#5 Centimeters per Second

[eb0shi]

[kakuusei]

5 CENTIMETERS PER SECOND 秒速5センチメートル (2007, Makoto Shinkai)

[reinerist]

Shinkai + Scenery

[blushy-blossom]

my edit ♡‧₊˚⟡

ﾟ✧ Byousoku 5 Centimeter ୨୧ 5 Centimeters per Second ✧ﾟ

[bl-astoise]

5 Centimeters Per Second  (秒速5センチメートル), 2007

[doyouknowthisanime]

Do You Know This Anime?

[fishingforwords]

the universe stands between us.

5 centimeters per second || haruki murakami, south of the border, west of the sun || weathering with you || t.s. eliot, the love song of j. alfred prufrock || radwimps, 愛にできることはまだあるかい

[hexedvampire]

[sufiblackmamba]

I'm just trying to live my life, but it seems as if sadness always piles itself up inside me. It's in my bed, the toothbrush in my bathroom, and the memory of my cellphone.

[gokaiu]

[eb0shi]

[autistic-ben-tennyson]

Evangelion’s influence on Makoto Shinkai

It’s no secret that one of the most popular directors in Japanese animation, Makoto Shinkai, has won over the hearts of many. Some consider him a “new Miyazaki” yet he prefers not to be seen that way and his style and way of storytelling is different. Nor is Miyazaki the only influence on his work as Shinkai considers a huge inspiration to be Hideaki Anno and his groundbreaking series, Neon Genesis Evangelion with EoE being one of his favorites. A lot of his works delve into similar themes of loneliness, longing for connections and adolescence that NGE tackled. Note that I haven’t watched all his films so some of this is based off what others have mentioned or argued but here are some examples of similar themes, characters or references I’ve spotted.

1. The worms in Suzume dissipate in a similar fashion to the Rebuild angels. They turn into a mass of red bubbles after the doors are sealed before exploding. The difference is the angels leave damage when destroyed. Suzume, like Shinji and Asuka, is another character who has suffered trauma from their mother’s death as did Mitsuha in Your Name and Hina in WWY. Mitsuha and Hodaka also have issues with their fathers like Shinji and Asuka. Both 3.0+1.0 and Suzume were made in response to the earthquake of 2011 and reflect the trauma left on Japan from that.

2. I haven’t watched these yet but both The Place Promised in Our Early Days and 5 Centimeters Per Second are said to be create a similar feeling or reaction from the audience as NGE. The former is very psychological and while more uplifting, still examines the main character’s anxiety and depression. Like EVA, some find it confusing and a bit difficult to understand especially the ending similar to EoE.

3. Weathering with You feels very EVA inspired in its themes and characters. The main characters, Hodaka and Hina, do remind me a lot of Shinji and Rei. I’ll warn people that I am a Shinji/Rei shipper so DLDR. They’re often compared to Homura and Madoka but I see a lot Shinji/Rei parallels too. The “Grand Escape” moment is a lot like the ending of 2.22, albeit with Hodaka actually succeeding at saving Hina. The character of Natsumi is also a lot like Misato in both appearance and personality. It’s questioning of how the older generations put all the burden on the youth to make sacrifices to fix problems like climate change is comparable to NERV drafting teenagers and sending them into a warzone against the Angels.

4. Garden of Words is another I have yet to watch but the relationship between the main character and his teacher is often mischaracterized as grooming or pedophilia, a bit like how some view Misato and Shinji. It’s a story of two outcasts coming together and developing an emotional connection. A “love story” but not a romance as one commenter describes. Yukino never returns Takao’s feelings due to their age gap yet the two save each other from falling into depression and their relationship is beyond sexual attraction.

Feel free to add more references or ways you think NGE or the Rebuilds have influenced Shinkai’s films. Disagree with some of these if you want since I know Reishin is a controversial ship, especially with Kawoshin being popular on Tumblr but that’s what I picked up while watching WWY. Both Anno and Shinkai’s works speak a lot to me as someone who’s struggles with depression. Suzume hit hard for me as an adoptee and Your Name showed me anime could be far more than a cheesy cartoon. Seeing people call Shinkai an “eco fascist” is baffling as that’s not what these stories are about. Both are groundbreaking directors in anime and have inspired a lot people, including me.

[reinerist]

Shinkai + Scenery

[blushy-blossom]

my edit ♡‧₊˚⟡

*:･ﾟ✧ Manga: Byousoku 5 Centimeter ✧ﾟ･:*

[bl-astoise]

5 Centimeters Per Second (秒速5センチメートル), 2007         ⤷ scenery ✧･ﾟ

[lee1504]

anime for beginners, they said. you won't cry, they said