5 Centimeters per Second (2007)
First things first, this is a Makoto Shinkai movie (he's the guy who made Your Name). Though this one is very different—and in my opinion much better—you can still feel the kind of melodrama his more well-known movies go for: the romance is the most important and focused on element of these movies, you spend a lot of time seeing how they feel and the lengths to which they're willing to go for these feelings. If you are not into this kind of movie, you just won't like it. What makes this movie special is what it has to say about the love stories it tells.
These are three short stories; all of them could be their own little short film or OVA, but having them together definitely makes the message stronger. The first story is during middle school, the second story is at the end of highschool, and the third one is during adulthood. Other than this structure, the second difference I noticed is that there is no supernatural element at all. Your Name has the body swapping, Weathering with You has the sacred connection between the girl and the rain (or at least that's what I remember. I haven't seen it in forever), 5 Centimeters per Second has a train running late due to snowfall, a rocket launch in a small rural town, and a fleeting look at a rail crossing.
Already I love the grounded setting here. The beautiful animation and the weight all of these moments have make these stories feel just as magical, but also closer to home. This isn't to say I don't like supernatural elements in love stories, but there is something special in the world-ending desperation felt when the train starts running late and the scheduled meetup starts looking further and further away.
I also think the lack of a supernatural element helped the message I got from the movie. Everything below this paragraph will be spoilers, so before I get into that, I'll say this:
This movie is worth the watch. It's a little slow, it gets a little sad at times, and it won't change your life; but if you're like me, you will remember it. And HOLY FUCK it's sooooo pretty!!!!
ok spoiler time
In most of the romance movies I see, the characters are driven apart, but their love ultimately fates them to be together. Any ending other than the two characters embracing in the end is a tragedy, the overwhelming force of their love is not enough to beat the forces of the universe.Both Your Name and Weathering with You end in basically the same way: the characters reunite at the end, years after the world has stopped tearing them apart. They see each other in some mundane setting, they seize the opportunity to call each other out, and we are left with the knowledge that they have thankfully reconnected, and the beautiful relationship we saw during the movie might just have the chance to go on after it's over.
In the last scene of the movie, the same boy we've been following through these three stories, now an adult and still incapable of moving on, happens to pass by his old childhood love (oh my god!) while walking to opposite sides of a rail cossing. They stop for a moment (could it be?), but a train passes them by as they turn around... he stands still for a moment, surely the curiosity and longing will make her wait for a few seconds... it seems like the train will go on forever, but it's almost over and... another train coming in the opposite direction! He keeps waiting, the chances seem lower and lower every second that passes, but surely her want, like his, is stronger than the forces of life. The second infinite train is about to finish its dizzyingly fast yet excruciatingly slow pass and... AND... she's gone... and that's okay. He smiles, and goes his own way.
All of the love stories in 5 Centimeters per Second end with the characters going their separate ways, not because of some supernatural force, not because of fate, not because of anything other than their lives simply having different paths.
And like, there's no world-ending disaster to overcome, no magic barrier keeping them away, she could have waited for him and he could have gone after her if only they pushed just a little bit harder. But life is what it is, it's hard to find an excuse strong enough to break its inertia, and even though that's sad, that's life sometimes.
I love romance where love is the strongest force in the universe, but I also find this story more... mature? adult? Whatever it is, I find it refreshing.