Review of The Place Promised in Our Early Days (2004) by Bobby L — 03 Dec 2009

This is Makoto Shinkai's only feature length movie, even then, it's short, at only 90 minutes. I guess he can't do long. It's also the one I watch the least, not because it isn't amazing, it is, but because of the length; I like to be able to put something quick on sometimes, when I only have a short amount of time to waste.

Now, this has all the amazing backgrounds, and long camera angles, and lighting would comes to expect from him, and it definitely fits within his realm of topics, because again, there's love and friendship that is forced apart, this time, causing the two main characters to go against each other, but neither has forgotten the girl they both loved, and the promised they made to her.

It then becomes them deciding she is more important then they are, and they set off to fulfill the promise. As it's his longest, Shinkai puts a few more ideas into it; this one has more politics and background for side characters, then his other three.

Also again, I find myself relating to his ideas and themes, and think he's created a viable masterwork (a term I'd use to describe all his movies).