Now and then, here and there - L'autre monde

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 had the honor of watching this series about 2 years ago. I rented all 3 yes 3 DVDs from blockbuster and was not disappointed. The visuals are amazing, the characters well drawn and designed, the technology is well thought out as well. Its a simple story about human nature and how far someone will go to return home and to stand up for what they believe in.

This series is why I love anime, Of all the anime series out there this and berserk are my favorite. initially I was struck by just how beautiful the whole thing looked and I like the idea that a kid can be a main character and not make the show seem fruity or childish like so many "made for America anime" some of that is o.k. but I really like more serious stuff:)

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.

This is a good series to explain the implications of war to older children. I know a lot of people think that it is only for older teenagers and adults, because themes like child soldiers, rape, and totalitarianism are shown and/or implied, but the story is told in such a simplistic and naive way that it might leave older audiences feel rather patronized.

The animation is very good, and some of the backgrounds look great. The characterizations are simple, people are good or bad, but most are presented as having some history, and shown as leaning towards the opposite at first. For example, a character/child that commits war crimes is then revealed as a victim of war crimes itself. But that is the most ambiguous the characters get, mostly its very black and white. And the series uses obvious emotive images to drive home its point, such as the child soldiers leaving tiny footprints in the desert sand. The irrational behaviour of Shuu, the main character, also adds disbelieve to situations (such as being whipped) that would otherwise seem more dramatic.

I liked this series, but found it a bit clumsy. Other anime series that use a cutish style of animation, like Full Metal Alchemist, show a far more mature approach in the way they tackle issues of violence, responsibility and loyalty. This is for the kids only.

"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.