Why do we wake up crying from a dream we've already begun to forget? Why does the feeling of loss linger after the memory of that dream has faded to a vague feeling of something that should be there but isn't? How can we long for something we cannot even give a name?
When I scribbled these lines in my notebook in the darkness of the theater a little over a year ago, Makoto Shinkai's your name. had just surpassed Hayao Miyazaki's The Wind Rises at the Japanese box office. It was still a few weeks away from becoming the global sensation everyone would be raving about for the rest of the year. It's this indescribable feeling that Makoto Shinkai seems to have dedicated his work to exploring. Thematically, he's been incredibly consistent, from his first indie short to the highest grossing anime of all time. His films star over-saturated sunsets bleeding with melancholic cravings for what was or could have been, longed for by star-crossed lovers, estranged families, and childhood friends separated by time, space, age, or any combination of the above.
Before hitting it big with critics and audiences worldwide, Shinkai was already a household name in certain circles of anime fandom – especially among fans eager to reminisce about that summer back in middle school, when we were young and full of dreams. We might not be too clear on what exactly we did that day, but we still vividly remember the smell of the burning asphalt in the rain, enough to make us choke a little on the emotion. If you're an avid Shinkai fan, you might enjoy this painful feeling of nostalgia a little more than the average viewer, but if you're less into the fleeting beauty of cherry blossoms and adolescent love, you might at least find solace in his visual artistry.
Shinkai's unique strength has always been evoking a sentimental mood not primarily through the plot of his work, but by using his artfully crafted backgrounds and mastery of lighting to express emotion. He uses heightened beauty to put the audience in the characters' heightened state of mind, making us see, feel, and almost smell what the protagonists experience. Another recurring feature is Shinkai's use of sci-fi elements. Even when they're not enabling the plot directly, spaceships and other cosmic occurrences create wonderful opportunities for characters to long for whatever's out there that they lack in the here and now.
The following list is my ranking of all Makoto Shinkai's shorts and movies, excluding commercials. (Although the ad he did for Z-Kai in 2014 saw people expressing hopes for the feature film to follow this 'trailer', but I'd say we got more than compensated with the creation of your name.) This isn't so much a list from worst to best as from good to masterpiece; I count myself among those hopeless rain-on-asphalt sniffers. Since this list is highly subjective, be sure to share your favorite Makoto Shinkai works in the comments!
11. Egao (2003)
In his music video to Hiromi Iwasaki's saccharine song, Shinkai tells the story of a woman who gets a hamster. Watching the lovable creature munch on treats and complete circles in a tiny wheel, everything's sweet and adorable, until – naturally – she's reminded of something she lost. Luckily, creative freedom and the imaginative power to dream ourselves out of running wheels and their human equivalents allow the hamster to run through open spaces, and the woman vows not to give up hope. At just over two minutes, Egao is a charming little film to a song so kitschy it definitely needs adorable animal compensation.
In his music video to Hiromi Iwasaki's saccharine song, Shinkai tells the story of a woman who gets a hamster. Watching the lovable creature munch on treats and complete circles in a tiny wheel, everything's sweet and adorable, until – naturally – she's reminded of something she lost. Luckily, creative freedom and the imaginative power to dream ourselves out of running wheels and their human equivalents allow the hamster to run through open spaces, and the woman vows not to give up hope. At just over two minutes, Egao is a charming little film to a song so kitschy it definitely needs adorable animal compensation.
The Place Promised in Our Early Days (2004) BluRay 720p YTS YIFY 259: 47: Mar. 28th '19: 765.9 MB 259: YTSAGx: The Place Promised in Our Early Days (2004) BluRay 1080p YTS YIFY 161: 28: Mar. 29th '19: 1.4 GB 161: YTSAGx: Beyond the Clouds (2017) BluRay 720p YTS YIFY 155: 66: Dec. 14th '18: 1.0 GB 155: YTSAGx. The Place Promised in Our Early Days (2004) BluRay 1080p YTS YIFY The story takes place in a alternate postwar period, in 1996, where Japan is divided. Hokkaido is ruled by the 'Union' while Honshu and other southern islands are under US authority. A tall tower was built on Hokkaido, which could even be seen from Tokyo.
10. Other Worlds (1998)
Shinkai's first film, though still pretty experimental compared to later works, shows how thematically consistent his oeuvre has been. If you were to show Other Worlds to a group of anime fans, asking them to guess which famous director's debut they were looking at, a lot of them would probably guess right. Set to Erik Satie's Gymnopédie No.1, the 90-second short intersperses limited black-and-white animation with text to tell a fragmented story of yearning to fly away, the pain such unfulfillable yearning brings, and the human connection making it all just a bit more bearable. Between the images of birds and planes roaming the skies while humans gaze at them from below, trapped in shadows and trains, Other Worlds has all the ingredients of what Shinkai would become known and loved for years later. It's fascinating to see where the man responsible for the most successful anime of all time started out.
Shinkai's first film, though still pretty experimental compared to later works, shows how thematically consistent his oeuvre has been. If you were to show Other Worlds to a group of anime fans, asking them to guess which famous director's debut they were looking at, a lot of them would probably guess right. Set to Erik Satie's Gymnopédie No.1, the 90-second short intersperses limited black-and-white animation with text to tell a fragmented story of yearning to fly away, the pain such unfulfillable yearning brings, and the human connection making it all just a bit more bearable. Between the images of birds and planes roaming the skies while humans gaze at them from below, trapped in shadows and trains, Other Worlds has all the ingredients of what Shinkai would become known and loved for years later. It's fascinating to see where the man responsible for the most successful anime of all time started out.
9. She and Her Cat (1999)
She and Her Cat is important not simply because it won Shinkai the grand prize at DoGA CQ Animation Contest (quite an achievement for his second indie short), but also because it marks his first of many collaborations with composer Tenmon, whose music became integral to the director's following feature films. Slightly less noteworthy, it's also his first film to feature a cat named Chobi. Voiced by Shinkai himself, the story's POV character tells us how he got picked up by a caring woman he's deeply in love with. While there isn't a lot of character animation, effective lighting adds a modest beauty to the everyday black-and-white scenery. Although we only see snippets of their life accompanying Chobi's narration, there are enough carefully placed details to make their world feel whole and lived in. It's not a Perfect World, but it offers enough warmth to endure the 'vague loneliness' Shinkai aimed to convey according to his old website. The short was later adapted to a four-episode series that can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
She and Her Cat is important not simply because it won Shinkai the grand prize at DoGA CQ Animation Contest (quite an achievement for his second indie short), but also because it marks his first of many collaborations with composer Tenmon, whose music became integral to the director's following feature films. Slightly less noteworthy, it's also his first film to feature a cat named Chobi. Voiced by Shinkai himself, the story's POV character tells us how he got picked up by a caring woman he's deeply in love with. While there isn't a lot of character animation, effective lighting adds a modest beauty to the everyday black-and-white scenery. Although we only see snippets of their life accompanying Chobi's narration, there are enough carefully placed details to make their world feel whole and lived in. It's not a Perfect World, but it offers enough warmth to endure the 'vague loneliness' Shinkai aimed to convey according to his old website. The short was later adapted to a four-episode series that can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
8. The Garden of Words (2013)
Shinkai's love letter to the beauty of rain is jaw-droppingly beautiful. From the hyper-realistic backgrounds to the gorgeous lighting (and enough lens flares to rival J.J. Abrams), the film is a visual poem of water dripping from leaves, drops forming puddles, and ripples adorning ponds. But contrary to the features that came before and after, this beauty often feels like an end in itself, meant to inspire the audience's awe simply for the sake of capturing it. Simultaneously too long for its story and too short to reap the emotional payoff, The Garden of Words culminates in such melodramatic fashion that not even Shinkai's trademark pop-song-driven conclusion could compensate for my loss of immersion. It's pretty, though. Real pretty.
Shinkai's love letter to the beauty of rain is jaw-droppingly beautiful. From the hyper-realistic backgrounds to the gorgeous lighting (and enough lens flares to rival J.J. Abrams), the film is a visual poem of water dripping from leaves, drops forming puddles, and ripples adorning ponds. But contrary to the features that came before and after, this beauty often feels like an end in itself, meant to inspire the audience's awe simply for the sake of capturing it. Simultaneously too long for its story and too short to reap the emotional payoff, The Garden of Words culminates in such melodramatic fashion that not even Shinkai's trademark pop-song-driven conclusion could compensate for my loss of immersion. It's pretty, though. Real pretty.
7. Children Who Chase Lost Voices (2011)
This feature film is Shinkai's longest work. At 116 minutes, Children Who Chase Lost Voices is too long for the story it's telling, allowing sentimentality to turn into outright melodrama. Compared to his earlier movies, the film gives preference to plot over theme but fails to bring that plot to a truly satisfying conclusion. As a journey taken to say farewell, the visually gorgeous fantasy adventure stars a plucky, youthful heroine who experienced her share of loss, but doesn't really display much need for personal closure, thus rendering her journey somewhat unsatisfying. Sure, there's Morisaki and his quest to get back what was lost, but while I can understand his pain, I can never embrace it on a personal level. The deeper emotional connection easily established in Shinkai's older movies is lost between chase and fight scenes in this adventure. Given the film's setting, main character, and adorable animal companion as well as the art design, it's easy to see where the worn-out 'next Miyazaki' nickname has landed on Shinkai's shoulders, but he neither needs to copy Miyazaki, nor is he at his best when he creates works that try to.
This feature film is Shinkai's longest work. At 116 minutes, Children Who Chase Lost Voices is too long for the story it's telling, allowing sentimentality to turn into outright melodrama. Compared to his earlier movies, the film gives preference to plot over theme but fails to bring that plot to a truly satisfying conclusion. As a journey taken to say farewell, the visually gorgeous fantasy adventure stars a plucky, youthful heroine who experienced her share of loss, but doesn't really display much need for personal closure, thus rendering her journey somewhat unsatisfying. Sure, there's Morisaki and his quest to get back what was lost, but while I can understand his pain, I can never embrace it on a personal level. The deeper emotional connection easily established in Shinkai's older movies is lost between chase and fight scenes in this adventure. Given the film's setting, main character, and adorable animal companion as well as the art design, it's easy to see where the worn-out 'next Miyazaki' nickname has landed on Shinkai's shoulders, but he neither needs to copy Miyazaki, nor is he at his best when he creates works that try to.
6. A Gathering of Cats (2007)
Part of NHK's Ani*kuri 15 collection, Neko no Shūkai, or A Gathering of Cats, is a cute and fast-paced one-minute short with great comedic and dramatic timing. It's proof that films don't have to be long to be good, and that Shinkai has a knack for comedy underneath all that melancholy. When family cat Chobi (not the Chobi from She and Her Cat) gets his tail stepped on a dozen times too many, he plots revenge alongside his fellow suffering felines. Will there be a chance to avert the cat apocalypse? You'll have to watch to find out. It's well worth a minute of your time.
Part of NHK's Ani*kuri 15 collection, Neko no Shūkai, or A Gathering of Cats, is a cute and fast-paced one-minute short with great comedic and dramatic timing. It's proof that films don't have to be long to be good, and that Shinkai has a knack for comedy underneath all that melancholy. When family cat Chobi (not the Chobi from She and Her Cat) gets his tail stepped on a dozen times too many, he plots revenge alongside his fellow suffering felines. Will there be a chance to avert the cat apocalypse? You'll have to watch to find out. It's well worth a minute of your time.
5. 5 Centimeters Per Second (2007)
5 Centimeters Per Second isn't very subtle about what it wants the audience to feel. Split into three segments, it's a story about first love, losing it, and the realities of growing up. While the segments come together to create an overall narrative, the first one is easily the strongest. From the watercolor sky's fifty shades of pink and purple to the voice-over narration reminiscing about what was and might not be again, it's all about nostalgia for a time in life when a friend's move a few trains away felt like the end of the world. And while protagonist Takaki does grow up over the next two segments, something inside him can't let go of his elementary school self. But 5 Centimeters Per Second isn't just the speed at which cherry blossoms fall, it's also the speed at which life will pass him by if he can't accept that descent eventually. On a technical level, Shinkai has grown quite a bit in the three years since his first feature film, which, while more flawed in terms of plot holes and character animation, still ranks higher for me because of the way it used its sci-fi elements to lift Shinkai's all-important sense of transience to a cosmic scale instead of just giving Takaki a really pretty metaphor to gaze at.
5 Centimeters Per Second isn't very subtle about what it wants the audience to feel. Split into three segments, it's a story about first love, losing it, and the realities of growing up. While the segments come together to create an overall narrative, the first one is easily the strongest. From the watercolor sky's fifty shades of pink and purple to the voice-over narration reminiscing about what was and might not be again, it's all about nostalgia for a time in life when a friend's move a few trains away felt like the end of the world. And while protagonist Takaki does grow up over the next two segments, something inside him can't let go of his elementary school self. But 5 Centimeters Per Second isn't just the speed at which cherry blossoms fall, it's also the speed at which life will pass him by if he can't accept that descent eventually. On a technical level, Shinkai has grown quite a bit in the three years since his first feature film, which, while more flawed in terms of plot holes and character animation, still ranks higher for me because of the way it used its sci-fi elements to lift Shinkai's all-important sense of transience to a cosmic scale instead of just giving Takaki a really pretty metaphor to gaze at.
4. The Place Promised in Our Early Days (2004)
The wonderfully corny English title of Shinkai's first feature-length film says it all. This 'place promised' is a giant unreachable tower across the Tsugaru strait, superbly suited for our trio of middle school friends to gaze at and dream about. Promising that someday they'll go there together (under the bleeding sunset skies), it seems like nothing about their plans will ever change. When it does, things turn much greyer, visually and emotionally. While Sayuri dreams of being all alone in an empty universe and Hiroki plays a game where he waits for no one at the station, tank convoys replace their childhood trains. The fragile dream of adolescence seems all but over, but sometimes a place must be lost for a future to be gained. The Place Promised in Our Early Days is a story about the dreams of things that could have been on a cosmic scale. Apart from some awkward character animation, Shinkai proved he could handle a full-scale production for the first time with this film. Just like in his earlier Voices of a Distant Star, characters still spend a lot of time marveling at skies and the things that soar through them, but those skies already look quite magnificent above the serene winter landscapes of northern Honshu. More significantly, the way Shinkai captures the essence of 'that one summer back in middle school' is quite magical.
The wonderfully corny English title of Shinkai's first feature-length film says it all. This 'place promised' is a giant unreachable tower across the Tsugaru strait, superbly suited for our trio of middle school friends to gaze at and dream about. Promising that someday they'll go there together (under the bleeding sunset skies), it seems like nothing about their plans will ever change. When it does, things turn much greyer, visually and emotionally. While Sayuri dreams of being all alone in an empty universe and Hiroki plays a game where he waits for no one at the station, tank convoys replace their childhood trains. The fragile dream of adolescence seems all but over, but sometimes a place must be lost for a future to be gained. The Place Promised in Our Early Days is a story about the dreams of things that could have been on a cosmic scale. Apart from some awkward character animation, Shinkai proved he could handle a full-scale production for the first time with this film. Just like in his earlier Voices of a Distant Star, characters still spend a lot of time marveling at skies and the things that soar through them, but those skies already look quite magnificent above the serene winter landscapes of northern Honshu. More significantly, the way Shinkai captures the essence of 'that one summer back in middle school' is quite magical.
3. Dareka no Manazashi (2013)
Set in a near future that's just futuristic enough to make our present feel like a time of childhood nostalgia, Dareka no Manazashi opens with the perfect visual metaphor for adulthood. It's a time when Aya's answer to the question of How are you? is no longer sincere. In just seven minutes, Shinkai tells a powerful, mature story of family bonds, seemingly eroded by life, before shared loss might rekindle what was never truly lost. It's an absolute tearjerker, but never manipulative. If you appreciate a film that makes your soul ache in all the right places, this one's for you. Tears start flowing right on cue with Shinkai's traditional pop song insert, the best use of this technique outside this list's number one.
Set in a near future that's just futuristic enough to make our present feel like a time of childhood nostalgia, Dareka no Manazashi opens with the perfect visual metaphor for adulthood. It's a time when Aya's answer to the question of How are you? is no longer sincere. In just seven minutes, Shinkai tells a powerful, mature story of family bonds, seemingly eroded by life, before shared loss might rekindle what was never truly lost. It's an absolute tearjerker, but never manipulative. If you appreciate a film that makes your soul ache in all the right places, this one's for you. Tears start flowing right on cue with Shinkai's traditional pop song insert, the best use of this technique outside this list's number one.
2. Voices of a Distant Star (2002)
Voices of a Distant Star is an aspiring filmmaker's wet dream in how it came to be and what it achieved for its director. A guy whose filmic output had been a combined 6 minutes of limited black-and-white animation decided to take half a year off to create a brilliant 25-minute film made almost entirely by himself, which would open the doors to feature-length productions and international acclaim. While the film's star-crossed lovers continue to drift apart, wondering if their connection can overcome time and distance, some images will stay with me forever: Mikako curled up in a fetal position, floating in the beautiful emptiness of space where she can no longer feel the rain, and Noboru sitting alone at the bus station they once sought shelter in together on a rainy day. Of course, it's sunny now. Shinkai knew how to pull at the heartstrings with visual symbolism right from the start.
Voices of a Distant Star is an aspiring filmmaker's wet dream in how it came to be and what it achieved for its director. A guy whose filmic output had been a combined 6 minutes of limited black-and-white animation decided to take half a year off to create a brilliant 25-minute film made almost entirely by himself, which would open the doors to feature-length productions and international acclaim. While the film's star-crossed lovers continue to drift apart, wondering if their connection can overcome time and distance, some images will stay with me forever: Mikako curled up in a fetal position, floating in the beautiful emptiness of space where she can no longer feel the rain, and Noboru sitting alone at the bus station they once sought shelter in together on a rainy day. Of course, it's sunny now. Shinkai knew how to pull at the heartstrings with visual symbolism right from the start.
1. your name. (2016)
There wasn't going to be any surprise as to which film would end up in this top spot. your name. features all of Shinkai's usual strengths – gorgeous visuals, emotional rawness, great musical sensitivity – while simultaneously fine-tuning earlier weak points like character animation and plot construction. From RADWIMPS' perfectly edited insert songs to the intriguing fantastical elements, everything comes together to create a compelling, polished, focused narrative. Still thematically consistent with his body of work, Shinkai takes those all-encompassing feelings of loss and longing that define his stories and allows them to touch the consciousness of an entire nation. your name.'s depiction of loss is more tangible and visceral than Shinkai ever portrayed before, bridging the gap between helpless melancholics and the general public and capturing a worldwide, mainstream audience. It's a blockbuster in the best sense of the word, and it deserves all the praise and success it's gotten.
There wasn't going to be any surprise as to which film would end up in this top spot. your name. features all of Shinkai's usual strengths – gorgeous visuals, emotional rawness, great musical sensitivity – while simultaneously fine-tuning earlier weak points like character animation and plot construction. From RADWIMPS' perfectly edited insert songs to the intriguing fantastical elements, everything comes together to create a compelling, polished, focused narrative. Still thematically consistent with his body of work, Shinkai takes those all-encompassing feelings of loss and longing that define his stories and allows them to touch the consciousness of an entire nation. your name.'s depiction of loss is more tangible and visceral than Shinkai ever portrayed before, bridging the gap between helpless melancholics and the general public and capturing a worldwide, mainstream audience. It's a blockbuster in the best sense of the word, and it deserves all the praise and success it's gotten.
So what do you think of Makoto Shinkai's work? Share your favorites with us in the forums!
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The Place Promised in Our Early Days | |
雲のむこう、約束の場所 (Kumo no Mukō, Yakusoku no Basho) | |
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Genre | Drama, War, Romance, Science Fiction |
Anime film | |
Directed by | Makoto Shinkai |
Produced by | Makoto Shinkai |
Written by | Makoto Shinkai |
Music by | Tenmon |
Studio | CoMix Wave Inc. |
Licensed by | |
Released | 20 November 2004 |
Runtime | 90 minutes |
Novel | |
Written by | Shinta Kanō |
Published by | Enterbrain |
Published | December 26, 2005 |
Manga | |
Written by | Makoto Shinkai |
Illustrated by | Sumomo Yumeka |
Published by | Kodansha |
Demographic | Seinen |
Magazine | Afternoon |
Original run | February 2006 – 25 August 2006 |
Volumes | 1 |
The Place Promised in Our Early Days (Japanese: 雲のむこう、約束の場所, Hepburn: Kumo no Mukō, Yakusoku no Basho, lit. 'Beyond the Clouds, the Promised Place') is a 2004 Japanese animescience fictionwardrama film written, directed, produced, cinematographed, edited, and storyboarded by Makoto Shinkai in his feature film debut. Set over several years in an alternate history where the Soviet Union occupies half of Japan, the film follows two childhood friends who grow apart after one of their friends disappears; as international tension rises and a mysterious tower built by the Union starts replacing matter around it with matter from other universes, they cross paths once again and realize their missing friend might be the key to save the world.
Unlike his short film Voices of a Distant Star, which was largely made by Shinkai on his own, The Place Promised in Our Early Days is a full-scale production, as reflected by the better animation quality and the longer overall length. It has been broadcast across Japan by the anime satellite television network Animax. The film was licensed for North American release by ADV Films.
- 4Music
- 6DVD
- 6.2Collector's edition
Plot[edit]
After the Separation in Japan in 1974 the northern island, Hokkaidō (or Ezo, as it is called in the anime), was occupied by the 'Union' (referring to the Soviet Union). Also in that same year, the Union began the construction of a strange tower on Hokkaido designed by a scientist named Ekusun Tsukinoe. The anime follows the story of three friends living in Aomori, in northern Japan: two boys, Hiroki Fujisawa and Takuya Shirakawa, both child prodigies; and one girl, Sayuri Sawatari. In 1996, the three are in ninth grade, their last year of middle school, and they are fascinated by the Hokkaido Tower visible across the Tsugaru Strait to the north. Sayuri becomes close friends with the two boys.
The boys find a crashed Maritime Self-Defense Forcedrone plane and work on rebuilding the plane with the support of Mr. Okabe, their boss at a military plant. The three teenagers promise to one day fly to Hokkaido to visit the Tower. However, before they can do this, Sayuri mysteriously disappears during the summer.
Three years later, Takuya and Hiroki have stopped working on the plane, having taken different paths after the grief they suffered at Sayuri's disappearance. Takuya is working as a physicist at an Alliance scientific facility sponsored by the United States' National Security Agency, researching parallel universes alongside Ms. Maki Kasahara under the supervision of Professor Tomizawa. They know that the Hokkaido Tower, which began operating in 1996, replaces matter around it with matter from other universes, but they do not yet know why it does this for only a 2-km radius. Takuya becomes involved with the Uilta Liberation Front after he learns that Mr. Okabe is its leader; his factory workers are the other agents of the organization. Okabe signs Takuya on for an excursion to Ezo with Uilta.
Sayuri is revealed to have been hospitalized over the past three years, having developed an extreme form of narcolepsy; she has been sleeping continuously for most of the three years. Her mind is trapped in an unpopulated parallel universe, where she is all alone. Tomizawa has discovered that she is somehow connected to the Union's research into parallel universes and the Hokkaido Tower's ability to change the surrounding land into alternate possibilities, but Tomizawa keeps this information, as well as her whereabouts, secret from Takuya initially. Tomizawa is secretly working with the Uilta Liberation Front and lets Mr. Okabe know about Sayuri, while Mr. Okabe reveals that the Uilta Liberation Front plans to bomb the Hokkaido Tower to incite war against the Union, hoping that this will lead to the reunification of Japan.
Takuya finally learns of the most likely scenario through his coworker – that Sayuri was used by her grandfather, a Union physicist, to channel all of the Tower's unstable dimension-creating energy somewhere other than Earth, the implication of him not having done so likely having resulted in the dimension creating chain reactions around the tower to continue growing in area until it enveloped the whole world. Saddened, he goes back to the old warehouse where he and Hiroki were working on the plane, only to find Hiroki, who wants Takuya to help him complete the plane to save Sayuri. He coldly points a gun at Hiroki and has him choose between Sayuri and the World without waiting for an answer – walking away in pain.
With Okabe's guidance, Takuya locks up his coworker and takes Sayuri away from the NSA compound – Takuya and Hiroki finally come back together to work on the plane. Takuya helps to finish the final programming of the plane, as they plan, using the cover of the soon coming declaration of war against Ezo, to fly to the tower and destroy it before its rays affect everything on Earth, which in turn will save Sayuri.
The plane only seats two, so Takuya allows Hiroki to pilot the plane and fulfill their childhood promise. Hiroki manages to fly the plane across the strait to the Tower carrying Sayuri and a missile provided by the Uilta Liberation Front. When Sayuri finally awakens while the plane circles the Tower, the Tower activates and immediately begins to transform the surrounding area; the area under transformation grows to encompass much of Hokkaido. In the last few minutes of her coma, Sayuri realizes that when she awakes she will lose all her memories of her dreams of the past 3 years, and thus upon waking she weeps because, unknowingly, she lost the memory of her love for Hiroki. Flying back, Hiroki fires the missile, destroying the Tower and stopping the matter transformation. The film ends with Hiroki vowing to Sayuri that they will start their relationship anew.
Cast[edit]
Character | Japanese voice actor | English voice actor |
---|---|---|
Hiroki Fujisawa | Hidetaka Yoshioka | Chris Patton |
Takuya Shirakawa | Masato Hagiwara | Kalob Martinez |
Sayuri Sawatari | Yūka Nanri | Jessica Boone |
Professor Tomizawa | Kazuhiko Inoue | Andy McAvin |
Maki Kasahara | Risa Mizuno | Kira Vincent-Davis |
Okabe | Unshō Ishizuka | John Swasey |
Arisaka | Hidenobu Kiuchi | Illich Guardiola |
Emishi Manufacturing employee | Eiji Takemoto | Adam Jones |
Emishi Manufacturing employee, Hospital Director, Train Announcer | Masami Iwasaki | Andrew Love |
Emishi Manufacturing employee, Graduate Student | Takahiro Hirano | Jacob A.Gragard |
Female student, Nurse, TV Announcer | Maki Saitou | Hilary Haag |
Female student | Yuki Nakao | Mariela Ortiz |
Male student | Kōsuke Kujirai | Matthew Crawford |
Female student, Nurse, Hiroki's girlfriend | Rie Nakagawa | Lesley Tesh |
Patrol Boat Warnings | Hirochika Kamize | N/A |
US Military Officer | Brett Coleman | N/A |
NSA | Ian O'Neal | |
Additional voices | N/A |
|
Allusions[edit]
The film includes several references to other literary works and themes, such as separation and dreams. The poem read by Sayuri in class is Eiketsu no Asa (永訣の朝, Morning of the Last Farewell)[1] from the poem collection Haru to Shura (春と修羅, Spring and Asura) by a well-known Japanese writer Kenji Miyazawa (1896–1933). It was written on the occasion of the premature death of his sister, Toshi Miyazawa (1898–1922). Furthermore, during the summer sequence of the film, Sayuri is seen reading a novel titled 'The Net Involved in a Dream' ('夢網', 'Dream Net') by Morishita Sakae. Although the author is fictional, a book of the same name [2] exists by a similarly named poet, Hoshio Sakae.[3]
A reference to the director's previous work is made when Takuya and Hiroki meet at the station. They see a cat which Takuya calls Chobi, the name of the cat from She and Her Cat.
Music[edit]
Theme song[edit]
Your voice (きみのこえ, Kimi no koe)
- Performed by Ai Kawashima
- Lyrics by Makoto Shinkai
- Music by Tenmon
- Arranged by Tenmon
OST – Beyond the Clouds, the Promised Place[edit]
Track list:
- メインテーマ / Main Theme
- 日常 / Nichijou (Daily)
- 駅 / Eki (Station)
- サユリ / Sayuri
- 二人の計画 / Futari no Keikaku (Plan of the Two)
- もう一つの夢 / Mou Hitotsu no Yume (One More Dream)
- 希望と憧れ / Kibou to Akogare (Hope and Aspiration)
- 遠い約束 / Tooi Yakusoku (Distant Promise)
- サユリの旋律 / Sayuri no Senritsu (Sayuri's Melody)
- 兆候 / Choukou (Omen)
- 無垢 / Muku (Purity)
- 夏の終わり / Natsu no Owari (The End of Summer)
- 探求 / Tankyuu (Quest)
- 世界の見る夢 / Sekai no Miru Yume (Dream of the World)
- 誰もいない場所 / Dare mo Inai Basho (Deserted Place)
- 孤独 / Kodoku (Solitude)
- 襲撃〜眠り姫 / Shuugeki ~ Nemuri Hime (Attack ~ Sleeping Princess)
- ひとときの再会 / Hitotoki no Saikai (A Time of Reunion)
- 永遠の夏 / Eien no Natsu (Eternal Summer)
- 二人の葛藤 / Futari no Kattou (Conflict of the Two)
- サユリの世界 / Sayuri no Sekai (Sayuri's World)
- タクヤの決意 / Takuya no Ketsui (Takuya's Determination)
- ヒロキの旋律 / Hiroki no Senritsu (Hiroki's Melody)
- 開戦〜ヴェラシーラ / Kaisen ~ Velaciela (The Battle Begins ~ Velaciela)
- 雲のむこう、約束の場所 / Kumo no Mukou, Yakusoku no Basho (Beyond the Clouds, the Promised Place)
- きみのこえ / Kimi no Koe (Your Voice)
- パイロット版「雲のむこう、約束の場所」 / Pilot-ban 'Kumo no Mukou, Yakusoku no Basho' (Pilot Edition 'Beyond the Clouds, the Promised Place')
Awards[edit]
- Special Distinction (Feature Film category) – Seoul Comics and Animation Festival 2005
- Silver Prize on Best Animated Film Section (by audience choice) of Public Prize – Canada Fantasia Film Festival
- Award for Art in Seiun Award – 44th Japanese SF Convention
- Best Animated Film – Mainichi Film Awards 2004
- Award for Expression Technique (for Trailer #1) – Tokyo International Anime Fair 2003[4]
DVD[edit]
Regular release[edit]
- The Place Promised in Our Early Days (90 Minutes)
- 3 Video Interviews with Japanese Cast
- Original Japanese Trailer Collection
Collector's edition[edit]
Disc 1 (DVD)[edit]
- The Place Promised in Our Early Days (90 Minutes)
- 3 Video Interviews with Japanese Cast
- Original Japanese Trailer Collection
Disc 2 (DVD)[edit]
- The Place Promised in Our Early Days (Animated Storyboards, 90 Minutes)
- Interview with Makoto Shinkai
- Animated Gallery 2002 — 2004
Disc 3 (CDROM)[edit]
- 35 Still Images
- Sheet Music
Book[edit]
- The Place Promised in Our Early Days (Storyboards, 360 pages)
Manga[edit]
The Place Promised in Our Early Days was also serialized as a manga in Afternoon. Serialization began in February 2006 and ended in August 2006, with a total of eight chapters. The story is by Makoto Shinkai while the art is by Mizu Sahara.
Stage adaption[edit]
The film was adapted into a stage play directed by Yuko Naito. The stage adaptation's script is written by Shigeki Motoiki and the music by Masato Komata. It had 7 performances from April 20 - April 24, 2018, at the Tokyo International Forum Hall C venue in Tokyo and 2 performances on May 02, 2018, at the NHK Osaka Hall venue in Osaka.
The cast includes Yudai Tatsumi, Shô Takada, Momoka Ito, Kazuyuki Matsuzawa, Wataru Kozuki, Atsuko Asano, and others.[5]
References[edit]
- ^'Miyazawa Kenji's 'Eiketsu no Asa''. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
- ^夢網. honto. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
- ^ja:ほしおさなえ
- ^'楽天が運営するポータルサイト : 【インフォシーク】Infoseek'. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
- ^Stage Play Adapts Makoto Shinkai's 'The Place Promised in Our Early Days'
External links[edit]
- The Place Promised in Our Early Days on IMDb
- The Place Promised in Our Early Days (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
- The Place Promised in Our Early Days at Rotten Tomatoes
- The Place Promised in Our Early Days Review at Anime+ Podcast
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