5 Centimeters per Second + Children Who Chase Lost Voices

Ah this beautiful book! It contains two lovely novels in one paperback- a) 5 cm per second, and b) Children who chase lost voices Usually books come before the movies. But against the tide, this is a novelization of the movies of the same name by world famous director Makoto Shinkai. a) 5 cm per second is an utterly heartbreaking story, but in the most beautiful way. Takaki and Akira have been childhood best friends. Their bonding may mean even more which they don't understand yet. But they are forced to grow apart. Let me remind you it was before cellphones became an indispensable part of human lives. Will they continue to be each other's part of lives? To which extent? How much their adult lives are going to be affected by the small world they built together during their childhood? This is written in a simplistic way, yet it is so enriched I can't describe its beauty. "An ache I couldn’t put into words ran through me, as if someone had gently brushed a finger across my heart". How do you get over that! b) Children who chase lost voices is about an adventure taken by a little girl Asuna, her teacher Morisaki and a partly magical boy, Shin. They travel to a different world where it is believed to be true that dead people can be brought back to the living world again. This is a really enjoyable story. But it falls a bit flat in some places. I liked how amazingly some important messages are incorporated, such as- "He said to embrace loss- to keep on living. That is the curse of being human. But I'm sure... ...it's a blessing as well." I liked "5 cm per second" more. It reminds me why simplicity beats everything. I can't stop reading the beautiful lines over and over and keep sighing. The writing is so beautiful, the characters are so adorable and relatable. I can't get over this amazing story.