The Place Promised in Our Early Days (Japanese: 雲のむこう、約束の場所, Hepburn: Kumo no Mukō, Yakusoku no Basho; lit. 'Beyond the Clouds, the Promised Place') is a 2004 Japanese animated dystopian drama film written, produced, cinematographed, directed and edited by Makoto Shinkai in his feature film debut. Set over several years in an alternate history where Japan was divided after the Soviet Union occupied the island of Hokkaido, the film follows two childhood friends who grow apart after one of their friends disappears. As international tensions rise and a mysterious tower built by the Union starts replacing matter around it with matter from other universes, they cross paths once again and realize their missing friend might be the key to saving the world.
Unlike his short film Voices of a Distant Star, which was largely made by Shinkai on his own, The Place Promised in Our Early Days is a full-scale production, as reflected by its better animation quality and longer running time. It has been broadcast across Japan by the anime satellite television network Animax. It was licensed for North American release by ADV Films and is now licensed by GKIDS.
It was one of Makoto Shinkai's films to be selected to be screened at the Japanese film festival in India as part of celebrations of 70th anniversary of establishment of India-Japan diplomatic relations.
Contents
Plot
In an alternate reality where World War II had ended with the Separation of Japan, the northern island of Hokkaidō (or Ezo, as it is called in the film) is occupied by the "Union" (referring to the Soviet Union) while the rest of the country is occupied by the United States. In 1974, the Union begins the construction of a strange tower on Hokkaido designed by a scientist named Ekusun Tsukinoe. The anime follows the story of three friends living in Aomori, in northern Japan: two boys, Hiroki Fujisawa and Takuya Shirakawa, both child prodigies; and one girl, Sayuri Sawatari. In 1996, the three are in ninth grade, their last year of middle school, and they are fascinated by the Hokkaido Tower visible across the Tsugaru Strait to the north. Sayuri becomes close friends with the two boys. By 1999, the Cold War is still ongoing with Japan and Hokkaido separated.
The boys find a crashed Maritime Self-Defense Force drone aircraft and work on rebuilding the plane with the support of Mr. Okabe, their boss at a military plant. The three teenagers promise to one day fly to Hokkaido to visit the Tower. However, before they can do this, Sayuri mysteriously disappears during the summer.
Three years later, Takuya and Hiroki have stopped working on the plane, having taken different paths after the grief they suffered at Sayuri's disappearance. Takuya is working as a physicist at an Alliance scientific facility sponsored by the U.S. National Security Agency, researching parallel universes alongside Ms. Maki Kasahara under the supervision of Professor Tomizawa. They know that the Hokkaido Tower, which began operating in 1996, replaces matter around it with matter from other universes, but they do not yet know why it does this for only a 2-km radius. Takuya becomes involved with the Uilta Liberation Front after he learns that Mr. Okabe is its leader; his factory workers are the other agents of the organization. Okabe signs Takuya on for an excursion to Ezo with Uilta.
Sayuri is revealed to have been hospitalized over the past three years, having developed an extreme form of narcolepsy; she has been sleeping continuously for most of the three years. Her mind is trapped in an unpopulated parallel universe, where she is all alone. Tomizawa has discovered that she is somehow connected to the Union's research into parallel universes and the Hokkaido Tower's ability to change the surrounding land into alternate possibilities, but Tomizawa keeps this information, as well as her whereabouts, secret from Takuya initially. Tomizawa is secretly working with the Uilta Liberation Front and lets Mr. Okabe know about Sayuri, while Mr. Okabe reveals that the Uilta Liberation Front plans to bomb the Hokkaido Tower to incite war against the Union, hoping that this will lead to the reunification of Japan.
Allusions
The film includes several references to other literary works and themes, such as separation and dreams. The poem read by Sayuri in class is Eiketsu no Asa (永訣の朝, Morning of the Last Farewell) from the poem collection Haru to Shura (春と修羅, Spring and Asura) by well-known Japanese writer Kenji Miyazawa (1896–1933). It was written on the occasion of the premature death of his sister, Toshi Miyazawa (1898–1922). Furthermore, during the summer sequence in the film, Sayuri is seen reading a novel titled The Net Involved in a Dream (夢網; lit. 'Dream Net') by Morishita Sakae. Although the author is fictional, a book of the same name exists by a similarly named poet, Hoshio Sakae.
A reference to the director's previous work is made when Takuya and Hiroki meet at the station. They see a cat which Takuya calls Chobi, the name of the cat from She and Her Cat.
Media
Music
Your voice (きみのこえ, Kimi no koe)
Performed by Ai Kawashima
Lyrics by Makoto Shinkai
Music by Tenmon
Arranged by Tenmon
DVD
The Place Promised in Our Early Days (90 Minutes)
3 Video Interviews with Japanese Cast
Original Japanese Trailer Collection
The Place Promised in Our Early Days (90 Minutes)
3 Video Interviews with Japanese Cast
Original Japanese Trailer Collection
The Place Promised in Our Early Days (Animated Storyboards, 90 Minutes)
Interview with Makoto Shinkai
Animated Gallery 2002 – 2004
35 Still Images
Sheet Music
The Place Promised in Our Early Days (Storyboards, 360 pages)
Manga
A manga adaptation, written by Makoto Shinkai and illustrated by Mizu Sahara, was serialized in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Monthly Afternoon. It began serialization on December 24, 2005, and ended on August 25, 2006, with eight chapters in total.
Novelization
A novelization written by Arata Kanoh was published by Kadokawa on December 26, 2005. It was licensed for English publication by Yen Press in 2020.
Stage adaptation
The film was adapted into a stage play directed by Yuko Naito, with a script by Shigeki Motoiki and music by Masato Komata. It had seven performances from April 20–24, 2018 at Tokyo International Forum Hall C in Tokyo, and two performances on May 2, 2018, at NHK Osaka Hall in Osaka.
The cast included Yudai Tatsumi, Shô Takada, Momoka Ito, Kazuyuki Matsuzawa, Wataru Kozuki, Atsuko Asano.
Awards
Special Distinction (Feature Film category) – Seoul Comics and Animation Festival 2005
Jury Selection in the 9th Japan Media Arts Festival
Silver Prize on Best Animated Film Section (by audience choice) of Public Prize – Canada Fantasia Film Festival 2005
Award for Art in Seiun Award – 44th Japanese SF Convention
Best Animation Film – Mainichi Film Awards 2004
Award for Expression Technique (for Trailer #1) – Tokyo International Anime Fair 2003
