The Place Promised in Our Early Days
Alternate/Foreign Title: Kumo no mukô, yakusoku no basho [Original title]
DVD Released (Y/M/D): 2005-07-12
Genre: Foreign
Sub-genre: Animation
Director: Makoto Shinkai
Stars: John Swasey, A. Jacob Gragard, Kalob Martinez, Chris Patton, Masato Hagiwara, Jessica Boone, Andy McAvin
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Synopsis: Makoto Shinkai made an impressive debut as a writer-director in Voices of a Distant Star (OVA, 2002); The Place Promised in Our Early Days (OVA, 2004) is his first studio work. In this alternate world, Japan was divided after World War II: Hokkaido, renamed "Ezo," belongs to "the Union;" the rest of archipelago is an American dependency. Ezo is dominated by the Union Tower, a seemingly topless needle. Middle school students Hiroki and Takuya dream of visiting the Tower, and start building an airplane. They're joined by Sayuri, who nurtures a crush on Hiroki. As the characters move into high school, Sayuri falls into a coma. Hiroki and Takuya learn that her dreams are linked to the Tower and to experiments in contacting parallel universes. Shinkai fills the screen with sun-drenched landscapes that recall the films of Hayao Miyazaki, but the story rambles and falters. Although his understated style is often effective, Shinkai needs to learn to pace a longer work. The narrative often feels choppy, and the ending weak. Serious anime fans will want to watch the progress of this talented young director.
  Source: Amazon.com