“Shinkai has been hailed as the next Miyazaki, and his dreamy mindscapes often equal or surpass the anime maestro in breadth of detail and depth of emotion. Shinkai extends the innate possibilities of the anime dynamic, reapplying its principles of lush effects, inflated background detail and sometimes undernourished character animation to mirror the interiority of the characters in every nuance of their surroundings."

– Ronnie Scheib, Variety

Makoto Shinkai’s (Your Name, Weathering with You) masterpiece tells the story of two people, Takaki and Akari, who were close friends but gradually grow farther and farther apart as time moves on. They become separated because of their families yet continue to exchange contact in the form of letters. Yet as time continues to trudge on, their contact with one another begins to cease. Years pass and the rift between them grows ever larger. However, Takaki remembers the times they have shared together, but as life continues to unfold for him, he wonders if he would be given the chance to meet Akari again as the tale embarks on Takaki's realization of the world and people around him.

The film is presented as an anthology of three interconnected short stories: “Oukasho” (Cherry Blossom), “Cosmonaut,” and “5 Centimeters per Second,” all three orbit the life of the protagonist. A powerful and emotionally devastating tour-de-force with Shinkai’s spectacular visuals front and center.