The Place Promised in Our Early Days
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| This was a great movie. The beginning felt a bit slow to me but it was essential to flesh out the characters, and I'm glad it did. The romance aspect was pretty good too, just like Voices of a Distant Star. Now I need to watch 5 Centimetres per Second. |
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| I really enjoyed this... Just like every work from Shinkai-san D: loved the "bye bye tower ~BOOM~" scene in the ending lol after everything he did, it's hard to think he would let her go again... whatever, this just reminds me of The Inception *-* Edit: Now I'm thinking it realy had a sad ending (considering their love and they ending up together as a couple). Hiroki saved her indeed and brought her back from her coma, but now that I was rewatching I have to agree with you. I just noticed something... When Hiroki goes to the hospital and meets with Sayuri's "projection" from the other universe (or whatever) there is this conversation and he says: "I won't give up anymore on anything. I'll protect you forever, I promise" and she answers: "Yes, it's a promise" But when it comes back to him in the hospital (after the lab cutscene) the narrator in the present (which is telling the whole story) says: "it may have been just a dream, but even so. the places where sayuri brushed my skin remained warm. On that distant day, we made a promise that we couldn't keep" And this would lead to the first scene when he's an adult already and is sad because he let her go (AGAIN). What could prove it: You can't see the tower anywhere. EVEN SO, I find it hard to believe they didn't end up together. Specially after the last scene. That's why I want to believe that the Hiroki narrating the story wasn't the one from the "present". The present one would be that in the plane flying back home...that first scene might have been a dream he had while sleeping in the station, and took place somewhen after he moves to Tokyo. DAMN. 5cm/s was easier to understand. |
xbobxNov 16, 2012 8:20 AM
| That was a really amazing movie. I liked the art, especially individual scenes, as well as the complex story. However, the complex story was a little hard to understand and I don't even know if I fully understand it after finishing it just a few moments ago. Other than that, though, the ending was really nice, a great way to end it. But yeah, I'm not sure I understand it fully. It doesn't help that I was really tired and so closed my eyes for moments at a time and wasn't really thinking straight. But, I still really liked it, the art was what really stood out. 4.5/5. |
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| I don't know what I expected, but what I do know is that I expected something different. The whole war theme didn't quite grasp me... I also don't really think the movie would've been a whole lot different if they didn't have the war bit in it. But oh well, it was nice to watch for once. The atmosphere was good and I love the movie's art and sound. |
| This was fucking brilliant. And for me it wasn't just the great art/music/symbolism. It was the nostalgiac feeling of seeing your dream in reach but not quite being able to grasp it just yet. And the setting, in reality and in Sayuri's dreamstate, were just perfect for me. |
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| Mixed feelings. It was good, but it also had a strong element of isolation to it. It seemed that the story took place in a universe with no context or background, it simply was. And while, that worked in 5cm/s, it didn't work as well here. The bonds over time weren't as clear, and thus, weren't as touching. The story was also a little confusing, and the ending wasn't a terribly good one, imo. Still, it was quite good. It was a very interesting way of how two people who loved each other, constrained by time and the very fabric of reality itself, were able to connect and overcome the ties that bound them to their separate dreams of loneliness. 7/10. |
| Lemme smang it girl. |
| Initially it was kind of confusing (the whole Union, Ezo thing) but it got better towards the end. Similarly, the beginning was alright, but it got more interesting and intense afterwards. The idea itself is very interesting, the parallel worlds and all. The feeling that I have during and after watching this movie is similar to that of 5 cm per second, not surprising seeing how it's done by the same person. The cinematics and the art of this movie is absolutely stunning, and the music beautifully complements the atmosphere of the scene. |
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| This was... confusing. I still cannot really put all the pieces together. But at the same time, I don't feel like it's necessary. This was more of an... experience, if anything and the wonderful music enhanched that a lot. Some parts did grate me a little, though... the characters were bit weird (the gun scene, the boss becoming a terrorist) and the hospital scene didn't really work for me... It's hard to explain. But this movie got to me somehow. I will remember this one for a long time. |
I have my own anime blog. It's called Anime Viking. Hope you'll you read it! |
| I am really relieved by that ending. I was crying for like, half the movie, and I was worried that there was going to be a super-sad ending. It actually is kind of a reverse "Girl Who Leapt Through Time" situation. |
| Let this be our little secret, no needs to know we're feeling HIGHER AND HIGHER AND HIGHER! |
| I have mixed feelings... I like the art, music, some stuff about the plot, the setting, atmosphere and climaxes... But it was too slow paced for my liking, the characters were dull and the ending left me unsettled. However, it definitely inspired me to write something a bit more realistic and easier to understand with similar aspects such as terrorism, sci-fi and war. So yeah I liked the story! 7/10 |
| this movie reminder for 5cm persnd.. but here was happy ending. solid 9/10 |
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| Beautiful and good movie, but not an excellent one ~ 8/10 |
| If someone could explain the ending that would be great. |
| Kinda turned off by the pseudo science and the whole (Soviet lol) Union vs US war. The latter was probably the most unnecessary. It was a pretty simple story and had a very chill atmosphere, which I liked. Despite the pseudo science, the dream state fit pretty well with the atmosphere of the movie. The animation was fantastic. Still the movie seemed like it lacked a little something. Overall the movie wasn't great but it was pretty good. 8/10 |
zzzeallyMar 1, 2014 1:27 AM
| Wow. Finally got around to watching this. Shinkai's new commercial/short Cross Roads sparked me into watching another one of his works. Enjoy all his works, this included. That said, it doesn't top Byousoku 5 Centimeter which still resonates very strongly with me. His stories of love across different boundaries are captivating and unique in how they are strong together into a complete work. 8/10 for this one. It was wonderful but felt a little disjointed. +1 for happy end. |
| Shinkai Makoto never seems to work for me.. so far. I haven't seen his more popular works like 5cm/s.. Another thing, Shinkai's style feels so similar in all the films I have seen made by him, that you could tell it's made by him without searching it up, just like Shinbou. it's somewhat tiring RidersInThe-Sky said: Coming off of this, I really have to wonder whether or not Shinkai has a grasp on how to tell a story. Pretty much. |
| Honobono Log - best slice of life short -------------------------------------------- most kawaii loli overlord ---------------------------- Donquixote Doflamingo AMV - Control |
| This movie was really something special. Although it's not in the same level as 5cm/s but very nearly it. The story is written masterfully, so unique with deep meaning and plenty of symbols, as typical for Shinkai works. Will re-watch soon to make all things clear. |
TapuTapuuApr 30, 2015 1:23 PM
| I would say that it's a must watch movie "If you're a fan of Makoto's works' but he did it much better with Hoshi no Koe and 5 centimeters per second. |
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| Just finished the movie and well...it was so-so. I felt it was lacking in some areas and with its plot & ending, this was rather lackluster. BUT HEY the "beauty is in the eye of the beholder"...right? 7/10 |
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| Finally watched this and whoah. That was deep and melodramatic. Beautiful in a sense that it was not as simple as how I thought the story would be, but there were parts that confused me that I had to stop and ponder on it. That's not a bad thing, though, just shows how clever this is. :) 8/10 for me. |
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| I liked most things about this movie. Especially the art/animation and music. The story was nice for the most part, as well as the characters. But... not overly so. And for that reason I can't really give it more than a 7 or an 8. The ending was really good and fitting though in my opinion. |
HarlequinaAug 29, 2014 11:18 AM
| Best thing about this movie is the title,it sounds so beautiful. The movie in itself was okay,but nothing amazing.My least favourite Shinkai work so far. |
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| I actually can't decide if this movie was terrible or great. |
| Definitely not bad, but not that groundbreaking either. It's like the movie is forcing to tug your heartstrings, and you know it is, but you still get tugged anyway. The climax definitely made up for the somehow confusing story - everything seems to just fall into place. The sceneries are truly breathtaking, it enhances the mellow atmosphere well. I find the characters kinda lacking honestly... Well, off to 5cm/sec. |
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| This was 2deep4me 7/10 |
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| Makoto Shinkai, what are you trying to tell us? I don't get the parallel-world-universe-dreaming-thingy, guessed I'm not the only one. love the OST tho |
マジ  殴り |
| Didn't like the bajillion fade to black screens, kind of made the film feel choppy. The story was alright, characters were alright, everything was alright for a movie that's meant to touch your heart with a very basic love story. Symbolism runs rampant throughout the movie, reminded me a lot of 5cm, which I still like more than this one. Art is very beautiful and the soundtrack was okay in adding emotion to various scenes. I feel like this could have been made into a 12 episode show to allow us to explore the whole parallel world thing and maybe get a little bit more content with on the Seperation. Decent movie overall but nothing too special. Sayuri is kawaii. That is all. |
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sunshinesan said: a complete waste of my time. |
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| i dont understand something here. how is sayuri related to the tower? and wtf is universe dreaming?? |
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| I dunno what to think of this movie.. It was boring yet it was not.. And I didnt get the deep meaning behind it all |
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| the movie was nice however I thought that the parallel world crap was unnecessary.... but on a side note I love happy endings |
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| Leave it to Shinkai to dramatize parallel universes to this extent. Pretty unamusing for the most part. To be fair, this film is quite ambitious as it juggles many themes and plot points with the intentions of formulating a "perfect" narrative; it wanted to have everything, appealing to everyone. As a result it explores nothing (on a "deep" level, at least). It looks nice, though, and I did enjoy the first act and their attempt to delve into parallel worlds and such, as I'm fascinated with those subjects. It all just seems so trite for me, personally. Everyone's motivations in this movie are so righteous and far-fetched it hurts. Shinkai has had this issue in a lot of his work, which is a shame because I like him as a director. He's certainly improved with this over the years, as The Garden of Words is subtle yet phenomenal. I'm honestly devoid of anything to say with this movie, it was mostly a blur even after 10 minutes of watching the thing. Nothing felt urgent, and I didn't really care for the characters, either. Psychedelios said: i dont understand something here. how is sayuri related to the tower? and wtf is universe dreaming?? Sayuri's grandfather was part of the creation/founding of the tower. As for the "universe dreaming", the researchers in the movie suggested there is a vague connection between parallel universes and a person's dreams. According to this movie- and my interpretation-, dreams occur in an unconscious state of mind when the dreamer is "psychologically" able to connect with alternate timelines or simply possibilities from other versions of the world. This explanation in the film is embellished with stupid amounts of science jargon, since they are "researchers" after all, and their words have to complement their lab attire. It's best not to over-analyse it, most of the ideas were implausible anyways. Chloe-tsundere said: I dunno what to think of this movie.. It was boring yet it was not.. And I didnt get the deep meaning behind it all There is none, don't worry. |
KatoBytesSep 10, 2016 2:17 PM
| Why do people have such bad taste? Anime isn't subjective anymore. |
| How I wish they just stick to the romance and promise place story. Not with those war or sci-fi etc. 5cm/sec is still superior IMO. |
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| Complete waste of my time. As Digibro said, "This movie is fucking boring!" The character designs are uninspired and the only mildly interesting part was the last 30 minutes. |
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| Pretty solid little movie. Interesting to see the seeds of what Makoto Shinkai would become. I think I liked it more than 5 Cmm. It was a little more ambitious and the ending was still rushed (Common Shinkai problem) but it was more effective to me. All the flying machine stuff and the big finale reminded me a lot of Miyazaki. The stuff in the sketchy sci-fi lab honestly reminded me of Eva. And it was cool seeing a lot of visual and narrative elements here Shinkai would return to again and again in coming films. I give it a solid 8/10. Its plot was a little muddled. But it had solid characters and the ability to be really emotionally resonant. And as always gorgeous animation. |
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| I love it. That's all, I think. The movie really sucks me in. |
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| Well considering this was one of the earliest works of our master Makoto Shinkai it's acceptable it really had some impact in some scenes but not as 5CM and Your Name still enjoyable 7/10 |
| A pretty slow and edgy movie, but it wasn't too bad |
| “I love heroes, but I don't want to be one. Do you even know what a hero is!? For example, you have some meat. Pirates will feast on the meat, but the hero will distribute it among the people! I want to eat the meat!” - Monkey D. Luffy |
| I found it to be interesting, but slow/boring. 5/10 (average) It wasn't heartbreaking / romantic / exciting enough for a higher score. |
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| Is the end depressing? Something like clannad or is the end not satisfying? Please help |
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| OK so like, normally I'm a fan of slow, character-driven movies. Except even this was hard for me to watch. It just didn't capture my interest much. What bugged me the most was the terrible plot honestly. I was so confused at how Takuya went back to help Hiroki after they fought in the middle part?! Not to mention how the entire point was that if Sayuri woke up the world would be destroyed by the parallel universe ... AND THEN SHE WOKE UP AND LITERALLY NOTHING HAPPENED?!?!?! Also his seat in the plane freaking disappeared? THAT SHOEHORNED IN ROMANCE??? God ... probably the worst out of his movies I've seen yet >_< For the whole "sci fi" bit not following your internal logic is just the key to failure ... yikes. Not to mention how they don't even really address a lot of the background stuff going on ... really felt like just an afterthought :( Overall what I would say is a key part of Shinkai's works is "style over substance" ... and in this case not even that stylish. Art wasn't that great, but at least the music was fine. The characters were for the most part pretty bland (I liked Takuya the best because he actually DID SOMETHING), but the plot made no sense ... and broke all the rules it set for itself. Not to mention that terrible "romance" ... the ending really made me think "WTF" and drop this down a point, and honestly, I just wasn't really enjoying this much. I feel like I wouldn't call this a BAD show and I could see how someone might possibly enjoy this, but it certainly wasn't any good either. 5/10 ALSO is it just me or do all of Shinkai's protags and love interests look the exact same?!??! I swear he hasn't gotten over his first crush/breakup or something LOL |
| Anybody know if Makoto Shinkai is hiring an editor? Because I'd love to be his editor. It's almost eerie how little his films have changed over the years. Same strengths, same weaknesses, even similar themes for the most part. The parallels between Kumo no Mukou and Kimi no Na Wa are incredibly obvious. And really, there's a lot of very interesting ideas there. Somehow he just never manages to explore them to their fullest potential. Kumo no Mukou is both hyper-realistic and fantastical to the point of being surreal. Given the subject matter, it feels like a morbidly fascinating nightmare of sorts. I love how the premise of kids building an airplane to fulfill their dream of visiting an untouchable landmark on the horizon turns into a war story of how their very invention was used to destroy that very landmark. I love how Sayuri is a violinist and how this prompts Hiroki to learn violin after she falls unconscious. I love how her family history is somehow tied to her condition and the tower. I love the parallel universe plot, and Takuya and Hiroki being in conflict even as they work towards the same goals. This is a fantastic mix of elements. It just... doesn't amount to anything. The discovery of parallel universes seemingly has little impact on the world aside from one character claiming it will change everything. What these parallel universes actually hold is never shown in any meaningful way. The mounting war has no face but a few mounted cannons and fighter jets. Sayuri's family history and why it matters is never explained. The violin, arguably a symbol of the entire film, barely makes an appearance, and never in the way the poster art so wonderfully depicts. Even with the film's relatively short runtime, it wouldn't have to be this way. In the right hands, Shinkai's stories could be true classics. Instead, we're left with films which, like this one, are poorly-paced, often disjointed, lacking resolution... and yet, still beautiful enough to leave you feeling like you've experienced something special. |
EvianBubble said: I was so confused at how Takuya went back to help Hiroki after they fought in the middle part?! Not to mention how the entire point was that if Sayuri woke up the world would be destroyed by the parallel universe ... AND THEN SHE WOKE UP AND LITERALLY NOTHING HAPPENED?!?!?! Also his seat in the plane freaking disappeared? I feel like I wouldn't call this a BAD show and I could see how someone might possibly enjoy this, but it certainly wasn't any good either. 5/10 Thank you! These are exactly the points I wanted to bring up. Are we missing something? Why didn't the world destruct? Takuya's sudden change of heart with no explanation... 6/10 for me because I enjoyed it enough that my mind only wandered occasionally. Well done to 16 year olds for building a plane by the way. |
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