The Place Promised in Our Early Days
by Makoto Shinkai
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: A. Jacob Gragard, Chris Patton, John Swasey, Kalob Martinez, Masato HagiwaraDirector: Makoto Shinkai
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language); Japanese (Original Language)
Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 90 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-07-12
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Adv Films
Movie Reviews of The Place Promised in Our Early Days
Movie Review: Dreaming of Other Worlds
Summary: 4 Stars
After watching and thoroughly enjoying Shinkai Makoto's 5 Centimeters Per Second the other day, I decided to go in reverse order and watch all of his major films with The Place Promised in Our Early Days (2004) being up next. In many ways I found The Place Promised in Our Early Days to be similar to 5 Centimeters Per Second: they both deal with young love, separation from loved one, isolation, and an overall sense of melancholy that is infused within nearly every scene with sparks of happiness that only last for moments. However, a major difference between this film and 5 Centimeters Per Second is that technology plays a much heavier role and the Japan depicted in the film is quite different than the most recent film.
In 1974, The United States and the Union, most likely referring to the Soviet Union, waged war against each other with the result that the southern islands of Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku came under the Union and Hokkaido became knows as Ezo, an ancient named for Japan's northern most area. Like North and South Korea in our world, the South knows little about the North, and the Union makes no attempts to contact the South, but an uneasy peace has been established and the land has not known war for some 22 years.
The Place Promised in Our Early Days revolves around three friends: Fujisawa Hiroki, Shirakawa Takuya, and Sawatari Sayuri. Fujisawa and Shirakawa are both in the 8th grade, but have already shown great promise in the field of science and aerospace engineering. They have gained mastery of these areas so much in fact that they are refurnishing an old plane which they intend to fly to the Union Tower, a huge monolith that is so tall that it can be seen from Tokyo on clear days. Sayuri does not share the scientific genius of her two friends, but soon becomes keen on the idea of flying to the Union Tower and Ezo, a place where her grandfather was stranded after the split. However, the three friends never make the trip because Sayuri one day up and disappears. The next part of the film begins some three years later with Shirakawa working with the NSA while still attending high school in Aomori. Fujisawa has gone to Tokyo, but can only think of the missing Sayuri. The three friends are of course reunited, but not in the way they hoped and the silent Union Tower seems to be much more ominous than it had first appeared.
The Place Promised in Our Early Days is almost liked watching a "What If?" film depicting what would have happened if Japan had been split like Germany in a time when there was greater technology, and the Soviet Union had access to said technology with America lagging behind. Also, the film has a very interesting version of parallel worlds which makes this film viewer wonder if the director is a fan of the influential cotemporary writer Murakami Haruki. A fine, interesting animated film that can be enjoyed by both anime fans and non anime fans, The Place Promised in Our Early Days is highly recommended to those who like alternate history fiction and films.
Summary of The Place Promised in Our Early Days
Makoto Shinkai made an impressive debut as a writer-director in Voices of a Distant Star (OVA, 2002); The Place Promised in Our Early Days (OVA, 2004) is his first studio work. In this alternate world, Japan was divided after World War II: Hokkaido, renamed "Ezo," belongs to "the Union;" the rest of archipelago is an American dependency. Ezo is dominated by the Union Tower, a seemingly topless needle. Middle school students Hiroki and Takuya dream of visiting the Tower, and start building an airplane. They're joined by Sayuri, who nurtures a crush on Hiroki. As the characters move into high school, Sayuri falls into a coma. Hiroki and Takuya learn that her dreams are linked to the Tower and to experiments in contacting parallel universes. Shinkai fills the screen with sun-drenched landscapes that recall the films of Hayao Miyazaki, but the story rambles and falters. Although his understated style is often effective, Shinkai needs to learn to pace a longer work. The narrative often feels choppy, and the ending weak. Serious anime fans will want to watch the progress of this talented young director. (Unrated, suitable for ages 13 and older: alcohol and tobacco use, minor violence) --Charles SolomonIn 1996, an enormous tower is constructed on the southern shore of Hokkaido, it's purpose-unknown. Curious, three school children make a vow to discover the mysterious tower's secrets. Will this promise have to be left unfulfilled when one of the three falls into a coma?
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