Customer Reviews

Now and Then, Here and There: Collection

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the version I own so I don't really have any other versions to compare it to but....that's not the point. The point is that if you're reading this review you're an anime fan and if you haven't seen this anime then go see it, and once you see it buy whatever version of it looks nicest on your shelf.

If you like Grave of the Fireflies think of this along the same lines...really sad but really amazing. Honestly the episodes aren't too long...there's only 13 of them but this anime does more in 13 episodes than most typically do in 26 and with an amazing musical score, great voice acting and a powerful story it's perfect for your growing shelf of anime epics.

Hopefully this review helps you consider it!

Now and Then, Here and There was currently licensed by Central Park Media, which has been defunct since early 2009.

I've been wanting to purchasethe old release for a loooong time, but didn't want to buy it for more than it was worth, so waited for it to get cheaper, then I learned that ADV Films rescued this gem...

A boy lives in a town is a very fierce kendo player, after leaving his match behind (which didn't go too well...), he sees a quiet, lonely girl who he takes an instant liking to. She gets ambushed by soldiers from the future who claim that she is something special...

I know. It sounds VERY generic... However, the first episode is probably the lightest and least oppressive episode out of the entire series!

After being transpoted, he learns that he is in hell. And, of course, I don't mean a fantasy hell, I mean a vicious, harsh, deceitful place where humanity are practically monsters. For whatever reason the girl traveled to the past, is explained just within the first episode...

So what does the boy do? He gets captured, and is coerced into doing what the other child soldiers do. Kill. Kidnap. Rinse and Repeat. The boy lives from a different era so he resists the orders by never giving in. NEVER.

The first half of the story focuses on how the world works, as well as show you other characters that are just as strong, and equally moving as our hero. Eventually, he is emprisoned again for defying them too long, and he uses his wits and training to break himself and the girl he promised, out of there.

This takes us to my favorite episode: #8, which shows us why the girl is the way she is, and why she'll only trust the boy. By the end of the episode, they are forever bonded by a force that can't be described as just romance. It's much more than that, and it shows throughout the rest of the series.

I'll stop at the story here, so I won't ruin the plot, and so you'll enjoy it better.

The presentation is at a 4:3 aspect ratio, which suits the slightly aged appearence of the series.
The audio is both English and Japanese stereo. The old boxset/releases claimed to have English 5.1, which is no longer here. But since I haven't seen that release I, personally can't complain.

The extra's include storyboards, which are nice, ADV trailers, and one of the best closing animation/songs ever...

Now and Then, Here and There is a short, sweet tale of war, the future, bonds, heart, and an impression that will stick with you...

Now and Then, Here and There is only 13 episodes long. I normally watch 24-26 episode series, but I had heard great things about this one, so I decided to watch it. I'm so glad I did, because it is such a fine anime, no, such a fine experience. It is one of my top 3 favorite anime, and one of the greatest of all time.

Story:11/10
-The story has a minor plot, yet so much movement. The characters and their situations make up alot of the story, but there is an adventure story that wraps it all up. I'm not going to tell you what its about, because its better to watch while knowing very little.

I will say it involves (and you can predict this by the dvd cover) a futuristic setting with robots and odd creatures, almost like a different planet.

So why an 11 out of 10? The story is superb. The situations our characters find themselves in are unique and unlike any I've seen in a anime series. Its traumatic, intense, epic, and so tasty that you'll be finished watching it in no time, not because its 13 episodes, but because its so involving.

Its also very stressful. I cried during this series.

I'd never cried in an anime before, not even in Grave of the Fireflies. But my tears ran and I cried like a baby.

(On a side note, many are comparing this to Grave of the Fireflies. I see no relation, only that they both deal with the topic of war. Grave of the Fireflies is a great anime, but it is crushed under the weight of this series)

Characters:11/10
-Painfully realistic, the characters will take your breath away and steal your heart. You will love them. Cry for them. Want to reach out and comfort them. Their drive for survival makes them do horrible things, but it also makes them human.

This anime is a window into humanity. War changes people. Takes them away. Hurts and heals. It is all spectacular to watch.

Animation:10/10
-Its fantastic, but old. The quality is alot like the anime AKIRA. I mean you can tell its old. Still this doesn't hurt the anime. It is still superbly drawn, it does recieve a 10 after all...

Music:11/10
-Great music. I really want the soundtrack.

English Dub:12/10
-The best dub I've heard in an anime. The english voice actors manage to up the ante in numerous occasions. The voice actor for Sara is particularly fantastic, and the evil king is creepy and insane, with a voice to match. None of it is annoying, but in fact make the anime much greater.

I suggest you watch it with the english dub.

Overall:11/10

One of the greatest of all time, Now and Then, Here and There is one of my top 3 favorite and should be watched. I can't say much more than that. Just watch it, because it will change your life if even in the slightest sense.

Rating: TV-14
-Too low. I firmly believe it should be rated TV-MA, the equivilant of an R rating. It is graphic, raw, and stressful. The violence is bloody and painful to watch. Young children have fowl mouths. There are many traumatic and frightening scenes that might give some a sick stomach. Rape is a theme in this series, and it isn't portrayed lightly. During many scenes I was sweating and at times was brought to tears because it was very suspenseful. There is also some harmless nudity: a young child is seen without pants. Everything is visible, though it isn't sexual.

THIS IS NOT FOR CHILDREN. It might say TV 14 on the cover, but it is trully a mature anime and needs to be watched by only those who can handle it.

I first watched this series with a friend many many years ago when we rented it. I never thought I would be buying it to watch again since it made me want to cry so much but here I am, proud to add it to my collection. It's a story of a honest but somewhat clumsy boy brought to another world wrecked by war and trauma. It's a short, not very well known anime, but one that definitely leaves an impact. The subject of children and war, portrayed realistically within this science fiction setting, can effect you emotionally. Don't pick this anime for laughs or an easy-going adventure - I couldn't even say that there is any comic relief. It sometimes left that pit in your stomach when the soft credits come by. I definitely believe it to be a small gem among anime.

A very good, fun yet very emotional work. I ordered it and received it with in the specified time, watched the whole thing right away. Now and Then, Here and There is a very powerful story that that hits on many very emotional points. The story is great the visuals are just as great if not better. I defiantly recommend this peice to anyone who likes the action/'Pre-Apocalypse' genre anime.

The product came packaged as advertised, and for a very nice price. This is the entire series of Now and Then, Here and there, all 13 episodes.

"Now and Then, Here and There" - a short 13-episode series is a mixture of science fiction and drama involved with war atrocities. However, the science fiction part is just used as a marketing tool to help set the stage, the real focus on the series is actually about dealing with the inhumanity of war.

There are quite a few flaws in the series, but the biggest problem I have with this series is it fails to make clear its philosophical position: is violence good or is it necessarily bad?

Through the main characters, Shu who followed a mysterious girl named Lala-Ru who both got kidnapped by a military-like group into the distant future where Shu witnessed mankind is being terrorized by the atrocities of war. The earth is surrounded by desert and controlled by an evil military group called Hellywood that led by a cruel psychotic King named Hamdo. The story soon takes us to experience the true terror of war such as genocide, brutal torture, kidnapping, shortage of water, child soldiers, murders and rape. Although there are no graphic nudity or rape scenes depicted and the violence is not really that bad to see, the violence is still very brutal enough to disturb those with weak stomach espcially when an adult character beating a child with no holding back. The writers of the series use the protagonist Shu and a secondary character, Sis who both believes in non-violence, to tell us that violence or revenge is bad because it could only generate more conflicts and death; it would never truly bring peace to the world. This is fine, however, from time and time again, the series contradicts this ideal by resorting violence to end another violence For example, Sara has to committed a self-defense murder to free herself from captivity; Sis, who opposes against violence, but has to protect Lala-Ru by pointing a rifle at a man who tried to sacrifice Lala-ru for his selfish means; and let's not forget about the ending where Lala-Ru would have to summon great flood to kill all these bad guys in order to end the chaos and to save Shu and the others' lives.

All these contradictions really have failed such a great series' potential. You will be very confused by the writer's true position, which leads one believe the writer could not hold on to his belief that violence can not resolve the problems. It seems to me that the writer was of two minds about something while creating the series. At one point, he wants to keep the audience entertained by creating all these realistic warfare conflicts, but at the same time, he tries to tell us violence is not the answer, which he failed to justify and balance both of his intentions successfully. In my opinions, the only way to save this failing is to be more realistic about the opinions on violence. As a person who also believes in non-violence myself, I also agree with the fact that sometime, violence is necessarily used to prevent people from killing another people's lives, especially in a warfare situation. If the character, Shu has been portrayed as less naïve and a bit more realistic, things would've been much better. However, by the end of the series, it's very disappointed to see that Shu's character remains unchanged throughout his hellish adventure after being proven wrong many times that killing enemies is the only way to resolve all the conflicts and problems.

In addition, plot hole is another big problem in the series. Once the series is over, you'll end up wondering many things. One in particular:

Is there a point for introducing Shu's fighting style? - In the openning episode, we learn that Shu fights like a mad bull who likes to rush in to attack opponents no matter who they are without following disciplinary strategy. We were misled to believe that this stuff is something we should look out for. Maybe we would be expected to see his irrational fighting style might save his or his friends' ass in the future episode, who know... Although this topic got brought up again while Shu was having a combat simulation with Nabuca in later episode; this issue, however, has never been fully transformed into a necessary step for any plot development, which means this issue has never been explored again for the rest of the series. One might wonder if they have no plan to explain the further usage of it, why brought it up in the first place?


Even though there are flaws in the series, I have to admit it is not really that bad. There are many good qualities that truly make this series shine. 1) the plot is very exciting and believable most of the time; it's also very addictive from start to finish; 2) the music is absolutely breathtaking; it suits the mood of the tragic scenes very well, and I think it's part of the many main reasons why this series is so brutal and upsetting in the first place; 3) the animation is very cute and cartoonish; although some people may call it "old-school", the animation is actually very realistically and beautifully done; 4) the science-fiction part is also very interesting like the giant-monster in the desert etc., it provides an extra entertainment value.

All in all, "Now and Then..." may have its flaws, but the good points generally outweigh the bad. I found myself got hooked by this series from start to finish because I want to know what's gonna happen next to the characters. This is absolutely not a kiddie anime.
I would only highly recommend this series to those who have a strong stomach and not easily get offended by topics such as abortion, the exploitation of children, violence against children and women etc. Buy it and enjoy it! Trust me, you will not regret it.

I looked at this title long ago when it first appeared and thought "How generic". Years later(2010)I had to be convinced by a forum I frequent just to consider purchasing. I am glad I did. Me and my wife spent 1 whole night wiping this out to watch. Very excellent anime. I consider it the best. Do yourself a favor, buy this now!

WARNING: It should be noted that this anime is not for children. Rape, violence, mass killings, and suicide are topics that may not be appropriate for some audiences.

As you can tell from the warning, this anime is tragic. Very tragic. Shu is normal, positive-thinking boy who finds himself transported into the very distant future after encountering a strange girl named La La Ru. Once arriving aboard Hellywood, Shu is immediately using every minute trying to survive a world where morals have been disregarded under the rule of the insane evil King Hamdo. Shu learns that friend and foe is not a black and white concept but in order to help La La Ru and later other characters he comes across, he needs to keep his humanity and remember to stay true to himself.

Positives:
-At 13 episodes this is a fairly short anime but that means every episode is used to its fullest to convey it's story. No fillers here!
-While cute anime such as Azumanga Diaoh, and crazy anime such as FLCL are all very good. I also like more mature stories that delve into deeper topics than the first day of high school, or if how to get a cute boy to like you. If you're interested a more mature theme, this is it!

Negatives:
-If you've seen Grave of the Fireflies you understand what animation you're in for. It's more rounded and less realistic but in a way thats a good thing because of some of the brutality that goes on. It's not a style I particularly go for but eventually, I personally got used to it and it became less of a bother.
-There is a lack of developed reason in some situations. You'll wonder why some characters got to how they are and how some events occurred in the first place. While some are answered, a lot is left unanswered. There is hardly any character backstory.

Honestly, despite it's depressing tone throughout, there is always a glimmer of hope and the story envelops you in a way that many don't. For those old enough and want a more heart-wrenching story, give this a look!

Dark, character driven, great story, doesn't really seem like a typical anime, and yet it meets all the conventional criteria for an anime.
Its on my top ten anime list, and I have really high standards for anime.

As many have indicated, this anime seems generic on first blush, but it's an allegorical tale that is frighteningly real. A young kid is swept away from his world into a hellish alternate reality (Hellywood). There, young children endure the unthinkable -- including slavery, being conscripted to fight in brutal wars, also being terrorized through physical and sexual violence. The sad part is, that many children and adults, in real life who live through wars and violence suffer these calamities on a daily basis. We often just look the other way.

The thing is, we as human being can do something to stop it, if we have the bravery and hope that it's possible.

This anime, although highly recommended, is NOT recommended for young children.