In 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? 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 Solomon
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March 31, 2010
#1
Beautiful artwork in this movie. Every frame is a masterpiece. But I just couldn’t get past the story. It bored me to tears. I tried, oh how I tried, but I had to turn it off at around the halfway point.
March 31, 2010
#2
voices of a distant star is hard to get now, i was about to get it but i decided to get another anime because it was only 30 minutes. Now that “the place promised in our early days” is comming to dvd, i cant wait until i get this movie. its another masterpiece by only one person who directs, screenplays, and produced the movie, and already won 2 awards in japan!!
March 31, 2010
#3
I bought a Japanese edition of this anime, and the English-language subtitles were frankly atrocious — utter gibberish in places, including introducing one obviously female character as “Mr. Mark” early on, and both “Miss Mark” and “Miss. Mark” later on. The price one pays for otaku enthusiasms, I guess, and clearly I should have checked at Amazon.com before buying the cleaned up American version. Curiously, despite severe barriers to simple comprehension (my Japanese hovers between inadequate and retarded, but above the American average), my impression of this film is much like other reviewers’ here. I think the plot is a little confusing, even turgid in places, and the emotion is too delicate for most American attention spans, but if this is your cup of tea, this gaijin edition of “Kumo no mukou, yakusoku no sibasyo” is nicely brewed indeed.
March 31, 2010
#4
*This is Johanna Rosen’s daughter, mind you*
I was incredibly eager to see this movie after seeing art for it everywhere, including Newtype USA. I will admit that the art for this movie is gorgeous, but the story was… for certain tastes only. It was partly confusing, boring (I literally cried, it was so bad), and I struggled to finish the picture. It really depends on your taste as to whether you enjoy the story. If you have the opportunity, there is an extended trailer included in the extras- check that out, it’s basically the entire movie in less that five minutes. The voice acting was also very well done for both Japanese and English versions of the film.
3 stars- because the art is worth it.
March 31, 2010
#5
Last year, I took “CTCS403: East Asian Cinema” at USC with Professor David James. Before showing us a film that might be considered unpalatable to our Western tastes, he’d preface by saying “you’re either going to like this film and have good taste, or you’re not going to like it and have bad taste.”
Since taking that course, I struggle valiantly to appreciate (or even just comprehend) critically-acclaimed films that are not immediately accessible. Since this film trumped both Otomo’s Steamboy and Miyazaki’s Howl’s Moving Castle for the honor of Best Animated Film at the prestigious Mainichi Film Awards, I was determined to glean the deeper meaning no matter what.
Other matters aside, you have to give The Place Promised in Our Early Days points for an interesting setting:
In an alternate history of the aftermath of World War II, Japan has been cleaved in half, with the south-Honshu and the other islands-allied with the United States and the northern island Hokkaido annexed by the enigmatic Union. It was on Hokkaido that a mysterious tower had been built, a strand of metal reaching up out of the atmosphere, visible from the northern tip of Honshu. In 1996, three teenagers, Hiroki, Takuya and Sayuri, make a pact-they will build an experimental aircraft, almost invisible to surveillance, cross over to Hokkaido and unlock the secrets of the tower. Their dream was never realized, because Sayuri was sent to Tokyo for treatment after she fell into a coma. It is now three years later. The rosy illusions of youth have fallen away, but not the unbreakable strength of the trio’s promise. The truth of the tower will be uncovered, and with it, the link between it and Sayuri’s mysterious, carefully tended condition.
Sadly, things fall apart in terms of cohesion almost immediately. For one thing, all of the characters are basically blanks in the personality department, making them all blend together. I can see how Shinkai is trying to make his tale seem more universal, but the technique just ends up distancing the viewer from onscreen events. That’s not to say that these events are remotely approaching understandable, by the way. In regards to of any form of a plot, I can remember some half-baked metaphysical musings on parallel universes juxtaposed with some junior-high recollections. That’s really about it.
BOTTOM LINE: There wasn’t a single moment that my attention was engaged while watching, and to me that isn’t a sign of quality. Accuse me of “bad” taste if you must.