Kumo no mukô, yakusoku no basho (2004) Reviews

• A film from which i didn't expect much but that impressed me

  ljl162005-03-20

  "Kumo no mukô, yakusoku no basho". I saw it without knowing much about the plot and it pleased me a lot. The film tells a story of fiction of three friends and of how time changes them. It is very interesting how many Japanese films (not only anime) represent in a much more realistic way how human relationships are. And this is what happens with this film: although the story is fictive, the relationships are like real ones are. This film is art. It is fantastic how the characters are drew. The ambient that you smell from the first image, the music... everything. At the end, I felt something that I've only felt very few times: it was satisfaction. I felt satisfied although I didn't comprehend the plot completely. And that feeling, that from the very first moment invades you is unpayable. I recommend it to you and... enjoy ;). I'm sure that although I don't write in English very well, and this comment didn't impressed you much, you will like this film.

  More

• Beautiful

  StarAxis2005-06-08

  This is an anime movie done by a relative newcomer to films: Makoto Shinkai, whose only previous directorial work was a half-hour short called "Voices of a Distant Star," in which he did all the animation himself on one laptop (even for Japan, a nation of workaholics, that was unheard of). It made him so famous that they gave him a full studio to work with for his next project, and when Makoto Shinkai doesn't have the constraints that a solo project would bring, look out. The style of the film and its sci-fi and fantasy themes is equal parts steampunk and cyberpunk, with the film taking place in an alternate timeline of post-war Japan, only a few years from now. The main differences are the division between the North and South sides of Japan, and the research into parallel universes that has sprung up, resulting in the construction of a massive tower in Ezo (Hokkaido), which understandably captures the imagination and curiosity of the surrounding world. Though the film is ostensibly a science fiction work, the plot involving a tower and alternate realities and so on plays second fiddle to the romantic drama, about three high school kids torn apart by war. The emotions blend with the fantasy elemts in a way that is handled with incredible elegance, care and sensitivity, and Makoto Shinkai's trademark poetic touch. But what is more impressive is how the film shows that drama can be achieved through implausible situations. You see, too many directors think that in order to make a film "dramatic" and "touching," it must be about REALISTIC people in a REALISTIC setting having REALISTIC problems with REALISTIC resolutions, but Makoto Shinkai realizes a way around that, and uses a science fiction element not as a platform for action sequences, but rather as a way to achieve a kind of drama that you really couldn't get in a film that takes place in the "real world." The film is aware that the sci-fi is playing second fiddle to the character drama, and doesn't waste any more time than it needs to trying to explain the film's bizarre sciences or justify the contrivances, rather leaving it up to the viewer to interpret and decipher what the fantasies of the film mean or symbolize. In other words, Shinkai wisely avoids the deathtrap of "Movie Science," and instead allows the audience to take things as they come and explain them ourselves. The part about two teenagers building a plane that could get past a government-built radar system does seem a bit incredible, but this film does reflect on the incompetence of governments and how easy it is to get past them, so the required suspension of disbelief isn't really that big (I wish I found it hard to believe that a couple of teenagers could get past a bureaucratic governmental system in this day and age at all). Also, the brief violence and "thrilling" assault on the tower are treated with perfect sincerity. The brief fight scenes are breathtaking in their realism and how they show that when someone gets punched, they get hurt. There are no legendary martial arts techniques or complex laser-rifle technology here, this film is about how people feel about each other and what they do when they are in trouble. The ending is slightly abrupt and somewhat open-ended (although it is happy), but that is a theme in many anime. A lot is left up to the audience's interpretation and imagination, and the film only answers the questions that really matter.

  More

• Makoto Shinkai creates another beautiful film

  gershwin9212005-03-20

  After seeing Voices of a Distant Star, I eagerly awaited Makoto Shinkai's next work. This movie exceeded my expectations. It is as visually captivating as Voices, contains beautiful music, and is longer and more complex. The plot (which twists and turns considerably) follows three high school kids through a period of war. There is a giant tower visible from where they live, a huge white structure that reaches up through the clouds. They all long to go to the tower one day. Over several years, they build a plane to fly to the tower, but certain complications prevent them from making their flight. The plot becomes slightly confusing in the middle, as it involves talk of parallel universes. But the movie ends triumphantly, with the three friends, separated for years, meeting again to fly to the tower. But, for reasons I will not reveal, their flight will have a deeper impact than they thought. Overall, the movie is beautiful. It is a joy to look at. Every scene, from the lighting to the vivid colors, captures a certain place and mood perfectly. The animation alternates between standard anime and fluid, computer-generated eye candy. At times the film feels like a play, with characters delivering heartfelt soliloquies that evoke feelings of loneliness and sorrow. Many of the emotions in Voices of a Distant Star are carried over to The Place Promised to Us In Our Early Days. But here, with many characters and a longer, more involved plot, the emotions resonate more deeply. Though Makoto Shinkai's style is different from most of today's anime directors, the quality of his work is comparable to Hayao Miyazaki.

  More

• A pure and beautiful work

  novaj52006-09-15

  Makoto Shinkai came back. And this time he is not alone. 'The Place Promised in Our Early Days' is a pure and beautiful piece of work. This has probably the most beautiful visuals of all animations that I've seen ('Please Save My Earth' and some others are also beautiful but they all have different characteristics, I must say). Pictures themselves are beautiful, and it is no wonder how people call him the 'magician of light'. My overall impression of this anime is that it's like a poet but with Sci-Fi to match with it. 'Voices of a Distant Star (Hoshi no koe)' was quite boring for me honestly. But with a similar structure and image, 'The Place...' seems to deliver much better what Makoto Shinkai wanted to deliver, even though its story is slightly loose here and there. I do think, however, that it is 'too' consistent throughout - from Makoto Shinkai's authentic poetic and solitary, pure atmosphere to its story/drama, visuals (e.g. lighting), music etc (I must say that sound aspects outside music is not very well done but let's put that aside), pretty much everything. This strengthens the sense of purity this anime represents, but I really think it would be better to have more 'bandwidth' to it, so it can have more dynamics and life in it. It is great how Makoto Shinkai pulled it off gracefully knitted altogether, though. I'd say that 'The Place...' stands on its very own ground, really. I think it is something that's quite different to all the rest, and don't really think it's appropriate to judge this by typical standards. To hold it together for a much longer period of time, and to do it well, he has effectively implied editing (if I could say that) and careful laying out of the story. But the biggest difference I witnessed from 'The Place...' was how Makoto Shinkai has casted much more characters than before - though characters lack in variety as well. This enriches the story as well as adding complexity and depth to it so you don't get bored out easily. But after all, it is superb how well Makoto Shinkai has put the whole thing together so well. I was very fascinated and captured while I was watching it - which didn't happen for quite some time. I think this is one piece of work that overwhelms viewers by its beauty and sense of purity. P.S. Although I can understand how some animatings are not up to the feature animation quality, I personally think it'd be better for Makoto Shinkai to get somebody good to retouch on his characters' faces.

  More

• awful

  frankbald2015-03-13

  I gave 4 stars just for the art and the music, but I really got bored a lot watching this, the story makes no sense, it's all so dreamy, so epic, the author wants you to deeply feel all this emotions but to me the result it's an hollow movie with hollow character. I've never fallen asleep watching something, but with this I barely succeeded to end it. I definitively suggest not to watch it, there are so many other beautiful anime to see out there. One thing I've enjoyed is the artwork, the landscapes are really intense and make you dream, but also there sometimes there is too much over production, too many light effects, it seems like a punch in the eye. And I hate when authors use science fiction in this way, by throwing here and there some gibberish theory and then making a mess with a convoluted plot, so that people at the end can say that it leave you with the freedom to interpret it, I find this technique over abused lately, and by the way I've never seen using it so badly like in this case

  More