The movie consists of three short stories about the life of Takaki Tono and covers the period from 1995 to 2008. From the moment Takaki was separated from his first love Akari to the first chance meeting of the characters after many years.
5 Centimeters Per Second is a realistic and down-to-earth work of early Makoto Shinkai. It has all the main topics for which the director will be loved in the future – the motif of the first, sincere and warm teenage love; the plot about the search for a loved one through the years and distance; the experiences of the main characters, who feel out of place and are looking for what they lack for happiness.
2. Your Name, 2016
Streaming Platform: Crunchyroll
Mitsuha is a girl from a small town. Taki is a guy from Tokyo. One day, the two realize that they can change bodies while sleeping. The other's life seems to be more interesting to them than their own: they leave each other notes with thoughts and impressions, and Mitsuha even helps Taki get closer to his colleague. But one day the mysterious connection between them is broken, and the guy decides to find Mitsuha.
The movie has a plot about saving the inhabitants of Mitsuha's town from a deadly threat – an approaching comet. But first and foremost, Your Name is a touching story about finding a loved one, and also about elusive feelings, the loss of which is particularly painful.
3. Weathering with You, 2019
Streaming Platform: Max
High school student Hodaka leaves his hometown and runs away to Tokyo, which is drenched in endless rain. In the capital, he gets into financial trouble: no one wants to hire a minor.
Hodaka is almost broke, but one day Hina, a cashier at McDonald's, takes pity on him and feeds the boy. It turns out that the girl can control the weather – stop the rain and disperse the clouds. Hodaka offers to monetize this ability and improve the weather on demand.
Weathering with You is at once a familiar story of teenage love and an environmental commentary on human intervention in natural processes.
4. Suzume, 2022
Streaming Platform: Netflix
On her way to school, Suzume meets a traveler named Souta. He asks her where he can find a ruin with a door in the middle. Suzume secretly follows Souta, finds the door and opens it. By doing so, the girl releases something that can cause an earthquake. She also frees the guardian of the rift between worlds – he turns into a stray cat.
Suzume and Souta struggle to close the door. Suzume invites the wounded man to her home, where he explains that he has to close doors all over the country to prevent disasters. At that moment, a cat appears in Suzume's house and turns Souta into a chair that the girl's deceased mother gave her.
This is a mystical story about trauma and how to live with it – as the story progresses, Suzume comes to understand the feelings associated with the loss of a loved one. And at the same time, she heals the national trauma of devastating earthquakes.
5. The Garden of Words, 2013
Streaming Platform: Prime Video
15-year-old Takao dreams of making shoes – he often skips class to draw sketches of future products in the park. There he meets 27-year-old Yukino, who also skips work. The characters communicate, share personal experiences, and seem to be infused with sympathy for each other. Later, they find out that Yukino is a teacher at Takao's school.
In just 46 minutes, The Garden of Words manages to tell stories about the pursuit of a dream, the experience of loss, bullying, platonic love, as well as the insurmountable distance between loving people. It is a true ode to the beautiful and fleeting moments of life, with quotes from Japanese poetry.
Stories about the transience of life and the importance of finding yourself.
Makoto Shinkai is often called the "new Miyazaki." The Japanese director and animator was born in 1973, and in 1998 he released his first short film.
Shinkai's animation Your Name, released in 2016, for a while held the title of the highest-grossing anime in the world.
The movie consists of three short stories about the life of Takaki Tono and covers the period from 1995 to 2008. From the moment Takaki was separated from his first love Akari to the first chance meeting of the characters after many years.
5 Centimeters Per Second is a realistic and down-to-earth work of early Makoto Shinkai. It has all the main topics for which the director will be loved in the future – the motif of the first, sincere and warm teenage love; the plot about the search for a loved one through the years and distance; the experiences of the main characters, who feel out of place and are looking for what they lack for happiness.
2. Your Name, 2016
Streaming Platform: Crunchyroll
Mitsuha is a girl from a small town. Taki is a guy from Tokyo. One day, the two realize that they can change bodies while sleeping. The other's life seems to be more interesting to them than their own: they leave each other notes with thoughts and impressions, and Mitsuha even helps Taki get closer to his colleague. But one day the mysterious connection between them is broken, and the guy decides to find Mitsuha.
The movie has a plot about saving the inhabitants of Mitsuha's town from a deadly threat – an approaching comet. But first and foremost, Your Name is a touching story about finding a loved one, and also about elusive feelings, the loss of which is particularly painful.
3. Weathering with You, 2019
Streaming Platform: Max
High school student Hodaka leaves his hometown and runs away to Tokyo, which is drenched in endless rain. In the capital, he gets into financial trouble: no one wants to hire a minor.
Hodaka is almost broke, but one day Hina, a cashier at McDonald's, takes pity on him and feeds the boy. It turns out that the girl can control the weather – stop the rain and disperse the clouds. Hodaka offers to monetize this ability and improve the weather on demand.
Weathering with You is at once a familiar story of teenage love and an environmental commentary on human intervention in natural processes.
4. Suzume, 2022
Streaming Platform: Netflix
On her way to school, Suzume meets a traveler named Souta. He asks her where he can find a ruin with a door in the middle. Suzume secretly follows Souta, finds the door and opens it. By doing so, the girl releases something that can cause an earthquake. She also frees the guardian of the rift between worlds – he turns into a stray cat.
Suzume and Souta struggle to close the door. Suzume invites the wounded man to her home, where he explains that he has to close doors all over the country to prevent disasters. At that moment, a cat appears in Suzume's house and turns Souta into a chair that the girl's deceased mother gave her.
This is a mystical story about trauma and how to live with it – as the story progresses, Suzume comes to understand the feelings associated with the loss of a loved one. And at the same time, she heals the national trauma of devastating earthquakes.
5. The Garden of Words, 2013
Streaming Platform: Prime Video
15-year-old Takao dreams of making shoes – he often skips class to draw sketches of future products in the park. There he meets 27-year-old Yukino, who also skips work. The characters communicate, share personal experiences, and seem to be infused with sympathy for each other. Later, they find out that Yukino is a teacher at Takao's school.
In just 46 minutes, The Garden of Words manages to tell stories about the pursuit of a dream, the experience of loss, bullying, platonic love, as well as the insurmountable distance between loving people. It is a true ode to the beautiful and fleeting moments of life, with quotes from Japanese poetry.
