5 Centimeters per Second Kindle & comiXology

This story's massage was a little hard to decode the first time I read it, but after thinking about it for a long while, I realize how good it is. Yes, it's heartbreaking, and not in the same way many romance Manga are. It leaves one with a deep hollow in their chest, contemplating their own decisons in life. After reading it again, the message is painfully clear: there are rarely second chances in life. Letting go of love and moving forward is sometimes the hardest thing to do. I like that the Manga ended differently than the film; the ending to the Manga is much more hopeful, and gives the reader a push toward taking risks and aiming for their own happiness. Certainly a good read.

*5 Centimeters per Second* is a manga that is based on a popular Japanese animated film. It also surprised me because I did not expect to enjoy it, and indeed devour it, at such a fast pace as I did. It is a bit melancholy and somber, but ultimately happy. Normally, such things don't appeal to me. I like happier fare, but this was just so well done that I couldn't help but like it.The story is about a boy and girl named Tōno Takaki and Shinohara Akari, who meet in elementary school and very quickly develop a friendship which grows, even at such a young age, into a very tender love. Unfortunately, Akari must eventually move away so her father can assume a new job in a different city. Devestated, the two young people vow to write to each other and never forget each other. Sadly, as is often the case in life, this isn't to be.They try to keep in touch for a while, but slowly just drift apart from each other. They are both bothered by this, but can't seem to take the initiative to write to each other. They deeply want to reach out to each other, but can't muster the courage to do so. Or the courage to move on.The story focuses much more on Takaki than Akari. We only see a few snippets of her once they lose touch with each other. They do show us that she is the far stronger of the two. She can move past the hurt and circumstances in a way that he can not. Then again, this is just my interpretation, but both of them seem to react to the situation based upon the cultural expectations of Japanese society.This story is set several years ago, at a time when cell phones and computers were not nearly as ubiquitous as they are now. The characters can lose track of each other much more easily as they do not have social media to help them keep constantly in touch with each other. It is a time that does have a simplicity that require the extra effort and care to keep in touch. We have lost that today, perhaps.So why would I read and love such a melancholy graphic novel? Because of the story, the characterization, and the artwork. The art is gorgeous, with each character drawn well. The story draws you in. Though Takaki and Akari are the main characters, we see them, well, in the case of Takaki, through the eyes of other people. It helps us to capture a sense of the pain and the progress of these two young people when you see their interactions with others.One reason I did like the end is that it was open for interpretation, but there is a good chance that, in the end, not just Akari, but also Takaki, ended up happy with other people. Whether this is the case with Takaki is up to the reader to decide, I suppose.This is perhaps one of the most beautiful, poignant, and meaningful mangas (or stories of any genre) I have read in a long time.Highly Recommended.

Disclaimer: I love “slice of life” type films and stories about the everyday Joe/Jane discovering something about himself/herself.If this is your thing, you’ll love this manga. At first glance, it seems like another sappy graphic novel for the teenager, but as you read it, you’re filled with a sense of longing for days of the past—before cell phones, when friendships were simpler and time flew by slowly.I’ve included one page towards the latter half of the thick, novel-like manga that sort of shows how reflective the language can be and how you sort of grow up with the main character Tohno as he discovers parts of himself. Maybe, in all this, you’re able to reflect and rediscover a part of yourself too.Highly recommend this read if you’ve the time, as it is a heftier manga.

I have read many manga over the years ranging from the generic shounen action manga to slice of life, romance and even psychological but this manga takes the top spot on my list of all time favorites. One of the key things that’s sets this manga apart is how well it is written from different points of view through out the story. Now this has been done before but 5 centimeters per second has done this best job at doing it. Each point of view reveals so much about the story and there is so much emotion and realism packed into this story. The message of the story is heartbreaking and may even be “a tough pill to swallow” but that’s why I enjoyed this story. It shed light upon the reality of everyday life and tells a relatable story that almost everyone has went through at some point in their lives. Even if you are not a fan of romance or slice of life, this manga is a MUST read for anyone. It has helped me to realize some weak and dark times in my life to help turn it around for the better. Definitely worth every penny spent!

I have no words.. I had seen the anime a while back. And seeing the anime made me feel.. empty..I feel that the manga is similar in vein to anime - there are a lot of feelings left unsaid, lot of things expressed without a lot of words in a very beautiful manner.. However, after finishing the manga, I didn’t feel the same emptiness that I felt after seeing the anime. The manga, in some sense, is a bit more.. hopeful.That’s all I can say without any spoilers. It was definitely a great read.

This book is very deep. I recommend it to readers who love literature and thinking outside the box. It's defiantly not a book for hopeless romantics or those who love shoujo manga. If you don't like having to push through books, I don't recommend this for you.

As a heads up, I would highly recommend watching the movie first before reading the manga.When I first started reading this I didn't think it was anything special. Just a manga version of the movie, with less colors and sounds. But there are a lot of parts (especially towards the end) that the manga fills in that the movie left out. If you're a fan of the movie and want a bit more out of the series, definitely get this manga. The parts added in at the end made it all worth it. Be prepared to feel sad all over again. The only thing I could've wished more for were a table of contents, arrows on the speech bubbles (sometimes it's hard to tell who's talking), and more bonus color pages.

I deeply enjoyed the story and was both moved and fascinated by the beautiful and quietly elegant drawings.

Adds plenty to the story that lovers of the anime will appreciate.Very thick and high quality material - a must have for anyone who has a love of Shinkai's work.

Wonderful story

Very emotional at times but brilliant story and personally my favourite manga. It's different to your typical manga but I believe that is the reason it's so good

A slice of life tale about human relationships and how they tend to fade away due to distance and time. Also amelancholic tale of long unrequited love that negatively affects a person, one that hit too close to home. I wasn't exactly prepared for the wave of feels. This was worth the read. I'm disappointed with the binding quality though, the first colored page came off by a slight nudge. Recommended 9/10