Often dubbed the “new Miyazaki,” Makoto Shinkai is on his way to becoming a household name among anime audiences. Shinkai’s work has especially garnered attention in the last decade or so with hits like Suzume, Weathering with You, and most famously, Your Name, which is still the second highest-grossing Japanese film of all time. That said, one of the earliest works by Shinkai that put him on the map is getting a live-action adaptation, and fans finally have a release date to look forward to.
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A post on X by the official handle for the film has revealed that the live-action adaptation of Makoto Shinkai’s 5 Centimeters per Second will premiere in Japanese theatres on October 10th, 2025. The announcement was accompanied by a new visual for the film featuring Takaki Tono, the protagonist of the story, against the backdrop of a snowy landscape and a cherry blossom tree in the distance, while the tagline on the poster reads, “”How fast do I have to live so I can see you again?” Tono is being played by Japanese singer and actor Hokuto Matsumura, who is also the leader of the Japanese idol group SixTONES and the voice of Munakata Souta from Shinkai’s 2022 hit, Suzume.
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Shinkai’s 5 Centimeters per Second Live-Action Movie Reveals October Release Date
Released in March 2007, 5 Centimeters per Second is Shinkai’s second full-length film after The Place Promised in Our Early Days, and is one of his most distinct early works. Even though it’s been eighteen years since its release, 5 Centimeters per Second still holds up fairly well, and it’s nice to see the film given new life through live-action. The live-action adaptation was first announced in September 2024 and is set to be directed by Yoshiyuki Okuyama, marking his first time directing a major feature film.
Having said that, Shinaki has expressed much enthusiasm at the fact that Okuyama will be directing the live-action, hinting that the upcoming film could fix some of the flaws of the original and make for a more mature, complete retelling. Shinkai’s official comment from when the film was first announced reads:
“The original animated film, 5 Centimeters per Second, which I directed nearly 20 years ago, was a very immature and unfinished work. However, it is precisely because of its incompleteness that it has been loved for so long. I would never be able to make or recreate that kind of film, which was just a reflection of my initial impulse and my longing for the unknown. That’s why I’m so excited that Director Okuyama and his young and enthusiastic team are once again working on 5 Centimeters per Second. “
Shinkai has also expressed his excitement at the thought of Matsumara taking on the lead role, saying, “I also feel the wonder of life in having my most trusted actor, Hokuto Matsumura, take on the lead role.” He further cheered Matsumara on, adding, “Please make this a film that you can only make now. I’m looking forward to its completion more than anyone else, and I’m rooting for you.”
Evidently, this is an adaptation that Shinkai himself has high hopes for, even though he won’t be in the director’s chair himself this time around, and hopefully the film makes its way to fans around the world soon enough as well.
Source: @5cm_movie_2025 on X.
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