I was introduced to “She and Her Cat” a few years ago and instantly fell in love. This five minute short film was the most perfect thing that I had ever seen in my opinion and I made all of my friends watch it (over and over again). Tonight we watched “Five Centimeters per Second” and it did not let me down. The world(s) that Makoto Shinkai creates are so visually beautiful and yet the content is equally touching. Like “Voices of a Distant Star” he touches upon relationships that evolve over time and distance. It can be heartbreakingly real and sad but at the same time so very beautiful. I guess that I like that kind of thing seeing as how “Honey and Clover” by Chika Umino is my favorite anime series and some of the episodes makes me cry every time that I watch them. Their stories have also been very influential to me and have inspired me to go back to school to study design and be an artist. Makoto Shinkai created “She and Her Cat” entirely by himself on his iMac—its just so amazing to me. So if you have not seen any of his Shinkai’s works or are new to anime these are my recommendations!