Now and Then, Here and There

Now and Then, Here and There

Created by Akitaro Daichi

Character Designs by Atsushi Ohizumi and Rie Nishino

Licensed by Central Park Media

This is a series that shows a sometimes brutal look into how war affects people and how innocence is lost.

Shuzo Matsutani, or just Shu to his friends, is a typical carefree type of guy.  He may be dense, and he might rush into situations without thinking, and he’s not that great of a kendo student, but he’s kind and good natured.

One day, after kendo practice, he was walking home by a group of smokestacks that he always does.  He noticed that there was a girl on top, looking at the sunset.  Curious, he climbed up to talk to her, where he found out her name was Lala-ru.  Shortly after, these robotic snake-like creatures appear out of nowhere to abduct Lala-ru.  She begs Shu to help her, and without thinking, he rushes in to save her.  But, in the end, the ‘robots’ take off with her and with Shu in tow.  They end up in a parallel universe of sorts where the earth is covered in desert, and water is in short supply.  And the key to acquiring water is in Lala-ru, and her pendant she wears.

Seeing that Shu is an outsider, he is quickly taken prisoner inside a fortress, led by King Hamdo, a guy who is definitely a few bricks shy of a building.  Shu must find a way to escape, save Lala-ru, and find a way home.  But it won’t be easy.  Shu will find friends, but he will experience first hand the terrors of war.

This is a wonderful series from Akitaro Daichi, who is probably best known for works such as Jubei-chan the Ninja Girl, Elf Princess Rane, and Kodocha (Child’s Toy).  However, unlike those light-hearted series, Now and Then… is a dark look into war, and its negative impact on people.  This is a violent series, not on the level of say Gantz or Elfin Lied, but people dies, blood is shed, people are brutalized…it’s often a grim tale.

The animation is good for a tv series, considering it was made in 1999.  It’s not real vibrant animation compared to other series, but considering the subject matter and location, I don’t think real vibrant animation would work.

Voice acting, dub wise, is really good as well. (I watched this on AZN Network, therefore, a sub review was unavailable at the time of this review).  The voice actors really seemed to get into their roles, and there wasn’t any role that I felt was underplayed.

Story wise is really good, the show clocks in at just 13 episodes, and it has a fairly satisfying ending I think.  If there is a downside to the story at all, I think they could have easily expanded it to 26 episode tv series, where they could have explored in more detail some of the secondary characters, as well as the after effects of the war, but as it stands it’s a enjoyable story.

And probably the best aspect of this series is its cost.  At only $10 per DVD and around $25 for the 4 disc boxset (3 discs+1 disc extras) you’d be hard pressed to find a better value on a TV series.  There shouldn’t be any complaints here over anime being too expensive, even the select few who choose to steal copyright shows off the net shouldn’t complain about this value.

In conclusion, you have a great story, if a times a bit grim, it’s definitely not for everyone with its strong violence, but still worth checking out.  A wonderful cast of characters that you grow to either love or hate.  A beautiful soundtrack that fits the mood of the series, and best of all great value on the dvd release of this series, all combined to make this series highly recommended and worth checking out.

Show Rated:15+ for violence, strong language, and mature themes.

Final Grade- A-

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