The feature film debut from Makoto Shinkai, the acclaimed director of Weathering With You and Your Name., is a haunting and beautiful story of friendship and loss, with stunning visuals and an emotional approach to science fiction that would become the director’s trademark. In an alternate post-war Japan, three teenagers become obsessed with a mysterious tower across the Union border, which reaches far into the sky. Hiroki and Takuya work on a makeshift airplane, which they promise their friend Sayuri they will use to visit the tower together someday, but she disappears before it is completed. Several years later, the tower suddenly activates, starting a phenomenon that threatens the world. And the young men now discover their long-lost friend Sayuri may hold the key to it all…
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Video Quality
The Place Promised In Our Early Days comes to Blu-Ray from Shout! Factory and GKIDS with a lovely and vivid 1080p transfer. The colors present in these environments are rendered perfectly within this transfer with the wide range of hues capturing the gentle nuances. The textures of the character designs and the environments are another notable achievement as the film seizes a real sense of depth. The character designs are all very natural and distinct without veering into caricature to echo the grounded nature of the emotions, if not the narrative itself. The level of detail these animators put into their environments is readily apparent. There are moments here and there which indicate that this anime was created a while ago in a stylistic sense, but there are no age-related anomalies compromising the animation. Black levels are incredibly strong with no hint of compression artifacts or digital anomalies of the sort. This is simply a beautiful looking Blu-Ray presentation.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless track presented here in its original Japanese and dubbed English with optional English, English SDH and Spanish subtitles. These tracks offer a lovely sounding experience that brings the story to life in a really pleasing manner. Dialogue comes through crystal clear at all times without being overshadowed by any of the action sounds that grow in intensity as we reach the climax. There are some really fun panning effects in the rear channels that add a nice layer to the story. The emotional score is precise in its placement throughout the room as it envelops the audience like a gentle hug. The track employs some notable activity in the low end when the things get a little more kinetic. There is also a nice amount of sonic detail in the surround channels as the sound of various locations spring to life. This is a stellar sounding release that should more than please fans of the film.
Special Features
- Interviews with Japanese Voice Cast: A 33-minute assortment of vintage interviews with the three main Japanese voice cast members in which they discuss distinct traits of their characters, how they felt upon learning they were going to be involved with the film, what it was like working with director Makoto Shinkai, the actual mechanics of voice acting, funny moments from the production, favorite moments within the story, how they connect emotionally with the narrative and more.
- Interview with Director Makoto Shinkai: A 13-minute vintage interview with Shinkai in which he discusses how it felt going from working by himself on Voices From A Distant Star to working with a team on this project, how his style has evolved and been refined both artistically and narratively, the process of finding the right vocal performers for his characters, how it felt working with certain legends, why scenery is so important to him, the desire to nail the parting line and more.
- Trailer Collection: A seven-minute collection of three trailers is provided here.
Final Thoughts
The Place Promised In Our Early Days is a very touching and tender story of friendship which is complemented by some larger-than-life events that serve to deepen the humanity of the narrative. This feature-length debut from Makoto Shinkai is impressive by any measure, deftly balancing spectacle with emotion in a manner befitting a much more established talent. Shout! Factory and GKIDS have released a Blu-Ray with a terrific A/V presentation and an assortment of incisive supplemental material. If you are a fan of the filmmaker or just looking for an easy entry point into the world of anime, this is a great way to spend your time. Recommended
The Place Promised In Our Early Days is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Shout! Factory and GKIDS have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.