I got involved in a discussion on AnimeNfo comparing Hayao Miyazaki and Makoto Shinkai1. While looking up some hard facts about both of these animation directors, I came across the difference in the budgets they had to work with.

1. 1. Something I've touched on my blog before...

Well, time to sharpen those guitar playing skills. Found this on Youtube looking for the guitar tab for the main theme used for Byousoku 5 Centimeter:

Pretty unusual to put a guitar tab in this format, but it is quite useful at making you play at the original song's speed. Unfortunately, at my skill level, it's nothing to do but repetition combined with getting some finger blisters as I don't play as often as I should1.

1. 1. And I should play guitar more often. It's free to do when I already have the equipment unlike shooting guns or playing hockey and, even if I'm not skilled, it's just as therapeutic.

Even after the third time I watch it, I seem to waver between considering the last part of Makoto Shinkai's Byousoku 5 Centimeter either a misstep or a masterpiece. Indeed, I do declare that the first two parts near perfection, but it's the third part that give me some consternation. The first time, I watched the whole 62 minute movie without subtitles, and I was moved. The second time, I was somewhat disappointed by it. This time, on the third watch, I'm picking up cues on some very important details that raise my opinion up again. The clues you can catch by paying very close attention is very consistent, and you can infer things that are rather unimportant in the end. But it's possible that Shinkai was far too subtle at the end.

I received an update from CDJapan last night that my order for Gekijo Animation Byosoku 5 Centimeter DVD Box [Limited Edition](DVD) and MIND GAME (English Subtitles) (DVD) was shipped. The email said that the shipment should take 4-12 days to get to me. I'll see how long it would take to ship.

And for a small update, I watched the fansub of Byousoku 5 Centimeter last night and was highly taken in by everything except the ending. I still found it to be a very good film overall (excellent if I discount the ending) and I'll try to have more in an update later.