If you found GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES depressing, just wait till you see NOW AND THEN, HERE AND THERE. A shocking entry for Akitarou Daichi, the man responsible for the delightfully funny ANIMATION RUNNER KUROMI, this thirteen-episode mini-series is often disturbing with nary a lighthearted moment; at the same time, though, it is very intriguing and interesting to watch.
The series begins on a deceptively cheerful note when young Shuzo Matsutani--who refers to himself as Shu, so that's what I'll call him from now on--is making his way home from a kendo practice match when he sees -- wouldn't you know -- a mysterious, quiet girl sitting alone on a water tower. The girl, who goes by the name of Lala-Ru, catches Shu's eye and he somehow manages to strike up a conversation with her. Suddenly, out of nowhere these giant snake-like machines appear and kidnap the girl. In trying to rescue her, Shu finds himself transported away from his cheery hometown of Japan into a dreary, desolate futuristic world adorned with the very fitting name of Hellywood. And this new place is sheer hell indeed; Shu finds himself prisoner on a dominating fortress where children from other parts of the world are being whipped into war soldiers. It turns out that Lala-Ru has a pendant that can bring water and life back to this desolate world, and the insane, maniacal despot who commands the fortress, Hamdo, wants it at any cost. Of course, Lala Ru does not have it; Shu took it from her in a vain rescue attempt only to lose it again when he is taken prisoner himself. Subjected to physical torture and abuse, Shu is forced to become a soldier and observe one horrifying atrocity of war after another.
As with GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES, NOW AND THEN HERE AND THERE deals with the consequences of war as well as the plights of lonely individuals struggling to survive. Here, however, the trauma is turned up by a huge notch. The children forced into war are a rather surly, sometimes confrontational bunch forced to commit terrible crimes against their will, making this a potentially sadder and bleaker story. There are even plenty of scenes which involve backlashing, murder, genocide, and others that leave little to the imagination. But all these seem like nothing compared to one particularly mean-spirited subplot, in which a young American girl, Sara, is raped by one of Hamdo's soldiers. (We later discover that she is pregnant from this encounter.) There are also several moments where Hamdo makes somewhat sexual advances toward Lala-Ru, much to the chagrin of his lady lieutenant Abelia. Such sequences make NOW AND THEN, HERE AND THERE a very difficult and sometimes painful series to sit through, although the show does end on a positive note (albeit somewhat awkwardly). Needless to say, this is not a series for either children or the faint at heart.
It also deals with some very compelling character studies, particularly in the cases of the children held prisoner at Hellywood. One of them, Tabool, is nasty and cruel, secretly scheming to overthrow the dictator Hamdo and conquer the fortress. His childhood friend, the emotionally wartorn and borderline dangerous Nabuca, hides a noble heart but often gives in to his darker side. (Of the characters, he is the most interesting.) Technically, NOW AND THEN, HERE AND THERE is not the most impressive show; the color palette is appropriately dark and imaginative, but the animation itself is more like traditional television quality, not up to the polish of shows like, say, FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST. Simultaneously, however, this style gives the series even more of an edge. The melancholy musical score is very fitting, although not necessarily one that will be remembered long after the show's over.
The vocal performances are what will really stick with you, depending on whether you see the series in Japanese or in English, as produced by New York-based Central Park Media. The company's track record of dubbing has been shaky, although their dubs for LODOSS OVA, SLAYERS, KUROMI, and WORLD OF NARUE are among some of their better ones. So, too, is this one. Although the ADR script stays a little TOO slavishly close to the subtitles, the dialogue flows well. The vocal cast includes veteran dub performers such as Dan Green, Crispin Freeman, Rachael Lillis, Scottie Ray, and Lisa Ortiz. All do excellent jobs, but it's really Jack Taylor that steals the show as the psychotically evil Hamdo. His bravura role makes up for the some of the other weaknesses of the dub--one of which is that the children sound too mature. Ed Paul's Shu, although emotionally sound, takes some getting used to as well. All in all, though, it works pretty well for this kind of show.
With its dark, dreary nature and often painful sequences, NOW AND THEN, HERE AND THERE is not an easy series to recommend; however if it's emotionally powerful Anime you're looking for, then this series may be worth a look.
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