't moralise. It's kind-of life-affirming.

I don't have a favourite/least favourite anime genre, mostly because I view anime as a visual format, that's all.

I couldn't force my way through Kanon because I kept bursting into laughter at the ridiculousness of all of it in the first couple of episodes. My friends and I kept joking and saying, "Is there something in the water? Because everyone in this town seems to have amnesia and other memory problems." And it functioned so much like a harem anime, only it wasn't funny and light, which is what I look for in harem anime. Now, I'm sure it gets better, but for now, there's so much other stuff to watch that it's getting put on the backburner.

I've been meaning to start Clannad, but saving it for a time where I have time to marathon it in a day or two. For during spring quarter, I'm going to keep episodically watching Arawaka Under the Bridge, Seirei no Moribito, and The Daily Lives of High School Boys (yes, I'm way behind on that show)

I liked Air because two side characters were absolutely brilliant. The main arc, not so much, because there's so much mysticism and confusion, but I felt that the first two arcs with the two other girls were extremely poignant.

I mean, I guess Air was my introduction to the genre, and I still like it well enough, so that, maybe?

I don't have a genre preference because I love all the different genres. That's not to be confused with me liking every show, because in every genre, there are fantastic anime and then there are boring, cliché, poorly animated ones. So I feel like it's unfair to judge, dislike, or never start a show just because of the genre.

Niverdia wrote:I checked out two episodes of Ef, but it seemed confusing and the character art - atrocious to me, so I didn't bother continuing. :<

As for melancholy anime, I like Shinkai's work and the "unholy" Key trilogy - Air, Kanon and Clannad (+ After Story).

I still don't really get how you view art. How is Ef's art bad and Kanon's art good? To me, they're practically the same.

Niverdia wrote:

EternalFox wrote:Lol, it was confusing to me too. And I guess I didn't mind the art. But yeah, the love triangle thing was almost unbearable to me. Dunno why.

I tried Kanon but I couldn't force my way through it... I don't know why. But I did really, really love Clannad: After Story. The first season was just okay... To me, I thought it was slightly typical but not much thankfully. I did like it, but I loved After Story.

I also love Clannad because of After Story, but you can't really get to that without watching the first anime, which is pretty moe moe for a lot of time. But then the second half of After Story (starting after that gang thing, after which the story focuses just on Tomoya) sweeps away every perception of it being a moe moe show. O_O

On a curious note, I remember that I didn't like Nagisa much when I watched Clannad the first time, but on my rewatch not so long ago, she actually grew on me quite a bit.

I think the reason why I love it so much is because, to me, no other anime has shown the notion that life/time goes on, no matter what happens, in a way that is actually relatable and doesn't moralise. It's kind-of life-affirming.

I don't have a favourite/least favourite anime genre, mostly because I view anime as a visual format, that's all.

Yes, I know you can't get to After Story without really seeing the first one. I rewatched it recently and actually really loved it. And yes, it did seem moe moe, but you're right after that certain arc it seemed to throw out any thoughts of moe. I liked that about it.

And I always sort of liked Nagisa. Not sure why, but I did. Especially in After Story, though I can't say why. As a whole, though, I really did love Clannad, and I agree that it's one of those rare anime that show "Life goes on" instead of ending it at the "we've started dating" part. I've always hated when romance ends on that part, I want to see more.