It's about distance

Bud 2022-04-21 09:02:46

I don't see much of Makoto Shinkai's works, but from these few works, we can roughly infer the focus of his attention. I'm not afraid of being scolded, but based on the 2 works (3?) I've seen, I jump to a conclusion here. The core concern in Makoto Shinkai's works is distance. distance between people.

This distance can be temporal, spatial, or spiritual. If all three are big, then it means that two strangers who have never had a relationship are too detached from each other and have no story to tell; if all three are small, then it is a perfect relationship that complements each other, love, family, friendship x Love o love. And Xin Haicheng's eyes are focused on the three, there are small and big situations. Only the regret that it is neither detached nor perfect is the most obsessive.

At the beginning of "Sakura Copy", Guishu and Mingli basically overlap in time and space, but spiritually, it is not so easy to get out of substantial proximity. The love of cardamom bundled hair, parallel to the street with the dancing cherry blossoms, is indeed romantic; however, I am still shy in my heart, and I still have to use the Odakyu Line to express my words. Of course, if it continues like this, the meeting of minds is only a matter of time, but when the plot turns, the distance in space is sharply pulled up to a scale that is insurmountable for people of that age, and the two young hearts Suddenly he stopped, desperately groping in the direction of the other person in his heart. The next journey, the first kiss under the tree, and the farewell on the platform are all manifestations of this urgency. Taking advantage of the opportunity of increasing the distance in space, the two hearts also accelerated closer.

However, the distance in space cannot go too far. It is like a spring. When a certain force is applied, it will generate a reaction force. If it is too far to maintain contact, it is like breaking the spring. The driving force disappeared, and the whole spiritual connection was also broken. In the second "Astronaut", with such a mood, Takaki started his life in Kagoshima. Here, he met the flower seedlings who liked him. Once again, there are two people who are close in time and space, but this time the distance in mind is much farther. Huamiao was attracted by the special temperament of the precious tree, but it was only in the end that she could see clearly that the temperament that made her fascinated was the temperament of an astronaut. Perhaps it was the longing for Akari's disconnection, which kept him looking up at the sky, and just when his eyes were nowhere to be placed, the aerospace base on Kagoshima timely occupied his attention. It's easy to be interested in these things. Your tree's eyes have never really fallen on the flower seedlings - of course, they have not fallen on anyone and things below the horizon. Huamiao is keen and wise. When she saw the distance between the hearts of the two, she realized that even the overlap of time and space could not be surpassed, so she made a painful decision.

The third "5 centimeters per second", back in Tokyo, Takaki and his colleague Mizuno, still emphasize the spiritual distance, but interspersed with the unexpected encounter with Akari, adding a warm color of spiritual closeness (even if it has been It can't be compared to the distance from the first kiss, but among all people, Akari's heart should still be the closest to Takaki), however, he still has to face the fact that he can't get close again in space. The result is that we can't know each other when we meet each other, and we can't meet each other when we know each other, which only adds to melancholy and loneliness.

Makoto Shinkai is focusing on the feeling of being torn apart physically and mentally at some distances that are too close together, and others that are too far away. The strong contrast between one positive and one negative, appealing to the audience's similar personal experience - although not necessarily so strong - has achieved the success element that Makoto Shinkai is famous for.

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Extended Reading
  • Anais 2021-12-24 08:01:57

    (Kissing under the cherry blossom tree) "At that moment, I seemed to know where the eternity, heart, and soul were, as if I shared everything in the past 13 years with each other. The next moment after this was extremely sad. Because Akari The warmth of her soul, I don’t know how to cherish it, and where to take it.” The first words are immensely loved, and the unforgettable wait that night will not be there now. Two or three words minus points.

  • Ivory 2022-03-27 09:01:12

    Is it really that good? Why do I think it's a man and a woman moaning while looking at the postcard picture in the background

5 Centimeters per Second quotes

  • [first lines]

    Akari Shinohara: Hey... They say it's five centimeters per second.

    Takaki Toono: What do you mean?

    Akari Shinohara: The speed at which the sakura blossom petals fall... Five centimeters per second.

  • Takaki Toono: It must really be a lonelier journey than anyone could imagine. Cutting through absolute darkness, encountering nothing but the occasional hydrogen atom. Flying blindly into the abyss, believing therein lie the answers to the mysteries of the universe.