Ima, Soko Ni Iru Boku

Now and Then, Here and There almost intentionally starts out in a misleading fashion. A hard-headed, optimistic young boy, Shu, meets a mysterious girl before they are transported to another world. However, unlike most alternate universe settings, the characters do not merely enter a dangerous world; they enter a world completely and utterly dominated by fear. The futility of hatred, the futility of vengeance, the futility of war, these are themes of the anime, but the series never sounds like a soap box lecture. Shu's unfettered and often baseless optimism serves as the flickering light in a war torn land of death and decay.

While the characters and story are realatively humdrum, and the script is not so daring or eccentric, the serie still manages to leeve its mark. In addition, while many of the more risque scenes are tastefully omitted, the show still manages to drag out a visceral sense of hate, fear and hopelessness. The weak art constantly reminds the audience that none of this is real. And containing an awesome sweeping soundtrack that never fails to make the heart skip a beat.

Never does the series preach or trumpet the failures of the human race. In contrast, Now and Then, Here and There is more of a celebration of life. A representations of the human condition. This anime is a frighteningly believable microcosm of war, but it places greater emphasis on humanities resilience in the face of such adversities.

I rate this OAV drama PG-13 for acts of war described, including torture, rape, death, and just plain miserable life. This is an anime for adults or teenagers.

I enjoyed viewing this OAV: it has a solid movie-quality storyline that got me through all 3 DVDs in one shot.

It compares favorably to Jin-ro or Roujiin-z and would probably hit a 7/10 for an anime fan. It's not as good in my book as Grave of the fireflies, Wings of hoannemise or the hard to follow Akira classic, which I all rate 8~9/10.

The drawing is pretty standard Japanese animation style, of pretty good quality, though the DVD sleeve has nice but misleading stylized drawings with no relation to the actual anime.

Plot line:

Shu, a teen meets a strange girl, and get kidnapped into some parallel world or other planet...

Lalaru the girl is sought after because she has the power to control water in a world where water is rare, by a mad dictator who plans to rule the world with her help. He already has decimated most population not under his rule, most being peasants with little means of retaliation against his powerful army.

This story describes a pitiful humanity struggling in misery; people making deliberate choices that eventually can hurt others hoping for a better future for themselves. There's no good vs bad guy, and like good non-Hollywood movies, and still... it gets from bad to worse while Shu the hero stays hopelessly positive the future will be better.

The only downside is the dictator is hard to believe (character too monodimentional), and reasons for the soldier's motivations for obeying are a little weak. Also the going back-and forth between universes is not explained, and for example why not steal water on earth? That part is just an excuse to get clueless characters in that world.

I first saw this at BAAF 2003 this past labor day weekend. I only caught the first two episodes and was intrigued by the storyline, the stunning visuals, and the unique feel. Seriously, I was stunned by how we can take a sunset for granted. This series uses it as its main theme and it works really well.

First off, this anime holds no punches and comes running right at you. Not like I was screaming or in uproar (I'm too jaded for that), but I was more fascinated and perplexed. Something as innocent as childhood is flipped 180 degrees and thrown into a world of chaos and anarchy. There's also some sci-fi and a post apocalypse twist in it. While there are some light humored parts, this one makes its stand with some dark, yet poignant moments. The characters play a big part too: Shu constantly promoting pacifism whose determination and bravery really make him very amiable. The enigmatic Lala Ru (I love that name especially when Shu would say it!) with her distant blue eyed gaze. Don't forget the mad Hamdo. If there's ever been a more vicious, psychotic maniac in anime, this King is definitely up there.

NTHT is not afraid to take risks and I was hooked on this series. I watched all 13 episodes rather quickly because I would be at work thinking about what would happen next! It's hard for me to go into it too much without spoiling it and NTHT ties together well as a whole. It can be seen on many levels, but I definitely enjoy what I call "thinking" anime and this one stirs up emotions as well.

The next time you see the sunset, think about it...won't you?

I bought this DVD box set on sale from Sam Goody or FYE or something like that 20 years ago. It turns out it's one of the best animes you've never seen it still holds up 20 years later and is still one of my favorites they don't make them like this anymore. It's an absolute emotional roller coaster. There are only a few animes. I would consider more devastating than this. One being grave of the fireflies. 2 being Saikano and three being Pluto. I ended up paying about $80 for this off of eBay and it was worth every penny. You're probably never going to see this on any streaming service so if you want to watch it, just buy it and it's gonna cost you.

"Now and Then, Here and There" is a thought provoking, and emotional story about war, and the way humanity's perception, reaction, motive and consequent future as a whole differs from person to person when faced with war-time situations. This 13 episode Sci-Fi story is set within a world of 10 billion years in the future. Although categorized as Sci-Fi, backdrops and settings mainly consist of desert land territory, with the exceptions of a few villages, the towering "maze-like" fortress of Helywood, and a few side locales; all adorned with realism styled artwork.

Basic Plot line: Shu (as he is referred to throughout the movie), a (more then likely early aged)teen resident of Japan, briefly meets a young girl named LaLa-Ru. Before solid information about her can be received, the sky opens up, and a machine captures both of them, taking them into the future. Shu, not even knowing where they have been taken, attempts to rescue LaLa-Ru from their captives. His nobility is short lived as they become separated and ultimately captured. Through a series of events, Shu learns that he and LaLa-Ru are being held captive in Helywood; a place where children are enslaved and enlisted as army recruits under the border-line (if not surpassingly)insane King Hamdo. In addition to this fact, he also learns that King Hamdo plans on using LaLa-Ru to fulfill his plan of domination. Shu has not dismissed his determination to rescue LaLa-Ru, but his current incarceration provides an obvious hurdle that does not appear to be easily traversed.

" Now and Then, Here and There" relies heavily on war themes, although the central focus appears to be more on the psyche of the individual players and the entangled bystanders. This is truly exposed through the Protagonist, Shu. He acts with his heart, and is optimistic in the worst of situations, and feels it only natural for others to do the same, although he will find out things aren't always that cut and dry.

This movie is recommended age 16+, due to some gritty scenes/themes involving child enslavement, child sexuality/rape ( although not literally depicted, there are a few scenes where acts are foreshadowed but tastefully cut to a different scene before anything is shown), violent acts performed by/towards children, and general bloodshed. There is very minimal, yet, existing profanity use. There are occasions where partial nudity is displayed.

Visually, this movie is in the traditional Anime style, but maintains a seriousness throughout, departing from other light-hearted tales by keeping a dark war-time overtone. Realism is stressed in all aspects, example; no one can come back to life, fight situations are human in that no one has inhuman capabilities, and character injuries heal (or don't heal) as any normal person's would.

MY FINAL STATEMENT/RANKING: As I said, this movie is thought provoking and insightful on several levels. It is not top-heavy in regards to one aspect, but smoothly rounds out all aspects of the plot from start to finish. I found time to fly by as I was completely captivated and drawn into every detail of "Now and Then, Here and There". I found myself empathizing with the characters very easily, even struggling to hold back tears at certain gut-wrenching scenes due to my level of connection with the characters portrayed. The musical arrangements echo and reinforce the mood of the movie's events. I found this piece of work to be intelligently made, and i enjoyed every minute of it. I give "Now and Then, Here and There" a 9 out of 10.