Using the story title as the episode title?
That's rare. It's not even the final episode. Why force the theme so blatantly?
Chinatsu Kirishima flipped to the next page of the manga.
The author, Shirogane, continued to showcase his dazzling artistic skills.
A man working at his desk, cherry blossoms drifting in on the breeze to land on his computer, and his figure rising to leave the room, seemingly having lost interest.
Chinatsu recognized him immediately: Takaki, the adult Takaki.
At the beginning of the story, Takaki and Akari communicated through letters.
Then, in high school, Takaki started using a cell phone.
Now, in this episode, he's working on a computer.
So they skipped college entirely and jumped straight to his working adult phase?
But the manga's plot didn't give her much time to ponder.
Soon, familiar scenery appeared:
The cherry blossom-strewn street, the railway tracks bisecting the city, and the warning bells ringing as the barrier arms lowered on either side of the tracks.
Just as Takaki stepped onto the road, a woman approached from the opposite side.
Chinatsu couldn't sit still.
That woman... that face...
Akari?
Is this how they're reunited?
On that same cherry blossom-lined slope, on either side of the railway tracks, in the exact same positions as before.
Now, all they needed to do was turn around and see each other.
The man and woman crossed paths between the train tracks, but the urgent warning bell prevented them from looking back. Each continued walking in their predetermined direction.
If I turn around now, I have a strong feeling she'll turn around too, Takaki thought to himself.
He slowly turned around, and in the distance, he thought he saw the woman across from him begin to turn as well.
The passing train blocked his view, and the cherry blossoms scattered wildly in the turbulent air.
Chinatsu Kirishima eagerly flipped the page.
However, the manga's narrative shifted to a flashback.
It was night. Takaki was on his way home from work, waiting for the elevator when a woman called him.
But Takaki didn't answer.
Meanwhile, under the watchful eyes of her parents, Akari boarded the train to Tokyo.
Last night, I dreamed of the past. We were just children then. It must be related to the letter I found last night.
Akari gazed out at the rushing scenery, her thoughts aligning with the image of the unsent letter from over a decade ago that flashed at the end of the manga panel.
Simultaneously, the manga's perspective returned to Takaki.
As Chinatsu continued reading, she gradually pieced together the unfolding events.
Akari had boarded a train to Tokyo for some urgent business.
Meanwhile, Takaki received a text message from his former college girlfriend.
He himself was growing weary, his passion devoured by his monotonous job, leaving him on the verge of burnout.
Huh?
So Takaki did have a girlfriend in college after all?
But the content of the former girlfriend's message left Chinatsu speechless.
I still love you. But I believe that even if we exchanged a thousand messages, our hearts would only draw one centimeter closer.
Chinatsu's heart trembled.
This line, paired with the manga's title, struck a chord deep within her.
Cherry blossoms fall at a rate of five centimeters per second.
And even if I communicate with you a thousand times, I can only get one centimeter closer!
Every girl who had been close to Takaki must have felt this way.
Kanae too, and this ex-girlfriend as well.
Was it truly so difficult for people to connect?
No, it was because Takaki had sealed his heart, refusing to let anyone in.
The subsequent manga chapters were loosely structured, filled with Takaki's inner monologues.
But ultimately, these inner monologues transformed into the most crucial lines of dialogue.
At that moment, Takaki and Akari seemed to share a telepathic connection, thinking of the same thing.
Last night, I had a dream! In it, we were only thirteen years old. — Takaki
It was a rural landscape blanketed in thick snow. — Akari
The distant lights of village homes flickered like scattered stars. — Takaki
Our footprints were the only marks on the fresh snow. And then... — Akari
One day, we'll watch the cherry blossoms bloom together. — Takaki
We both firmly believed this. Akari.
In the original anime, this was subtly conveyed through a song and flashbacks to Akari and Takaki's past memories, showing how their initial love gradually faded as they forgot each other.
Since the manga couldn't replicate this approach, Rei adapted portions of the original novel into flashback panels, weaving them into the narrative.
After their separation at the train station, Akari and Takaki initially exchanged letters frequently.
But gradually, Akari made new friends at her new school.
Takaki, after moving to a seaside town, met Kanae.
With the two living thousands of miles apart, each letter took half a month to reach its destination.
As time passed, their passionate love cooled.
At night, Akari would pick up her pen to write, but she couldn't find the words she wanted to express to Takaki.
Takaki, too, grew increasingly withdrawn.
At first, both eagerly awaited each other's replies.
But as time wore on, their letters devolved into routine greetings. Separated by vast distances and half-month communication delays, they no longer knew how to convey their true feelings on paper.
It was after a letter delivery delay caused them to miss the pickup time that they tacitly agreed to stop writing to each other.
They began selectively ignoring mailboxes when passing by.
Though they still held each other in their hearts, they found it impossible to put their feelings into words.
"They never truly lost contact," Chinatsu Kirishima murmured, her eyes already reddening. "It's just that, as time passed, they could no longer maintain their connection."
This was the damage time and distance inflicted on lovers.
Though Takaki never contacted Akari again, he couldn't let her go.
Kanae Chen sensed this and never confessed her feelings.
His college girlfriend, despite their formal relationship, eventually realized Takaki's heart still belonged to another and chose to end things.
Only Takaki remained.
He had almost forgotten his childhood self and the story of that girl.
He needed dreams to recall Akari.
Yet her influence lingered, preventing him from ever loving another.
Then, within this memory flashback, Chinatsu learned the true reason Akari had come to Tokyo.
She was getting married. She had come to Tokyo to hold her wedding with her fiancé.
When this fact became clear, Chinatsu Kirishima froze, her eyes widening.
Marriage?
Akari-san is getting married?
What about Takaki-kun?
He... he still hasn't moved on from that night over a decade ago. He must still be thinking that one day he'll see the cherry blossoms with her again.
He can't fall in love with anyone else. He must still be holding onto hope for a reunion with her!
Tears began to well up in her eyes.
Chinatsu's heart was in turmoil.
This plot was completely different from what she had imagined.
What about their reunion after college? What about their reunion after being separated?
If Akari-san is getting married, do Takaki-kun and she still have a chance?
The emotional buildup ended there, and the memory flashback returned to reality.
They were now at the railway tracks where cherry blossoms were falling.
Akari and Takaki crossed the tracks in opposite directions.
Takaki turned around.
Chinatsu's anticipation reached its peak.
It's just a wedding. There are plenty of stories in romance manga where someone crashes the wedding to steal the bride.
They're not married yet. What's there to be afraid of?
As long as Akari-san waits for Takaki-kun on the other side of the tracks, as long as they can talk face-to-face...
Their passionate love from the past will surely be rekindled.
It's cruel to Akari-san's fiancé, but...
There's no time for apologies.
Shirogane Sensei, please let Akari and Takaki start over.
Tears welled in her eyes as Chinatsu Kirishima turned the page of the manga.