Makoto Shinkai’s 5 Centimeters Per Second is streaming on HBO Max

“At what speed must I live...to be able to see you again?' That line captures the film’s mourning tone. Released in 2007 and now streaming on HBO Max, 5 Centimeters per Second is a quieter, more grounded work from Makoto Shinkai, trading the overt fantasy of later films for a sobering meditation on loss and longing.

Shinkai divides the story into three linked episodes. “Episode 1: Cherry Blossom” follows young Takaki Tōno and his classmate Akari Shinohara as they grow close, write letters to one another, and plan a final meeting interrupted by a snowstorm that causes Takaki to lose a letter.

They kiss beneath a barren cherry tree and shelter in a shed, yet each ultimately withholds the letter meant for the other.

makoto shinkai, 5 centimeters, hbo max, 2007 film, cherry blossom, takaki tōno, akari shinohara, loss, longing, snowstorm