rd Makoto Shinkai: The rival Hayao Miyazaki has been longing for? Thoughts on 5 Centimetres per Second on Blu-Ray By TK Kwon Ithough Makoto Shinkai is A: relatively unknown name here in North America, in the land of the rising sun, and to those who follow Asian pop-culture, he is the director among directors. Among his works, the titles Voices of a Distant Star (Hoshi no Koe) and The Place Promised in Our Early Days (Kumo no Mukou, Yakusoku no Basho) have large cult followings for their thought provoking plot and breathtaking art. His latest work is no different. 5 Centimetres per Second is Shinkai’s largest box office release to date and is argued by many fans to be his greatest work. The film’s plot itself consists of three chapters: Cherry Blossom, Cosmonaut, and 5 Centimetres per Second, which take place over different periods of time. The first chapter, “Cherry Blossom,” is narrated by the main protagonist, Takaki Tohno, as he experiences his first love, one Akari Shinohara, move away right before his first year of middle school. The majority of the story is focused on Takaki making his way to the town she lives in, despite there being severe snowfall, in order to visit her. The main theme of the first chapter is first love and Shinkai does a fantastic job on delivering the emotions of longing and uncertainty that come with the experience. The second chapter, “Cosmonaut,” is narrated by Kanae Sumida, a high school girl with a passion for surfing and a one-sided crush on Takaki. The main focus of this chapter is the burden carried by those who accept that their love will forever be an unrequited one and how to grow from the experience. Kanae has many opportunities to confess her feelings to Takaki, but does not follow through for she understands that his solemn looks of longing are for another. The final chapter of the film, “5S Centimetres per Second,” is once again narrated by Takaki, however he is now an adult who is having a hard time with relationships due to his idealisation of the perfect relationship with Akari, who he just can’t seem 6 to let go. As for Akari herself, she is getting ready to marry and, unlike Takaki, has accepted that their young love just wasn’t meant to be. This final chapter’s main theme deals with letting go of the past in order to move forward regardless of the heavy baggage that one carries. No matter how emotionally moving a storyline is at its heart, its full effect cannot be delivered on its own; the animations and musical score that capture the moments must also correspond with the pace of the film. Luckily for Shinkai, that’s just his specialty. The film is animated beautifully with stunning surreal backgrounds and environments that words cannot do justice. Along with the unforgettable art, the musical score composed by Tenmon, who has worked previously with Shinkai on The Place Promised in Our Early Days, exposes the audience to a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack that perfectly accompanies the feature film. I would be lying if I said I didn’t shed a tear watching this film, for first love is something that everyone can relate to. 5 Centimetres per Second is truly a poignant work of cinematic art from which many critics assert that Shinkai will become the next Hayao Miyazaki, an opinion that I can agree with. The film was released in North America on March 2008 on DVD; however distribution has since been halted due to licensing issues. The copy I am reviewing is the Japanese Blu-Ray version of the film, although licensers, Crunchyroll and Bandai, have announced that they plan to re- release the film on DVD sometime in 2011. As for Makoto Shinkai, he has confirmed the development of his next work, titled Children who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below, which is scheduled to release in Japan on May 2011. All in all, if there are two things that this film has taught me it is that cherry blossom petals fall at five centimetres per second and that young love will forever be bittersweet. Rating: 5/5 OOUCUt Losing an icon causes a time to remember By Angela Espinoza ovember 28 marked a sad day for film, comedy and Canadians alike as actor Leslie Nielsen died of pneumonia at the age of 84. Nielsen’s career spanned roughly fifty years, with appearances in well over one hundred films and over a thousand television shows. He was known primarily: for his deadpan deliverance and timing, often making him the heart of whatever projects he took on — even in his later, somewhat less respectable appearances. His most well known roles have come to be Detective Frank Drebin of the ever-popular Naked Gun trilogy, and as Dr. Barry Rumack of Airplane! (1980). But this barely scratches the surface of Nielsen’s long line of work. For instance, I remember Nielsen fondly from a 1995 Muppets Christmas special called “Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree”. Nielsen played the supporting role of ‘Baxter’, Mr. Willowby’s (Robert Downey Jr.) loyal butler, who’s Christmas turns interesting when he becomes acquainted with a lady named Adelaide (Stockard Channing). Some might remember Nielsen from his role as ‘Les Mutton’, otherwise known as ‘Zeroman’. Zeroman (2004-2005) was a short- lived animated series on Teletoon that featured Nielsen playing a simultaneous parody of Drebin and himself, but as a superhero. While I never saw much of the show myself, I remember it being heavily promoted, and in light of Nielsen’s death, I’m absolutely positive that Teletoon will air the series once more. This last role I'll highlight may come as a shock to anyone who even remembers the series. Way back in the early 90s, there was a little Canadian ‘motion story book’ that aired on Family Channel, about a little girl named Katie and her pink, spotted alien friend, Orbie. I was crazy about Kate and Orbie as a kid, and apparently someone else was too, since it got syndication in the U.S. on PBS and the Disney Channel later on. Despite seeing probably every episode of the show, the only thing I remembered from it was the soothing deep voice of the narrator, who turns out was actually Nielsen. At some point in all our lives, Nielsen has brought a smile to our faces, if not with his comedy, than with his charm. Some see it as sad that he went from critically acclaimed comedies to works such as the Scary Movie films, but I'll defend Nielsen’s ‘President Harris’ role any day. Personally, I feel Nielsen wasn’t so much a washed up actor, as some might say, but simply a man who loved acting. If anyone could brighten your day, it was Leslie, and for that we’ll always remember him.