Review of The Place Promised in Our Early Days (2004) by Mloy X — 10 Oct 2013

Hiroki Fujisawa: [Narrating] Living alone, the nights seemed to last forever. When I couldn't pass the time effectively, I went to a nearby train station and pretended to wait for someone.

Conceptually, this was pretty interesting-- the idea about parallel universes is always an intriguing subject and to connect that theory with something as commonplace and ordinary as dreaming and de ja vu, is just so clever and the science behind the whole film seemed plausible. The idea that one universe can take the place of another is simply fascinating. The secondary story regarding the effects of the impending war on the residents of the island was also interesting: how families have been torn apart or one-time friends being forced to choose sides. The ideas for the stories were all good; unfortunately, the way it was animated and interpreted was odd and a little convoluted, which made watching the movie and trying to figure out what was happening confusing. This was kind of sad too; maybe it was supposed to seem more uplifting by the end but it was just too difficult to follow that I was just glad it ended by the end and checked on Wikipedia if what I think happened, actually happened.... either that, or its been so long since I watched anime that my brain is no longer in tune with the anime mentality.