Anime Now and Then, Here and There

[Kei]

[color=darkblue]I was wondering if anyone has ever seen this entire series. I believe it's a great animé that no one ever talks about. The characters are fairly well developed, and though the plot is a bit cliché at some points, it's still an interesting animé. For those that have never heard of the series, here's an overview of the first episode:

The story starts in modern-day Japan, following a boy named Shuzo Matsutani (or Shu, for short). Shu practices kendo, though he's not entirely good at stratagizing. Anyway, after a match one day (which he lost) he wanders over to the smokestacks he used to climb when he was younger only to find a girl sitting atop one with a broken ladder. Wondering who she could be and how she got up there, Shu climbs another smokestack to try to talk to her. After hailing her many times without response, Shu just starts telling her about his town and all the funny things that have happened to him. Eventually, he finally gets the girl to do something when he asks her what she's up there for. She simply points to the sunset. After talking a bit more about what's so great about a sunset, he also gets her to tell him her name, it being Lala-ru. Just when he's about to ask more things about her, time suddenly stops and odd-looking machines come and try to take Lala-ru away. She asks Shu to help her, and he eagerly complies. After a one-sided struggle, the scout group, led by a woman that goes by "Lady Abelia" gives the order to leave, and all of them disappear in a flash of light. Shu is mistakenly taken with them. They're all transported to the inside of what appears to be a ship of some sort, and in all the confusion, Shu grabs Lala-ru and makes a break for it. It isn't long before they're separated again when Shu falls down a garbage shute. After almost falling through the end to the ground below, Shu finally sees that he's no longer on the Earth he knows, as all he sees is a gigantic desert.

What it's mainly about is a war over Lala-ru, who happens to be some sort of water sprite, for lack of better description. A lot of startling revelations and other goodies in this one, and I think it should get a lot more credit than it's currently receiving. Any other thoughts?[/color]

[Dagger]

I was about to start a NTHT thread, but I guess you beat me to the punch. ^_~ I've wanted to see Now and Then, Here and There for an extremely long time. Just this afternoon, I rented the first DVD from Blockbuster. Unfortunately, I haven't yet had the opportunity to sit down and see more than a small portion of its beginning episode, so I'll definitely post again once I've watched more.

NTHT's character designs are very Miyazaki-esque, and its production values nearly equal those of a typical Miyazaki movie. Considering this anime's obscurity, I found myself quite surprised at the fluidity of its animation and the sheer detail and beauty of its backgrounds. I only watched about five minutes of the dub (it didn't strike me as being particularly good), but the Japanese voice actors seem well-suited to their characters.

Something about NTHT really appeals to me. Its script is extraordinarily well-written; even Shu's speeches have a certain lyrical quality. I'm interested in seeing how this series handles its impending tragedies.

By the way, didn't Akitaroh Daichi also direct Fruits Basket?

~Dagger~

[Endymion]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=crimson]I think [/COLOR] [COLOR=green]Now and Then, Here and There[/COLOR] [COLOR=crimson]is really a great anime. My dad bought the complete series on dvd a while back(prior to summer 03 I believe) and we would watch and episode or two everynight after he got home from work. The character designs are really good as well as the plot. The overall art was great as well. It has been some time since I've finished the series, so I may re-enjoy it all again sometime soon. It constantly kept me on my seat and wanting more as I watched ever episode then went onto the next, I 'needed' to know what would become of Shu, Lala-ru and the others...The main antagonist was truly insane. Poor kitty lol. This morning(some 12 hours ago), I was going to start a NTHT thread lol, guess I got beat to the idea[/COLOR] [/SIZE]

[Kei]

[color=darkblue]I agree that the art style does seem to resemble Miyazaki's in some aspects. The background art is amazing, especially in some of the desert scenes and the areas where Hamdo tries to talk to Lala-ru.

As for the actors...

Seeing as though NTHT boasts some of the main talent for Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! (i.e. Dan Green as Nabuca, Rachel Lillis as Boo and Sis, Ed Paul as Shu), it really does leave much to be desired. The only saving grace, in my opinion, is Tabool (voiced by Crispin Freeman of Hellsing and Big O fame). Dana Halstead did a pretty good job as Abelia as well. However, I still prefer the Japanese VAs much better.

The plot was great in that it had so many twists to it. Some things were to be expected, but it was shocking (at least to me) to see who did what, especially around the 11th episode.

What really gets me excited is the music of the series. It just seems to fit so well. The ending theme really suits the overall view of the series as well.

Like I said before, NTHT is a great series that doesn't get the attention is deserves. I really think people should try to look for it if they can. It's definately worth it.[/color]

[Dagger]

Alright, I finally worked my way through the first five episodes. If all goes well, I'll be able to finish the series sometime next weekend.

I know Crispin Freeman from Revolutionary Girl Utena and Shamanic Princess, but I didn't realize that he's also in Big O. Which character does he play? I did consider watching NTHT's dub just to hear his portrayal of a fairly young--albeit rather nasty--male (as opposed to someone like Touga, Kagetsu or Alucard).

Certain aspects of this show remind me very much of Castle in the Sky. Shu's personality is comparable to Pazu's, and both boys encounter a mysterious pendant-wearing girl who later turns out to possess unimaginable powers. While I don't mind these kinds of similarities, it's interesting to analyze how the two productions differ. NTHT takes place in a fantastical setting, but parts of it are brutally realistic. It's definitely not an easy show to marathon.

I also love NTHT's ending theme, as well as the images which accompany it. They look astonishingly realistic. And though the OP isn't quite what I would have expected, I enjoy listening to it nonetheless.

~Dagger~

[Sweet Pie]

[color=coral]No offence but I really don't quite like the story although the drawing's nice. I just don't understand what it's all about ^_^;[/color]

[Kei]

[color=darkblue]Well, what NTHT is about, in my mind, is the horrors of war. I mean, it shows what it can do to people, and having children as part of it (sometimes as the main aggressors) makes it stand out even more. You'll have to forgive me for not being able to explain it to my liking, but it's a bit hard for me right now, lol.

Dagger, from the ending credits, it says Mr. Freeman played Allen Gabriel in Season 2.[/color]

[Tatsubei Yagyu]

[COLOR=Navy][FONT=Comic Sans MS]Wow, I just watched the first five episodes, and I love it. The song they were playing in the first episode while Shu was trying to rescue Lala-ru was awesome. So far, my favorites are Nabuca and Boo, because I like their relationship of Boo looking up to Nabuca and such. I also like how Shu's attics seem tto be making Nabuca question things...

Hamdo....I don't know if I tolerate him or not...In Episode 5, I wasn't sure if [spoiler] I wanted the assassins to suceed or not...[/spoiler] I totally don't like the way humans are his pawns, though. I usually hate "Corrupt King" type anime characters, because unlike regular evil guys, They actually have the power to pull off the whole homicide thing without much people complaining, and something has to be done the way they want it...They so spoiled. :mad:

Anyway, I'm gonna watch vol. 2 when I wake up later today, so I'll be back. Are there only 13 episodes, because that's all Anime News Network has...I hope there are more, but this one's pretty old, so maybe not... :( [/FONT][/COLOR]