Live-Action <5 Centimeters per Second> Achieves Four Awards at the Japanese Academy... What’s the Reason?

The film <5 Centimeters per Second>, based on the animated work by director Makoto Shinkai, has demonstrated its artistic merit by winning four prestigious awards at the Japanese Academy Awards, the most prestigious film awards in Japan. According to the announcement of the 49th Japanese Academy Awards, <5 Centimeters per Second> received excellence awards in four categories: Best Actor (Hokuto Matsumura), Best New Actor (Noa Shiroyama), Best Cinematography (Keisuke Imamura), and Best Lighting (Koshiro Ueno).

Box Office Revenue Surpasses 2.2 Billion Yen… A Successful Example of Animation Adaptation

This award is significant as it represents both commercial success and critical acclaim. Since its release in Japan, <5 Centimeters per Second> has drawn over 1.6 million viewers, recording a revenue exceeding 2.2 billion yen (about 200 million won). The achievements in cinematography and lighting awards are attributed to cinematographer Keisuke Imamura and lighting director Koshiro Ueno, who perfectly translated the original work's lyricism into the real world.

Yoshiyuki Okuyama's <5 Centimeters per Second> captures the sadness and aesthetic sensitivity unique to Japan derived from the image of cherry blossoms falling at the speed of 5 centimeters per second (not scientifically accurate). Ueno Kouki's delicate direction beautifully captures the soft pink of the cherry trees, the clear reflections of the sea, the intense orange tones of the sunset, and the serene white of falling snow, seamlessly recreating the dreamlike atmosphere of the original animation in live action. Lighting director Koshiro Ueno subtly emphasized the characters' emotional changes through the use of natural light and the placement of artificial light sources. Notably, in the reunion scene between Takaki and Akari, the visual representation of 'the gap of time' through light refraction and shadow has garnered accolades from critics.

The Delicate Performance of Hokuto Matsumura and the Rise of 'Divine' Noa Shiroyama

Hokuto Matsumura, who plays the lead role of Takaki in the film, deeply expresses the loss of first love, cementing his status as a leading actor this year by winning Best Actor after receiving the New Actor Award at the 46th awards. Matsumura portrayed the character Yamazo, who lost the will to live after succumbing to panic disorder in the previous work . Takaki in <5 Centimeters per Second> is an extension of the introverted character portrayal shown in . In this work, he delicately portrays the melancholy of the character with expressive eyes filled with sorrow. In particular, Matsumura voiced the character Souta in Shinkai's film , naturally portraying the pain and growth of youth. His Best Actor victory this time received widespread acclaim from the Japanese press for its "rare psychological depth for an idol background."

Especially, Noa Shiroyama, selected for the role of 'Young Akari' from a competition of 500 to 1, has become a topic of interest by setting the record as the youngest recipient among New Actor Award winners this year. She perfectly embodies the pure image of the original work and, during the breakup scene with Takaki, despite being only 13 years old, adds emotional depth with her sorrowful gaze and trembling voice, earning praise from critics for her "naturally transcending generational acting skills."

Successfully recreating the original's emotions in live action and shaking the Japanese archipelago, <5 Centimeters per Second> is set to meet Korean audiences with its domestic release on February 25.