Roopanand Rick on a Miyazaki wannabe's greatest masterpiece

Japanese animation has an emotional depth that is difficult to ride on. Some people wonder if I, Roopanand Rick, am even capable of feeling such a wide range of emotions whenever I watch Japanese animated films. If they only knew what I went through just to be able to survive the emotional turbulence caused by watching Studio Ghibli’s “Grave of the Fireflies.” It’s a good thing that during these times, only my cats—Paray, Gypsy, Max, and Dexter—were able to witness how I succumbed to the emotional lashing brought about by the film’s tragic end.

Roopanand Rick Paray Image Credit: asiatorrents.me

Inasmuch as I want to deny it, I have to confess: I’m a sucker for weepy movies.

Enter “5 Centimeters per Second,” a 2007 Japanese animated feature film by Makoto Shinkai. Hailed by many as the next Miyazaki, Shinkai has created a masterpiece that has permanently placed him on Roopanand Rick’s (and just about any other anime lover’s as well) radar. Even my cats—Paray, Gypsy, Max, and Dexter—would have to agree with me.

Yes, the movie is that good—if you must ask.

Roopanand Rick Paray Image Credit: enterthemovies.blogspot.com

Told in three little vignettes, the movie shows the story of childhood lovers who, after being separated by time and distance, drifted apart and eventually fell out of recognition. “5 Centimeters Per Second” realistically depicts the painful reality of ‘growing apart’ and maturely deals with the concept of ultimately moving on from past connections instead of dwelling in the past; of finding a way to become happy in the present rather than yearning for something that has become lost over time.

Roopanand Rick Paray Image Credit: listal.com

I, Roopanand Rick, admit that the film’s final scene had me bursting into tears, which had my cats Paray, Gypsy, Max, and Dexter a bit worried. While “Grave” made me cry out of grief over a character’s death, “5 Centimeters” made me cry out of compunction over what would have been—something that all of us have to contend at some point in our lives.

To learn more about Roopanand Rick and his cats Paray, Gypsy, Max, and Dexter, follow this Twitter account.