https://starcrossedanime.com/wpcontent/uploads/2022/05/Poster.png There are few anime that Id describe as profoundly uncomfortable. Im not talking about rampant pedophilia or the questionable relationship with the word consent in some series. I just ignore those. What I mean are works that through their themes and stories really make you understand what it means to live through these events. Im talking about works like Serial Experiments Lain and its exploration of our relationship with technology. Or Perfect Blue and how it can feel to lose your own identity. And while this series doesnt quite reach the same heights as those other two it certainly makes a respectable try. Created and directed by Akitarou Daichihttps://anilist.co/staff/100640/AkitarouDaichi animated at studio AIChttps://anilist.co/studio/48/AIC and with music by Taku Iwasakihttps://anilist.co/staff/100172/TakuIwasaki I give to you the subject of todays review the turn of the millennium dystopian tragedy: Now and Then Here and There. Without further ado lets dive in Be warned this review contains minor unmarked spoilers for Now and Then Here and There. It also contains major spoilers in some sections but these will be heavily marked to avoid accidents. Additionally this series contains depictions of rape and sexual abuse which I will mention in this review. You have been warned. https://starcrossedanime.com/wpcontent/uploads/2022/04/NowandThenHereandThere8.6.jpg Characters Normally I start these reviews by talking about the art and animation of a series its visual production. That is after all the most obvious and easy to see part of an anime. Even from just a PV you can get an idea of if you will like a series or not. However the fact of the matter is that it is the characters more than anything else that are the lynchpin of Now and Then Here and There. To me Now and Then is a story about war children and the myriad of effects war has on said children. Both in the immediate present and in the future long after the war is over. Because of that I want start by first looking at 3 of our main characters: Shu Nabuca and Sara. Dont worry major spoilers will be marked. The core of our story revolves around Shu who as we find out in the first episode was transported to this world from our own. Allowing our modern morals and sensibilities to be compared against and challenged by those of this dystopia. Shu is very straight forward as a character. His ideals are nave and lack any sort of nuance or shades of grey. In that sense Shu acts a lot like your standard Shounen protagonist. He is someone who sticks blindly to his beliefs regardless of how the world challenges him. Because of this he sticks out like a sore thumb. Only in Now and Then Shu is the one to suffer and lose for doing so. It is through Shus lens through his growth and experiences in war both he and the viewer learn that the world is much more than black and white. Spoilers regarding the progression of Shus character and his beliefs. Nonspoiler summary: I was slightly disappointed by the end. Compare that to Nabuca a character we meet early on in episode 2. Its clear from the beginning that Nabuca like Shu is a victim of this dystopian world. Like Shu he was taken from his home and forced to fight here. And like Shu he has only the best of intentions and doesnt really like any of this. Nabuca wants nothing more than to protect and take care of the other kids. To get them all back home once this is over. But where Shu is ultimately reinforced in his beliefs Nabuca was forced to bend to survive. To adapt to this land and to discard some of his humanity to protect those he cares about. It is because of this contrast between these two and other characters that I find Nabuca far more engaging and interesting than Shu. If only he got more screen time. This brings me to the last and my favorite of the three I wanted to talk about: Sara. Sadly to talk about Sara in any depth I need to spoiler this section as I have to mention major plot revelations and even her own stories ending. The short version is that I absolutely love Saras story and that despite some questionable politics we will talk about later it was one of the most engaging things Ive watched in a while. Now on with the spoils All of this is to say that while I really like the cast of Now and Then Here and There they each have their own shortcomings. This is by no means restricted to just these three Hamdo our villain is basically the dictionary definition of a megalomaniacal madman he isnt terribly complicated. Yet through contrast with characters such as Elamba he starts to become more. The same kind of give and take exists with everyone Tabool Sis Boo etc. The only real disappointment I have is Abelia who is so closely tied to Hamdo that she is dragged down and given the space to be fully explored in her own right. Now and Then has a rich if flawed cast of characters. And it is on the backs of these characters that the show succeeds as well as it does. https://starcrossedanime.com/wpcontent/uploads/2022/03/NowandThenHereandThere6.6.jpg Narrative/Setting This brings me to the narrative where I think Now and Then falls a little flat. Its not that its bad it would take a lot of work to undermine and ruin the characters Ive already praised. The problem is more that the overarching narrative is simply serviceable. There are a few missed opportunities here and there but nothing egregious. It provides a world and an inciting incident with which it kickstarts all of these characters stories. Now and Then thus enables its characters to go off and do great things. But I dont think it does anything to augment them to make them greater than the sum of their parts. In its journey to tell a character driven morality play Now and Then neglects the setting and events the characters are supposed to be interacting with. What do I mean? Let me give you an example. In the very first episode of the show Shu our protagonist is brought to this dystopian world by way of some kind of teleporter. Did we cross dimensions worlds time we have no idea and it isnt made clear until the end of the show. Thats fine. However a problem arises when we look at this devices place in the narrative after this opening. Because simply put it doesnt have one. The device is never mentioned again never explained never relevant beyond Shus overarching goal of returning home. You would think that such an impressive piece of technology would be at least marginally important to the plot right? Maybe Hamdo uses it to get supplies or stage attacks or whatever. But no. Its purpose begins and ends as a plot device nothing more. And Im sad to say that it isnt the only plotrelevant McGuffin to be used like this. Of course none of these things are particularly important to the emotional core of Now and Then. The childrens story will be just as effective with or without these McGuffins fitting into the narrative. My praise for the children above already knowing all of this is proof enough of that. Indeed these details only matter if you are trying to piece together and follow the larger narrative of the world and the people within it which isnt the focus of Now and Then. But for people who watch these kinds of SciFi dystopian shows for that world building? For the details and intricately crafted universes? Im afraid that they will find themselves disappointed and that if not warned ahead of time it will ruin their experience. Now and Then is a thematic and emotional piece of science fiction. Not a technical exhaustingly detailed universe piece. https://www.sakugabooru.com/data/cd3543a7321fd7fd81b39e2c7eb1e386.mp4 Visuals Next up I am finally allowed to talk about Now and Thens production. The narrative may be serviceable and the characters incredible but none of that really matters if you cant stand to look at what youre watching. So the question is: How does the show look? Right off the bat I can say that Now and Then is not the most animated of shows not even from its own era. Almost all of the worthwhile cuts you will find occur in either the first or last episode with most of the stuff between being rather static. However where it lags behind in movement it more than makes up for it with beautifully picturesque direction. Incredible vistas well framed set pieces and memorable stylistic decisions are peppered across Now and Thens season. Im talking individual strands of hair shining in the moonlight on a backdrop of deep dark blue. That same blue giving way to the soft reds and oranges of a sunrise or viewing an entire scene through the empty sockets of a dried and decrepit skull in the desert. When it wants to Now and Then looks great. Thats just rarely when its actually moving. I will always find the old cel style of animation appealing. Theres a timeless quality to it that I just dont think digital animation has. The small mistakes or inconsistencies you can find between cels the ethereal feel that comes from layering them on top of each other the lack of ridiculous amounts of post processing even the old philosophies regarding color design. All of these give cel animation a certain je ne sais quoi that I will never tire of. But when I recommend Now and Then Here and There to you I want to be clear about one thing: Do not watch this show for the visuals. They are fine it has some great vistas and iconic shots but it is not a hype setpiece battle sakuga show. It is about quiet moments staggering loss and reflection with a few bits of action placed to keep our attention. https://starcrossedanime.com/wpcontent/uploads/2022/03/NowandThenHereandThere6.3.jpg OST/Sound Design Finally I come to the music and sound design the last real section of this review. What does that mean? Read on and find out. Considering the staff on Now and Then I was expecting the music to be a lot more affecting and memorable than it is. Composed by Taku IwasakiFinally I come to the music and sound design the last real section of this review. What does that mean? Read on and find out. Considering the staff on Now and Then I was expecting the music to be a lot more affecting and memorable than it is. Composed by Taku Iwasaki the man behind the music of Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayalhttps://anilist.co/anime/44/SamuraiXTrustandBetrayal/ as well as Gurren Lagannhttps://anilist.co/anime/2001/GurrenLagann/ and Soul Eaterhttps://anilist.co/anime/3588/SoulEater/ I was hoping for something emotional and resonant. Something to compete with In Memories KoToWaRihttps://www..com/watch?v=GVCudROQGwE. But I just didnt get that here. I can find hints of it I can clearly discern his sound in the strings and flutes of Misshttps://www..com/watch?v=204Iajp9dMolist=PLEa2MuwHe13i8LlGcyPFgrw2Pi77xjhindex=14 or the slowly building escalation of Rescuerhttps://www..com/watch?v=4qz8Kv0IGUlist=PLEa2MuwHe13i8LlGcyPFgrw2Pi77xjhindex=7. And its not like Now and Then doesnt have impressive pieces of its own like the heroic and adventurous Run Uphttps://www..com/watch?v=9RfFiO0Qi4 or the sheer 20 minute epic that is Standing in the Sunset Glowhttps://www..com/watch?v=e3vaGByEfBM that tells the entire story in one song. Its just that None of them evoke scenes or memories to me. What does that mean why would memories be important for music? Well for me the point of an OST is to augment what it is playing over. An OST isnt meant to stand alone like a new album it irrevocably ties itself to the story and characters of the show. Thats why I cant help but think of Kenshins walk through the snow covered mountains when I hear In Memories KoToWaRi. Or why Libera Me From Hellhttps://www..com/watch?v=VT6LFOIofRE from Gurren Lagann makes me think of Kittan. I havent watch either of these series in years. Yet these scenes these emotions feel clear as the day I watched them just by listening to their music. And thats nothing something I get from Now and Then. Instead what I get is a reasonable OST thats half industrial chase music and half somber atmosphere. And while thats fine Its also disappointing. Luckily the sound design on Now and Then is much better. Though with Kazuya Tanakahttps://anilist.co/staff/101080/KazuyaTanaka on as the Sound Director that shouldnt come as much surprise. This guy was responsible for the entirety of the Mushishi series which lived and died by its sound design. The same holds true here. Tanaka does a great job of realizing the mechanical and desolate nature of this world changing the sounds as we change location and really immersing you in whats happening. From rushing water to the stillness as a gun fires he knows exactly how to use quiet where many others would fill every waking moment with anything to keep your attention. To be honest I think he does more for some of these scenes than the music does. And thats pretty damn incredible if you ask me. So yeah all in all the music is just alright while everything else sounds great. So what is there left to talk about? https://starcrossedanime.com/wpcontent/uploads/2022/03/NowandThenHereandThere5.1.jpg Politics? In MY Anime? With that we come to the personal section of the review. This is where I drop any pretense of trying to rate a show whether or not I should recommend it to you or all those other things reviews are supposed to do. Here Im just going to talk about a small part of my experience with Now and Then in the hopes that it will help you understand my experience with the show. If that doesnt interest you? Then feel free to skip I wont mention staff or anything here and there will 100 be huge spoilers within. If you are curious about my unfiltered feelings about the show though? Then read on. I want to be clear Im not telling you how to think. I especially dont want to have that argument with random people on the internet when talking about a damn anime review. All I want is to make it clear to you the reader that Now and Then Here and There contains many touchy subjects and it is not afraid to make its opinion on them known. Whether it agrees with you or not if you are neither prepared to nor enjoy engaging with media in that way then this is not a series for you. Personally? As much as I enjoyed the story I probably wont watch it again. Not because its dense like Serial Experiments Lain another show I enjoyed but wont rewatch but because I find its 2nd half uncomfortable and without enough payoff to make that worth it for me. https://starcrossedanime.com/wpcontent/uploads/2022/05/NowandThenHereandThere13.3.jpg Conclusion So yeah all in all would I recommend Now and Then Here and There to you. I would say tentatively yes. If you enjoy character driven scifi dystopias or politically charged think pieces and dont mind being confronted strongly by other peoples politics then I think there is a lot to get out of it. However if you just want a fun scifi dystopia to romp around in and be entertained by for 13 episodes? Then I cannot steer you away any harder. You will not have a good experience with this show. Personally though? Im down for an occasional work like this. Something to break up all my fun Shounen hype Sports and more serious Iyashikei. I had a good experience with Now and Then Here and There. Even if it wasnt necessarily a pleasant one.