Review: Beautiful artwork and animation aside, one of the defining features of Makoto Shinkai’s 5 Centimeters Per Second is its music, and within the soundtrack, “One More Time, One More Chance” stands out for being such a fitting song because it brings to light the sorrows, regrets, and frustrations that the main character, Takaki, experiences over the course of the movie.

So within the context of the film, “One More Time, One More Chance” enhances the mood and atmosphere while giving us an insight into Takaki’s character. Its opening acoustic guitar chords followed by a short flute interlude drips with a sense of melancholy before it fades to make way for Masayoshi Yamazaki. Immediately, Yamazaki’s entrance creates an impact which fits in well with the movie’s themes because of the way his voice projects through the acoustic guitar accompaniment and conveys that sense of pain brought about by loneliness and regret. This feeling is made all the more apparent as Yamazaki goes into the chorus section where the appearance of more instrumental parts as well as a slight shift in the tempo of his singing suggests that not only has the singer become more willing to open up to the listener, he’s practically putting his emotions on his sleeve for all to examine as he continues lamenting over his lost love that he cannot completely get over. The realization of the ephemeral nature of him meeting his one true love and being unable to express his feelings to her culminates around 3:09-3:24 where he acknowledges its brief duration with a hint of nostalgia, a bit of frustration, but mostly regret. Once that moment passes, the song begins wrapping up with a few more verses of the chorus part before it ends the same way it began: through a melancholy acoustic guitar section. Where this song really shines is in Yamazaki’s ability to bring out the emotions found in this piece and he does it in such a way that language isn’t a barrier to understanding the gist of what the singer is feeling. The poignancy of the piece cannot be stated enough and when combined with the magnificent visuals in 5 Centimeters, “One More Time, One More Chance” makes for an excellent fit within the context of the segment and the movie itself.

And if you thought that Yamazaki’s performance cannot be matched, think again. The piano melody in “Yuki no Eki ~One more time, One more chance~” is a slightly different take upon the original in that it establishes a feeling of tenderness early on and you can feel the emotions bursting forth radiantly through a crescendo that conveys a sense of hope and optimism rather than frustration and regret, even if it’s just for a short while. Gradually, that section fades as the main theme to 5 Centimeters Per Second makes its entrance and here, you can hear the soul-searching feeling through the poignant piano melody backed up by the harp that blends nostalgia with a dash of wistfulness, both of which are executed to great effect by engaging the listener and holding their attention. While the way the piece ends isn’t conclusive, it’s hard to ignore the rawness of the many aforementioned emotions put into this piece because they are conveyed so beautifully, making this an excellent companion to go alongside “One More Time, One More Chance.” Together, these two tracks (along with an acoustic guitar version of “One More Time, One More Chance”) make for a wonderful listening experience that shouldn’t be missed, even if you have not seen 5 Centimeters Per Second.

Rating: Very Good

Single – One More Time, One More Chance