Makoto Shinkai’s The Place Promised in Our Early Days is an important film in Japanese animation. As Shinkai’s first full-length movie, it tells a story about friendship, love, and a divided Japan, all while exploring the idea of parallel worlds.
The Place Promised in Our Early Days is a beautifully made film that shows Shinkai’s early talent. The animation is amazing, capturing the peaceful beauty of the Japanese countryside and the ominous presence of the tower. The detailed landscapes and the characters’ emotions are particularly impressive.
The story is very interesting, though sometimes it gets complicated with scientific ideas that might be hard to understand. However, these ideas are important for the film’s themes: the mix of personal dreams with big historical events, and the strength of human connections over time and space.
The film’s biggest strength is its emotional depth. The friendship and unspoken love between Hiroki, Takuya, and Sayuri are portrayed with touching subtlety. The pain of Sayuri’s long coma and the boys’ separation add emotional complexity. The final part, where Hiroki fulfills their childhood promise, is both sad and uplifting, capturing the film’s message of hope and renewal.
Plot Overview
The story takes place in an alternate history where Japan is split into two parts. In 1974, the northern island, Hokkaidō (called Ezo in the film), is taken over by the Soviet Union, referred to as the Union. A strange tower, designed by a scientist named Ekusun Tsukinoe, is built there, creating a sense of mystery and tension.
The main characters are three friends from Aomori: Hiroki Fujisawa, Takuya Shirakawa, and Sayuri Sawatari. In 1996, when they are in ninth grade, they become fascinated by the tower they can see across the Tsugaru Strait. Hiroki and Takuya, both very smart, find a crashed drone plane and decide to fix it, dreaming of one day flying to the tower. However, their plans are ruined when Sayuri suddenly disappears.
Three years later, the friends have gone their separate ways. Takuya is now a scientist studying parallel universes and discovers that the tower can change the area around it into different realities, and this is somehow connected to Sayuri, who has been in a coma for years. As the Union’s plans and a rebel group’s activities collide, the friends reunite to fulfill their childhood dream, leading to a dramatic and emotional climax.
