In the anime, the train journey scene lasted for several agonizing seconds.
Rei still remembered how impatiently he had waited through this scene in his previous life, even wanting to blow up the train out of frustration.
But the manga couldn't afford such drawn-out pacing. At most, it might insert a few flashback panels of key moments to slightly extend the train's travel time.
Chinatsu Kirishima continued turning the pages.
The warm draft from the passing train scattered the cherry blossoms across the sky. As the petals danced in the air, the train sped past the tracks, leaving Takaki standing alone.
Across from him, nothing remained but the blooming cherry trees.
Tears instantly welled up in Chinatsu's eyes, threatening to spill over.
Her mind flashed back to Akari's words to Takaki across the train tracks in the first episode of 5 Centimeters Per Second, which she had watched a month earlier:
"I wish we could watch the cherry blossoms together next year too."
This promise had never been fulfilled.
After that day, the two had been separated by distance. They lost contact in high school, forgot each other in college, and now...
The two accidentally reunited on this slope.
But...
"Why is it like this?"
Chinatsu Kirishima's gaze remained fixed on the manga page.
Across from Takaki, there was nothing.
He had been absolutely certain she would turn back, just like him. But the woman had walked away.
It turned out that only he had remained stuck in that day.
Chinatsu continued flipping through the pages, hoping to find some kind of resolution.
In the next panel, a faint, relieved smile gradually appeared on Takaki's lips.
He tilted his head back, the lingering confusion between his brows seemed to vanish completely in that moment. Without hesitation or regret, he turned away, smiling, without glancing back at the departing cherry blossom scenery.
5 Centimeters Per Second: The End.
The moment those six large characters appeared in Chinatsu's eyes, she finally realized.
So...
This was the final chapter of the manga!
Chinatsu's heart felt hollow, as if something had been scooped out of it.
Was this really the ending for Akari and Takaki?
Over a decade of longing, countless memories relived in dreams...
Takaki couldn't even remember Akari's face clearly anymore, yet the most vital part of his heart remained reserved for her. He had rejected Kanae, broken up with his girlfriend of three years from university, and found himself unable to fall in love with anyone else.
She was that important in Takaki's life.
So why could Takaki turn and walk away so easily?
And Akari, why couldn't she wait just half a minute longer for Takaki?
The promise you made as children, to watch the cherry blossoms together...
If you had only stayed half a minute longer, waited on the other side of the tracks...
After the train passed, wouldn't you both have seen each other, seen the spring cherry blossoms scattering around you?
Why could you leave so easily?
The more she thought about it, the more her heart ached.
An emptiness began to hollow out her chest.
Deep down, she knew Akari was about to get married. There was no chance of rekindling her relationship with Takaki. In that case, it might be better if they never saw each other again.
But the previous four chapters had portrayed their love so vividly, so movingly.
Anyone who had read this far would have no doubt about the depth of their feelings for each other.
And so, two people who loved each other deeply passed by, their final encounter ending with them becoming strangers, without even a glance back.
Shirogane Sensei, is this the view of love you wanted to convey?
After this, how can I ever believe in love again?
Chinatsu Kirishima continued flipping through the manga magazine. On the final page of the 5 Centimeters Per Second serialization, a few lines remained:
The complete single-volume edition of 5 Centimeters Per Second will be released nationwide on July 23rd!
"Nationwide release" was more of a slogan than a reality.
Japan was vast. While Hoshimori Publishing Group had the resources to ensure uniform distribution of its manga across major bookstores nationwide, mobilizing such resources required immense effort. Only the most popular manga in Japan could receive such treatment.
In reality, the manga would likely receive only token promotion in peripheral prefectures, with focused marketing efforts concentrated in the surrounding prefectures where Sakura Weekly and other affiliated publications were distributed.
"Shirogane, with an ending like this, not even a dog would buy the single-volume edition of 5 Centimeters Per Second!" Chinatsu's eyes were red-rimmed, already tear-stained from the manga's heartbreaking conclusion.
But soon, she noticed the content at the very bottom of the page.
New to the 5 Centimeters Per Second manga: Detailed contents of the letters Akari and Takaki wrote to each other.
Chinatsu Kirishima's head buzzed.
The most regrettable part of the entire manga was the two letters Akari and Takaki wrote to each other.
Takaki's letter was never delivered, blown away by a strong wind during its journey.
Akari's letter likely remained unsent as well, perhaps because Takaki never sent his.
Otherwise, given Akari's personality, if Takaki had sent her a handwritten letter, she would undoubtedly have sent her own in return.
If Takaki's letter hadn't been lost to the wind all those years ago, would their story have ended differently?
The thought deepened the sorrow in Chinatsu's eyes.
She carefully checked the release date of the 5 Centimeters Per Second manga volume, memorized it, and then closed the Sakura Weekly magazine.
She needed a break; she couldn't bear to read any more of the other manga in the issue.
As more people bought Sakura Weekly that morning, the online forums on the magazine's official website exploded with discussion about 5 Centimeters Per Second and its author, Shirogane Sensei.
"Why is this the end? The manga concludes after just five chapters?"
"I can't accept this. I'm hiding under my blanket, crying uncontrollably. I refuse to acknowledge this ending."
"I can accept Akari marrying someone else openly, but I can't accept her leaving without even giving Takaki a chance to see her one last time."
"She was the one who said we'd watch the cherry blossoms together again someday. Now she won't even look back. How can someone change so much?"
"Shirogane Sensei, seriously, does anyone know where he lives? I need to find him."
"I heard he's a high school manga artist."
"A high schooler? Don't be ridiculous. I refuse to believe a high schooler could draw such a nuanced and profound romance manga."
"Wait, isn't Saki, the author of Tale of Sorrow, also a high school manga artist? Could these two be connected somehow? Maybe they're even the same person?"
"Their art styles are completely different. Stop being silly."
"I can't take it anymore, girls! My stomach's been hurting ever since I finished 5 Centimeters Per Second. My boyfriend and I are in a long-distance relationship too, and now I'm terrified it'll end like in the manga."
"Shirogane, you've gone too far! You're on this forum, right? Come out and explain the plot!"
"I'm blacklisting this manga artist for life. I'll never read another one of her works again."
"Don't you guys get it yet? This manga is trying to depict the core of the story."
"Exactly! This manga is absolutely divine. Even though it made me cry, it's truly a masterpiece."
"Takaki in this story simply reconciled with himself. The manga's message is clear: we shouldn't be trapped by past traumas but instead stride confidently toward the future. Why are you all only focusing on the sadness and suffering? Can't you grasp the deeper meaning Shirogane Sensei intended?"
"Right! Life can't be relived. The Takaki of the past refused to accept this, which is why he betrayed Kanae and his college girlfriend after his connection with Akari was severed. Only when Akari finally stopped waiting for him did he find peace. This is the most perfect ending imaginable! Why are you all criticizing Shirogane Sensei?"
"A masterpiece, no explanation needed. I'll definitely buy the twenty-third volume when it's released to show my support."
"Me too!"
"By the way, does anyone know who Shirogane Sensei really is? I want to thank her in person. After reading 5 Centimeters Per Second, I suddenly understood my unresolved feelings about breaking up with my first love. I cried for half an hour while clutching the manga, but after that, my heart felt much lighter."