A collection of theme songs, insert songs, and background music from 5 Centimeters per Second
5 Centimeters per Second is an animated film directed by Makoto Shinkai, released in 2007.
It tells the story of Takaki Tōno from his elementary school years to adulthood, centered around his first love from childhood.
Warm, bittersweet, and heartrending, it’s a favorite among many fans who consider 5 Centimeters per Second to be Shinkai’s best work.
And of course, it also features one of Shinkai’s trademarks: excellent music.
Beginning with Masayoshi Yamazaki’s One more time, One more chance, the beautiful tracks are as deeply moving as the story itself.
In this article, we’ll introduce the music related to 5 Centimeters per Second, focusing on the songs that appear in the film.
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- Anime BGM compilation: background music and insert songs that color the story
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Compilation of Theme Songs, Insert Songs, and BGM from 5 Centimeters per Second (1–10)
5cm/sEsaki Fumitake
A piano piece brimming with translucence from the live-action film Five Centimeters per Second’s score.
Placed near the beginning of the album, it serves to symbolize the work’s delicate overall worldview.
Its minimal structure, which gently accompanies the poignancy of the images, and its faint, lingering resonance feel like a sonic reimagining of themes such as distance and time.
The unique harmonic color palette of Mr.
Ezaki—rooted in the vocabularies of jazz and soul—carefully supports the breathing of the visuals.
To be your number one…LINDBERG
Among LINDBERG’s hit songs, this is a true classic—many fans even declare it their absolute favorite.
It’s the band’s 24th single, released in 1996.
In the anime, it appears in Episode 2, “Cosmonaut.” The song is used in the scene inside the car driven by Kanae’s older sister, who is a classmate of the protagonist Takaki Tōno, and also in the scene at the convenience store that Takaki and Kanae stop by on their way home from school.
The lyrics, which portray the bittersweet resolve of trying to look forward even while heartbroken by an unfulfilled love, align beautifully with the film’s themes.
ClassicJUDY AND MARY
A four-piece rock band that blazed through the 1990s, JUDY AND MARY’s 10th single.
When it was released in October 1996, it was used as the opening theme for the TBS program “Pop-file,” and later became the song for Nissin Foods’ “Vegetable Soup Noodles” commercial.
In the live-action film “5 Centimeters per Second,” set for release in 2025 and depicting the year 1997, it’s featured as a song within the story, appearing in a scene where high schooler Kanae sings it at karaoke.
The lyrics capture a sparkling instant of youth, paired with a fast, exhilarating pop-rock sound.
And YUKI’s high, clear vocals convey the thrill of love and the brilliance of youth straight to the heart.
Give it a listen when you want to rekindle memories of a bittersweet first love.
Thinking About YouRadiohead
Released as an early recording in 1992 and included on the 1993 debut album Pablo Honey, this song is a poignant piece swirling with unrequited love and alienation.
Its lyrics, interweaving a rift between the successful other and oneself with jealousy and self-deprecation, evoke the feelings of Takaki Tōno.
The simple acoustic guitar arpeggios and the delicate vocal tone accentuate its introspective emotions.
It resonates in those moments when you stand frozen with an unattainable longing, when there’s someone you just can’t forget.
Fragment of LettersEsaki Fumitake
This 24-second instrumental delicately crystallizes fragments of unfulfilled feelings.
It appears as the fifth track on the original soundtrack for the live-action film 5 Centimeters per Second, composed by Fumitake Ezaki.
As the title “Letter” suggests, its fragile charm evokes snippets of correspondence and memory.
Built around piano with chamber-like strings and sound design layered in, it employs a minimal touch that leaves breathing room like the trace of a sigh.
A brief piece that sinks into the heart when one reflects on missed connections and distance.