Asatte no Houkou. (Living for the Day After Tomorrow)

About to enter junior high school, Karada Iokawa is a cheerful and reliable girl, who hates being treated as a child more than anything. After her parents' deaths, her older brother, Hiro, comes back from studying abroad to take care of her. His ex-girlfriend Shouko Nogami, a composed yet sometimes childish and stubborn young woman, follows him to Japan in order to find out why he left her. Between the two girls, the atmosphere is tense, which eventually leads to Shouko calling Karada childish.

Later, Karada stands before a shrine praying to grow up. Little does she know that the shrine wishing stone would grant her wish. As Karada grows older, at the same time, Shouko, who happens to be nearby, finds herself a child once again. With their ages now reversed, Shouko and Karada must come to terms with one another and ultimately themselves.

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Asatte no Houkou.

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Characters & Voice Actors

Nogami, Shouko

Main

Itou, Shizuka
Japanese

Iokawa, Hiro

Main

Hino, Satoshi
Japanese

Iokawa, Karada

Main

Fujimura, Ayumi
Japanese

Amino, Tetsumasa

Supporting

Nomura, Katsuhito
Japanese

Shiozaki, Kotomi

Supporting

Koshimizu, Ami
Japanese

Isogai, Tadashi

Supporting

Suzuki, Takuma
Japanese

Okudera, Masao

Supporting

Saizen, Tadahisa
Japanese

Yoshimura, Takumi

Supporting

Domon, Jin
Japanese

Amino, Harue

Supporting

Oda, Fumi
Japanese

Amino, Touko

Supporting

Watanabe, Akeno
Japanese

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Staff

Kananiwa, Kozue

Producer

Matsukura, Yuuji

Producer

Ookawara, Takeshi

Producer

Sakurabi, Katsushi

Director

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Opening Theme

"Hikari no Kisetsu (光の季節)" by Suara

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Ending Theme

"Sweet Home Song" by Yuumao

Reviews

Jul 27, 2017

Hikiku11

Recommended

Iokawa Karada, a young girl, wishes upon a wishing stone to be an adult right away. She gets her wish but Nogami Shouko, a friend of her brother Hiro, turns from an adult into a young girl.

Despite seeming bland or dull, it is not at like that at all. There were a few small plot twists and quite a handful of light-hearted moments. I also saw some meaning and character development in the show, which I feel had important messages for us as we go through our human lives. How the characters resolved conflict imo was quite constructive, which I feel was one thing we ...

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Nov 30, 2016

syncrogazer

Recommended

This is not only a review but also a plea for more people to watch this with an open mind. For all the crying about 'melodrama', here we have drama done right and it's likely been forgotten by most (fuck you).

Say what you will about the plot, the execution is tasteful with a mature sensibility. The pacing is slow and moves naturally, which makes for a relaxing watch. The pace also supplements the drama, creating tension as we wait for the characters to react to what happens around them. These characters don't start off as complete systems, but as fragmented individuals that we ... learn about over the run-time of the anime and through their actions on-screen. As such, their reactions to events are unpredictable and realistic. You begin to care about these characters, not because the writers want us to, but because they naturally attract our sympathy by acting so natural. The events themselves aren't soul-shattering, in fact despite the supernatural aspect, the problems the characters face are pretty mundane. This makes what happens believable and perhaps, even relatable. Don't expect to see any shouting matches or tense stand-offs because the emotional action is really subdued. This doesn't allow for any annoyances to spring up (like a character making a ridiculous leap in logic and running away in tears). There is running away but it happens so fast that it's not cheesy and doesn't feel unnecessary. The story flows so naturally that it seems as if the writers lost control at some point, and the characters are moving things of their own momentum.

Emotions and character motivations (even if they may be shallow) are revealed to us in subtle hints such as body language. (AN AUDIOVISUAL MEDIUM LIKE ANIME ISN’T SUPPOSED TO SHOW US ANYTHING GUYS!) There is no need for stream-of-consciousness-esque voice-overs, and a 'you just saw this three seconds ago' flashback is actually utilized effectively. Expect some melancholic out-loud to oneself one-liners (they're actually good). Any good script would be made better with 10% of the dialogue removed. This one only needs a couple of lines trimmed here and there. If the writing is bad, it is obscured by the execution and direction. So, even when something a little too coincidental happens, you don't feel like yelling at the screen because it's actually unexpected. The ending is inoffensive, so no worries there.

The director would go on to do Flying Witch, makes sense. For the people who wanted this to be a comedy (fuck you).

Art: I'm a huge softy for sketchbook-esque backgrounds, so I'm pretty happy.

Characters: It's not my fault adult-Karada is really hot. Loli-Shouko is cute too. It's interesting to note how when the characters change their appearances it seems to us that their personalities change as well. However, looking back, this actually isn't the case. Whether purposefully done or not, this anime makes you realize how susceptible you are to appearances. No character really stands out, but that may be because they aren't operating on gimmicks. As the characters progress through the series little milestones are made with one another, important experiences that grow their relationships. Don't expect these to be spelled out for you, because you might miss them. Perhaps the most subtle character development I've ever seen.

In short this a subtle, comfy drama, with a little bit of romance elements, that will completely assimilate you for 12 episodes. In terms of direction, pacing and mood this is really above-average. Made so well, that I feel that even people who could care less about age-switching magic (like me) can get a lot out of this. If all anme was approached in this way my mean score would be a lot higher.

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May 16, 2015

vegetablespirit

Mixed Feelings

This is a story of amends and of redemption. It is a tribute to the age-old aphorism, "Maturity comes with experience, not age." But most importantly, Asatte no Houkou shows that you can craft an alright drama with any trope, even the most tired or comedic.

Such are the main merits of an anime with a ridiculous premise. In this case, our protagonist, Karada, is a 12 year old girl who is insecure about her young age. Tiny and always feeling left out, she makes a wish in frustration to a local altar—a wish to become an adult. To her dismay, this rash wish is ... mysteriously granted, swapping Karada's age with that of her older brother's ex-girlfriend, Shouko, and vice versa. The problem? Karada and Shouko loathe each other, yet they're left to work together in secrecy. Or so it goes for a little while.

Here is where execution saves the day. The story, not once played for laughs or thrills, takes itself completely seriously. Unlike a lot of similar dramas, this focuses on how the supernatural element affects every character's life in one way or another, no matter how minor. It follows the reparation and strengthening of these interpersonal relationships throughout this group of friends, and in that sense, its small scale is a double-edged sword. It provides enough for character development, but limits the scope of a potentially vast story. This all roughly balances out in the end, but it's still very disappointing to think of what it could have been.

Meanwhile, Karada has to focus on what being an adult really entails, whether it's through buying new clothes or finding a job, and Shouko needs to outgrow her apathetic tendencies. The scenes detailing these conflicts are some of the best the storyline has to offer, giving a great insight into what each character is struggling with the most. There is a strange sense of terror that comes with either of the two being put in danger, and that privilege isn't abused; since it's only invoked a couple of times, it manages to stay fresh and intimidating without becoming contrived, although Karada's thou-must-cry backstory cuts it close.

Audiovisually, it's as conflicted as the story. While the art is soft and somewhat refreshing, it's awfully plain (albeit acceptable) overall. The animation itself is a little more mediocre, with mouths refusing to move in some scenes, and shading done almost haphazardly. Thankfully, it's all redeemed by some of the best audial presentation I've experienced in the medium. Aside from dialogue cutting through, it is almost like an ambient soundscape at times. There are layers upon layers of unobtrusive sound effects, accompanied by the occasional acoustic music when necessary. Never too much or annoying, it balances this harmony of atmosphere and song flawlessly, and definitely knows when to be quiet. My only gripe was that I could fall asleep to it.

Even though Asatte no Houkou is by no means the greatest anime you'll ever see, it is definitely a one-of-a-kind experience. Or an inconsistent treat, if that's more up your alley. Memorable for the fact that none of it takes place in a school or on a battleground, but memorable nonetheless. It's cute at its worst and compelling at its best, so what's there to lose—a few years?

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Poll: Asatte no Houkou Episode 12 Discussion kisami - Jan 19, 2009	29 replies	by White_Alice »» Jun 10, 2023 12:07 PM
Poll: Asatte no Houkou Episode 8 Discussion VARIAchan - Mar 25, 2010	9 replies	by White_Alice »» Jun 10, 2023 12:06 PM
Poll: Asatte no Houkou Episode 5 Discussion VARIAchan - Mar 25, 2010	3 replies	by White_Alice »» Jun 10, 2023 12:02 PM
Poll: Asatte no Houkou Episode 4 Discussion VARIAchan - Mar 25, 2010	4 replies	by White_Alice »» Jun 10, 2023 12:01 PM
Poll: Asatte no Houkou Episode 3 Discussion jacobpaige - May 19, 2009	5 replies	by White_Alice »» Jun 10, 2023 11:59 AM

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Iokawa, Hiro

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Amino, Tetsumasa

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Okudera, Masao

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