Forum - View topicMy final thoughts on Now and Then, Here and There (spoilers)
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taoofjord
 Posts: 42 |
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So after finishing Heat Guy J I immediately started watching this. It was so gripping that I finished it all this morning.
It's easy to understand why it's considered one of the classics of anime. But I can also see why it's not more popular in the anime community too. It's obviously a very dark and very uncomfortable story. It's similar to Berserk in how brutal it can be. That said, spoiler[ my main problem with the anime was the action scenes involving the main character. The fact that Shu can fall from a cliff or a platform and survive every time really took me out of the story. The fact that he can dodge bullets and take down an empire with just a stick really hurt the emotional impact of the show. Because of this, I found Sara's story much more compelling. When she murdered the soldier it felt real and was done perfectly. Her story was completely grounded in reality and as such, it was easy to sympathize with her. The superhuman Shu really brought the show down a notch for me and it's truly a shame. The animation, cinematography, music, voice acting (japanese), pacing, story, and translation is truly top notch stuff. I don't think any line of dialogue was wasted and I think every character was perfect. Truly, the only flaw in this film lies in the fact that Shu just doesn't fit in with the rest of the show.] As such, I'd consider it a 9/10 or one step under a masterpiece (reserved for Cowboy Bebop, Grave of the Fireflies, and many Miyazaki films). It's an excellent show that I think anyone should have in their collection if they can handle the dark nature of the story. [EDIT: Added spoiler tags for you just in case. -TK] |
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Kelly
Posts: 868 Location: New York City |
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Yes, it's certainly one of the most powerful anime I've ever seen. I also think it has a little more rewatch value than Grave of the Fireflies because it does have a few rays of hope, although I still doubt it's a title that alot of people have in their dvd players constantly.
spoiler[The scenes with Sara that you mentioned, as well as Nabuca's whole story, were some of the most gutwrenching scenes I've seen in anime. As for Shu, I wonder if that had to do with the fact that they wanted an action hero to drag in the all-important young male demographic. I do think his stick was a very important part of the story. His significance as a character was his insistance on changing things without killing anyone. Nabuca is what he would have become with a gun. ] |
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Zalis116
Moderator
 Posts: 6905 Location: Kazune City |
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I even have a mini-story to go behind Now and Then, Here and There--I borrowed Texhnolyze from a friend last summer, watched it, and I wanted to move on to NTHT because I had had the DVDs for a few months and had heard it was very good. Unfortunately, after finishing Tx, I decided I couldn't jump straight into another super-depressing anime, so I burned through Rune Soldier first
For NTHT, I do agree that it's a great title that fans of serious anime shouldn't miss. It's not afraid to "go there" on the disturbing elements like violence and rape. There's nothing stylized about the violence, either. It's sci-fi, but still shows the realities of war, and that the soldiers are mostly chilren just adds to the weight of the experience. I also like that Hamdo really pushes the limits of insanity and cruelty, in an over-the-top, nothing-held-back way. Plenty to cry over, as well. As a side note, I think it is a good idea to include spoiler tags if you want people to read your general comments about a series and look into it for themselves. I've been interested in Heat Guy J for awhile, but I'm hesitant to read your other thread because of the spoilers. // To clarify: If you only want to discuss a series with the people who've seen it and know everything about it, then it's fine to say, "[Series Title] (spoilers)" in the topic. But if you think that a series is good and want to expose it to people who haven't seen it, then it's a better idea to make some comments about why it's so cool and keep the key plot details behind spoilers. Last edited by Zalis116 on Fri Jul 21, 2006 2:25 am; edited 1 time in total |
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taoofjord
Posts: 42 |
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I'm new to this forum so maybe I don't understand but why should I blackout spoilers when I said that there are spoilers in the thread's title? I'm confused. |
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tomcat
Posts: 85 Location: Orange,California |
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N. and T.,H and T is such a strong series, that I often wonder why It hasn't picked and aired on Adult Swim yet. Everyone who's been offered by a friend a copy of this series, should grab it up and watch every minute that you can. You're missing a great anime untill then.
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taoofjord
Posts: 42 |
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It's obvious why it hasn't been picked up by Adult Swim. Extreme violence towards children and rape is not something that goes over well in America. |
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dormcat
Encyclopedia Editor
 Posts: 9903 Location: New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC |
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It's called netiquette. You don't have to say "please" or "thank you" in every sentence you speak, but they make others think you more polite and take it easier on you. |
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taoofjord
Posts: 42 |
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PantsGoblin
 SubscriberEncyclopedia Editor  Posts: 2969 Location: L.A. |
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I highly doubt that's the reason since Adult Swim shows some other pretty offensive shows. Main reason, as I see it, is because, although it has action, it is not shown in a good light at all. People who watch AS want cool action and cool characters. A main character who uses a stick and believes in non-violence... just wouldn't do well. Mainly "style" is the point here, and NTHT just doesn't have it. Doesn't matter to me though... Now and Then, Here and There is a masterpiece on its own anyway. |
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free2slap
 Posts: 210 Location: New York |
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this anime can't come out in adult swim because it wouldn't appeal to just everybody. the theme of this anime may comes about war and stuff but it is too depressing and something that depressing it's hard to attract the audience. sincerely i've watched it and i didn't like it because there were too many flaws and one of them was just like "taoofjord" had mentioned. and also because i think the characters dragged down the plot, especially shuu as he is too naive. and instead of getting emotional, i was just mad.
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Swissman
Posts: 800 Location: Switzerland |
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NTHT must have been inspired by the Miyazaki classic Mirai Shounen Conan. Conan was also a kind of a optimistic supernatural boy. Seen under this light, it didn't surprise me that Shu was a really naive and "tough" boy who seemed to be out of place in such a cruel war SF story. If he wouldn't be like that, the connection to Conan would be less obvious. |
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taoofjord
Posts: 42 |
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Well, I see why they made him a naive and tough boy. He optimistic attitude gives us hope that it will all turn out fine in the end. The story really would have been too depressing if not for that naive optimisim. So yeah, that's not what bothered me about him. It's just his ability to take an immense beating, have a ridiculous amount of luck (suriving multiple falls for example), and being able to fight even the toughest enemies, like abelia. I don't mind lucky characters but he was lucky too often which detracted from the sense of a brutal reality the series created. It was a bit too contrived in my opinion. I still loved it though. One of the best animes I've seen. |
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Webki
 Posts: 299 Location: Albany, NY |
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First let me say sorry for bringing this back from the second page. However, in all the forums I have ever been on, the etiquette was to always post in an existing topic if it fit.
Back on point: I can't pinpoint what it was for me, but something made me not enjoy this anime as much as I think I should have. Though, now that the OP mentions it, I think it may have been Shu. He seemed like a good character in the start, full of flaws that needed to be corrected; but around episode 8 I said to myself, "Wow, his character hasn't changed at all." Lala Ru, who barely ever spoke, made more character development (come to think of it, she actually developed a lot). However, I will admit that when Sara spoiler[had to murder that soldier so brutally... and even before that when she was dragged into that room, well, you knew what was going on, and it disgusted you. Then the fact that she gets pregnant toward the end and tries to end her life, it was so very real and emotional.] So that part I really liked. Overall, I can't possible put this into my top ten, but I will recommend it for a one time watch. |
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