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Now and Then; Here and There

Now and Then; Here and There, is a thought provoking adventure. The story is that of a teenaged boy who is accidentally drawn forward through time to the far distant future. It is a barren world of little water, where a derranged overlord has amassed an army in a fervent attempt to bring the world to "order".

Though the main characters in this story are young people this is a series that is very adult. It uses devices such as torture, sexual violation and cruelty to animals to convey the brutality of the setting. Although these things are present, there is little that is very graphic. In most cases the worst of the violence is told of in the characters' dialogue or only ever alluded to. There is one case of graphic nudity in the series and it is an unglamourous image of a young child who is getting his pants mended.... not much for titilation value there.

One of the ideas explored in the series is the motivation of soldiers. This series shows how even the most average people can be lead to kill. I am not sure why it is that the story has been told primarily though the eyes of children, but it may be because children more freely share their feelings and thus the audience gets more of an idea about their motivations. It also, I think, forces one to feel empathy for them, as children being manipulated into killing people seems so much more pitiable. This is a fresh new perspective to life in a war enviroment.

Although the main character, Shu, isn't the brightest cookie, he has a certain charm that eventually grew on me. His irrepressible optimism is both annoying and yet heartwarming at the same time. His promises to other characters that "everything will be alright" are, ironically, believed less often than dictator Hamdo's propaganda.

Suffice to say, this series is not replete with happy endings. Even as things go right, the little victories seem always tempered with sorrow. I think that the whole point of this series, unlike other series that end on a down note, is that we are left with the sense that no matter how bad things get, so long as you are alive, they can always get better. I could see this being a really good therapy piece for people trying to find their footing in life.

The art and animation in this is really quite cool. Those of you with interests in robots and such may like the robotic serpents that feature in the first episode and later in some of the battle scenes. In general there is a shortage of attractive women in the series, unless you count the spooky-eyed La-La Ru. This niche is filled primarily by Abelia, Hamdo's faithful second in charge. As far as attractive male characters go, you may be out of luck, unless you like young boys. There is only one attractive grown up male character, in my opinion, and his role is brief.

This is a fabulous series. I can only begin to scratch the surface of the questions it asks. By having such an abstract setting we get to see the story for what it is and not be bewildered by technology or science. This is a story about people and the human condition. I would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in mature animation with daring themes and endearing characters.

Overall Rating: 8
Animation:8 Plot:9 Humor:4 Sound Track:8
Weight: 40 (Reputable Vote)
Date: 03/24/2003 08:52:05 pm PST
By: Erebus
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=114289

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