Now and Then, Here and There

Now and Then, Here and There
Promotional image for Now and Then, Here and There depicting Shu and Lala-Ru
Genre	Drama, Military, Science Fiction
Anime
Directed by	Akitaro Daichi
Written by	Hideyuki Kurata
Studio	AIC, Geneon Entertainment
Released	October 14, 1999 – January 20, 2000

Now and Then, Here and There (今、そこにいる僕, Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku) is a thirteen episode anime series directed by Akitaro Daichi and written by Hideyuki Kurata. It premiered in Japan on the WOWOW television station on October 14, 1999 and ran until January 20, 2000. It was licensed for Region 1 DVD English language release by Central Park Media under the US Manga Corps banner.

Now and Then, Here and There follows a young boy named Shūzo "Shu" Matsutani who, in an attempt to save an unknown girl, is transported to another world (the far future of the Earth, shortly before its destruction). The world is desolate and militarized, and water is a scarce commodity.

Plot

While on top of a smoke stack in an industrial park, the main protagonist Shūzo "Shu" Matsutani is transported to another world after attempting to defend an unknown girl, Lala-Ru. Lala-Ru possesses a pendant that has the ability to create and control water.

In this new world, Shu is beaten and interrogated. He is forced to join an army of children and pillage in search of water. He wishes to return home and also find the mysterious girl whom he tried to protect.

Much of the series deals with serious moral questions relating to war, the cost of war, and the exploitation of children.

Characters

• Shūzo 'Shu' Matsutani (松谷修造, Matsutani Shūzō) is a student of kendo and carries a shinai. After being thrust into a new world, he is forced to join the child army of Hellywood. Shu's character is strong-willed, uncompromising, obstinate, and believes that good can come from all situations. Shūzo also appears as a character in the anime Legendz. Voiced by: Akemi Okamura (Japanese); Ed Paul (English)
• Lala-Ru (ララ・ルゥ, Rara Rū) possesses the power to manipulate water and to generate water using her pendant. She is quiet and non-violent (often failing to resist violence against her) and appears to be a child although her age is unknown (she claims to be thousands of years old). She is re-captured by Abelia after escaping to Shu's time at the beginning of the series. Voiced by: Kaori Nazuka (Japanese); Lisa Ortiz (English)
• Hamdo (ハムド, Hamudo), the military leader of Hellywood, is a shrewd but childish and paranoid megalomaniac. He feels a sense of entitlement to the resource of water, and engages in the suppression of any who stand in his way. In a quest to secure water and other resources, Hamdo's army abducts children to use as human capital in his endeavor. Hamdo suffers from uncontrollable bursts of rage. In a gruesome display of his blind emotion, he kills a cat, only to cry over it moments later. Later in the series, Hamdo's lust for water and power begets paranoia and he begins to doubt the loyalty of his advisor. His ultimate fate ironically reflects the biblical verse Matthew 18:5-6. Voiced by: Kouji Ishii (Japanese); Jack Taylor (English)
• Abelia (アベリア, Aberia) is the devoted commanding officer of Hamdo's army. She is a capable military strategist, though Hamdo does not always heed her advice. Abelia thanklessly yields to the whim of her senior. In later episodes, she questions her loyalty to Hamdo, ultimately leaving him to his death. Voiced by: Reiko Yasuhara (Japanese); Dana Halsted (English)
• Nabuca (ナブカ, Nabuka) is the leader of the child army unit Shu is forced to join. Nabuca, just a child himself, devotes himself entirely to the army in the hopes that he will earn a trip to his home. He resents Shu. Nabuca feels ashamed by having his life saved during a fight by Shu. He repeatedly tells himself that what he does is the only thing that will allow him to return home, and this thought is the only thing keeping him going. Voiced by: Yuka Imai (Japanese); Dan Green (English)
• Boo (ブゥ, Bū) is the youngest soldier in Nabuca's unit. He is naive, and like Nabuca, believes he will be sent home after the war. Voiced by: Hiroko Konishi (Japanese); Rachael Lillis (English)
• Sara Ringwalt (サラ・リングワルト, Sara Ringuwaruto) is an American girl who is mistaken for Lala-ru and kidnapped. She is taken to Hellywood where she is regularly raped by the Hellywood soldiers, one whom she murders in self-defense. Sara resents Lala-Ru and blames her solely for the predicament she is in. Unable to cope with the pain of being raped and carrying a child from those rapes, she attempts to commit suicide by drowning herself. She survives through Shu's intervention and grows stronger, deciding to stay in the future with her unborn baby to start a new life. Voiced by: Azusa Nakao (Japanese); Kayzie Rogers (English)
• Tabool (タブール, Tabūru) is a boy soldier in Nabuca's unit who came from the same village as Nabuca. He fashions himself in the image of Hamdo and is uninterested in returning home. He is attracted to the strength of the military, and bullies others in the unit. Voiced by: Akio Suyama (Japanese); Crispin Freeman (English)
• Sis (シス, Shisu) is a respected member of the city-state Zari-Bars. Sis is a caretaker of children who were orphaned as result of the war state. She advocates non-violence. Voiced by: Rica Matsumoto (Japanese); Rachael Lillis (English)
• Alama is the leader of the radical faction at Zari-Bars. His entire family was murdered by Hellywood's soldiers. Periodically, he sends assassins into Hellywood to try to kill King Hamdo. Ironically, Alama's ruthless methods are like those of the man he hates. He seizes Lala-Ru and tries unsuccessfully to use her to negotiate with Hellywood.

Media

Anime

Episode listing

1. A Girl Admiring the Sunset
2. A Boy and a Mad King
3. A Feast in the Dark
4. Discord
5. Murder
6. Disappearance in a Sandstorm
7. Night of Flight
8. Two Lone Souls
9. In the Chasm
10. Prelude to Chaos
11. Eve of Destruction
12. This Bloody Earth
13. Now and Then, Here and There

Soundtrack

Released 1999, the Now and Then, Here and There contains seventeen tracks, including the opening and ending sequences. Most of the tracks are performed by Taku Iwasaki (credited as Takumi Iwasaki) with one track performed by Toshio Masuda and one performed by Masuda and Reiko Yasuhara.

#	Title	Length
1.	Standing in the Sunset Glow	20:16
2.	Decadence	2:35
3.	Run Up	2:34
4.	Rescuer	2:48
5.	The Bottom	2:30
6.	Tears	3:06
7.	Tumbling	3:09
8.	Calmative	4:24
9.	Deadlock	2:21
10.	A Law Deal	2:25
11.	Pazzia	2:34
12.	Miss...	2:47
13.	One Calm	2:42
14.	Fearful Dream	3:30
15.	Here and There	2:38
16.	Ima soko ni iru boku	3:22
17.	In the End...	2:16

Reception

The show was generally well received. AnimeOnDVD.com stated Now and Then, Here and There is "a wonderfully scripted show, where each line of dialog seems to be said with some larger purpose behind it." Of the events of war, the show continues a "devastating and brutal feel throughout." . Commenting on the realism of the show, reviewer Chris Beveridge stated "The story doesn’t flinch from putting people into the situations and resolving them in a way that they’d likely play out in real life." SciFi.com stated the show was "a cruel series with a kindhearted message" that contrasted brutality with a greater message. The review further mentioned:

"Never before in anime have I seen a dead cat used as a motif and a metaphor. But like so many aspects of Now and Then, Here and There, this unusual artistic decision is a startling, effective and chilling one"

J!-ENT.com's Dennis A. Amith stated "Now and Then, Here and There" is an anime series that shows a perspective of war through the eyes of a young teen. The savagery, the brutality and how even through darkness, how hope can go a long way. A riveting anime series that is worth watching and even worth owning!"

See also

• Military use of children

External links

• Official Geneon Entertainment Now and Then, Here and There website Template:Ja icon
• Official AIC Now and Then, Here and There website Template:Ja icon
• Official Central Park Media Now and Then, Here and There website
• Now and Then, Here and There ({{{type}}}) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia