A live-action adaptation of Makoto Shinkai’s criminally underappreciated movie 5 Centimeters per Second is in the works – and its new trailer might break your heart all over again.
Charting the story of the life, lost loves, and missed connections of protagonist Takaki, the 2007 anime movie is an anthology, split into three sections in 1991, 1998, and 2008.
Sadly, the new trailer is all in Japanese but, if you’re familiar with Shinkai’s work, you’ll know the rich imagery, often with a focus on the contrast between tranquil countrysides and urban chaos, will tide you over. Watch it for yourself below.
5 Centimeters per Second, starring J-Pop idol Hokuto Matsumura, hits Japanese cinemas on October 10, but there’s no word yet on a Western release. Given the recent trend of new anime movies coming to these shores months after their debut in Japan, we wouldn’t completely rule out watching it in a cinema near you soon, however.
Shinkai’s best-known work, Your Name, has also been mooted as a possible future live-action adaptation – but has since stalled.
Speaking to Empire, Twisters director Lee Isaac Chung, who was once attached to the project, ultimately felt there were cultural barriers getting in the way of an adaptation, which was reportedly going to be set in America.
“I like the animated film, but what I didn’t realize is how hard it is to adapt a Japanese animated movie and to try to do that for America. That was the goal that Toho had put before us. But it’s really hard to do.”
For more, check out our picks for the best anime movies and best Crunchyroll anime you should be watching right now.