Today the spotlight falls on CoMix Wave’s recent Japanese Blu-ray release of the 2007 animated film 5 Centimeters Per Second.

Although the film was first issued on Blu-ray back in 2008, this new so-called “Global Edition” – while still manufactured and sold in Japan by a Japanese label – features both English subtitles and an English dub (in addition to the original Japanese soundtrack), as well as subtitles in nine other languages, making it a version worth considering for overseas anime enthusiasts.

It’s been more than four years since the film was first released, and in that time scores of reviews have been written about it. With this in mind, I’ve decided against expending pixels on adding yet another opinion piece to their number. The main objective of this post will be to lay out bare information and some of my own thoughts about the physical product itself, in order to help those already familiar with the film decide whether this particular release is worth investing in. For those seeking information about the film itself, I’ve provided links to selected reviews and related references at the end of the post (note that these will almost certainly contain spoilers).

RELEASE DATE, AVAILABILITY AND COST

The Global Edition was officially released on 18 November 2011. It’s readily available through Amazon.co.jp and other online import retailers, as well as on the ground in Japan itself (I grabbed my own copy during a trip to Tokyo earlier this week). Discounts vary by retailer, but barring deep cuts the sticker should come up to around the list price of 6,825 yen.

PACKAGING AND PHYSICAL EXTRAS

The Global Edition comes in a standard plastic Blu-ray disc case, although the colour is hardly standard: a rich, deep pink (instead of the normal blue) that nicely complements the hue of the cherry blossoms featured on the cover illustration. The jacket is a regular single-sided affair with a (partially) bilingual descriptive back cover.

Inserted behind the front of the case is a small booklet, 8 pages in length (including both covers). The text is entirely in English except for director Shinkai Makoto’s introductory message, which is set out in the original Japanese followed by an English translation. The booklet’s other contents include partial synopses of all three chapters of the film, brief notes about the cast and music, and short biographies of key members of the production staff.

CONTENTS

In addition to the 63-minute main feature, the Global Edition’s single Blu-ray disc contains an interview with Shinkai Makoto and two of the director’s early films: Hoshi no Koe (2002, 25 minutes) and Kanojo to Kanojo no Neko (1999, 5 minutes).The main feature is presented in HD widescreen video (1920:1080p). Audio setup options consist of Japanese 4.0ch Surround and English 2.0ch Stereo. Subtitle options include Japanese, English, Korean, Chinese, Thai, Indonesian, Italian, Spanish, German, Portuguese, and Arabic.

All three extra features are in SD and feature Japanese 2.0 Stereo audio with optional Japanese and English subtitles, plus an additional English soundtrack for Hoshi no Koe.

A brief word regarding one of the extras. With its somewhat dated picture quality and 4:3 aspect ratio – not to mention the brevity of the work – Hoshi no Koe probably wouldn’t merit a stand-alone Blu-ray release. Nonetheless, I consider it a watershed in Shinkai’s career and I’m very pleased to find it paired together with Byōsoku 5 Centimeter in a single disc. Less than half an hour long, this short piece left a lasting impact on me when I first saw it some years ago, thanks to its engaging story and absolutely gorgeous visuals. From that time on I was convinced that Shinkai was a chap to watch – and true enough, here I am, still eagerly following his work and snapping up his creations as they come along.

REMARKS

5 Centimeters Per Second has seen several international releases, but until now none – to my knowledge – has featured a full HD version. (Japanese fans have had access to a domestic Blu-ray version for years.) Although still technically a Japanese release, priced in yen and normally available only through Japanese channels, the Global Edition’s inclusion of English subs for both main and special features (plus an English dub for the main feature) and subtitles in nine other foreign languages all mark this one out as a release geared towards satisfying overseas demand. With the earlier domestic Blu-ray release retailing for somewhat less (and, if one irate Amazon.co.jp commenter is correct, featuring better HD audio), there isn’t much of an incentive for a fluent Japanese speaker to snap up this version, except perhaps for the extra features.

Significantly, even the in-video menus are rendered in English – noteworthy given that other Japanese Blu-rays with English subs that I’ve seen still have their options laid out only or mostly in Japanese (not particularly helpful for those who can’t read in that language). All things considered, this release does appear to be genuinely user-friendly as far as Anglophone consumers are concerned, and the (rather steep) list price notwithstanding, I’d consider it a serious and sensible import option for those chasing after an HD release of this acclaimed Shinkai production.

Regarding the English subtitles: they are very well done, and for the most part hew closely to the original Japanese script, but there are nonetheless a few awkward constructions and errors scattered throughout. Tighter editorial control – or perhaps a beta screening with native English speakers involved, with corrections to follow – might have helped weed out these infelicities. Still, the end product is perfectly watchable and one needn’t fear being saddled with a Backstroke of the West fiasco.

Regrettably, I cannot comment on the accuracy of the nine other foreign subtitle sets as I am fluent in none of those languages. (On this point I gladly defer to those who are, and invite them to post a comment on what they think of the other language options.) My hope is that these were professionally translated and edited out of a genuine desire to meet the needs of those who require them, and not merely regurgitated out of an automatic translator for the sake of superficially enhancing the “international” theme of this release.

TO CAP THINGS OFF…
THE GOOD: English subtitles AND menus (very helpful for Anglophone viewers). Inclusion of earlier films – particularly Hoshi no Koe – a real plus, even if only in SD quality. Good HD picture quality. Region free.
THE BAD: Rather expensive. Purchasers may need to import from Japan, which will jack up costs even more (shipping and customs duties for a start). No physical extras to help justify the cost, apart from the standard info booklet. English subtitles could be better. Audio quality decent but doesn’t seem quite up to HD standards.
THE UGLY: None. Nothing that I’d call a dealbreaker, at any rate.
OVERALL: Not perfect, but a decent release for overseas (more specifically Anglophone) viewers looking to add an HD copy of this film to their collection.

LINKS
NB: The reviews listed below were based on earlier DVD releases of this film, so the technical aspects are generally not relevant to the Blu-ray release reviewed here. They were selected mainly for the opinions expressed by their authors about the film itself, rather than about the physical product available to them at the time. Beware of spoilers.
- Basic information on Wikipedia
- Product listing on Amazon Japan
- Review by Chris Beveridge on Mania.com
- Review by Theron Martin on Anime News Network
- Review by Bamboo Dong on Anime News Network
- Review by Ronnie Scheib on Variety

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 29th, 2012 at 5:33 am and is filed under Anime, Movies, Reviews.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.