# Now and Then, Here and There (1999)

> A typical Japanese boy is pulled into a brutal desert world at war, where his unshakable optimism is tested as he tries to save a mysterious girl and the friends he makes there.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/24261

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 13
- Episode runtime: 25 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: animation, science fiction, war
- Network: WOWOW Prime
- Cast: Akemi Okamura, Kaori Nazuka, Azusa Nakao, Yuka Imai, Reiko Yasuhara, Koji Ishii, Hiroko Konishi, Rica Matsumoto
- TMDB rating: 7.8/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0318898/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: brutal
- Tone: earnest, harrowing, hopeful, bleak, propulsive

## What critics say

Audiences rate this 1999 Japanese anime positively, valuing its grim portrayal of war through a child's eyes.

## Synopsis

Now and Then, Here and There (1999-2000) is a Japanese animated science fiction series created for WOWOW Prime, a thirteen-episode limited series of roughly 25-minute installments. Shu, an ordinary and relentlessly optimistic Japanese boy, is drawn after encountering a mysterious girl with strange eyes, Lala-Ru (voiced by Kaori Nazuka), perched atop a smokestack and is pulled into a harsh desert world. There he meets new companions, including Sara Ringwalt (Azusa Nakao) and Nabuca (Yuka Imai), and discovers the brutal realities of war, hunger, thirst and exploitation under the rule of a tyrannical dictator. The engine of the series is Shu's determination to rescue Lala-Ru and the reluctant friends he gathers, while holding on to his values as the cost of conflict mounts. Each episode pushes the story forward through harsh survival and wartime confrontation rather than standalone adventures. The tone is earnest and harrowing, with a hopeful core set against bleak, dusty landscapes and dystopian desolation. Fans of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind and Grave of the Fireflies will find resonance in its child's-eye view of conflict, while viewers of Mad Max: Fury Road will recognize its arid post-apocalyptic brutality.

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- [SAND LAND: THE SERIES (2024)](https://ember.film/tv/156123)
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