I finished Byousoku 5cm today. I had actualy watched the first “chapter” just before Ramadan began, and then had to set it aside (I pledge to try and engage in acts of piety rather than consume mass entertainment during the holy month. I don’t exactly succeed). That first segment was just an emotional freight train, like Haibane Renmei collapsed into 20 minutes. I originally intended to blog about that chapter alone, but then never got around to it, and today being Eid I figured I wanted to see how the rest turned out. It was no less gripping, though the bulk of the emotional impact was still in the first segment. Still, as a whole, it was something truly special, making you ache in a bittersweet way that is familiar to everyone. It deserves more attention but I dunno what to say. I haven’t felt like this since watching Lost in Translation. I can unequivocally say however that I think this was by far Shinkai’s masterpiece.
After watching it, though, I was kind of on the mood for something different, so I watched the first episode of Death Note. Um. WOW. The Japanese really don’t f$%k around, do they? Were this series made in the US, the events, and character progression of the main character, would have taken all of season 1. Here thye did it in one episode. “Humans are interesting” indeed. I am hooked, and my brief foray into Fate/Stay Night a few weeks ago is suspended for now.