is a thirteen episode anime

Anime

is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

 series directed by Akitaro Daichi

Akitaro Daichi

is an anime director, producer, and photography director.-Biography:Akitaro Daichi is a native of Gunma Prefecture and a graduate of Tokyo Polytechnic University...

 and written by Hideyuki Kurata. The story was originally conceived by director Daichi. It premiered in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 on the WOWOW

WOWOW

WOWOW was the first private satellite broadcasting and pay TV station in Japan. It has its headquarters on the 21st floor of the Akasaka Park Building in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo...

 television station on October 14, 1999 and ran until January 20, 2000. It was licensed for Region 1 DVD

DVD

A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....

 English language release by Central Park Media

Central Park Media

Central Park Media was an American multimedia entertainment company based in New York City, New York, that was active in the distribution of East Asian cinema, television series, anime, manga and manhwa titles in North America prior to its bankruptcy in 2009...

 under the US Manga Corps banner. Following the 2009 bankruptcy and liquidation of Central Park Media, ADV Films

A.D. Vision

A.D. Vision was an American international multimedia entertainment company headquartered in Houston, Texas, prior to its collapse and distress sale to four other Houston-based companies in 2009...

 picked up the series for a release on July 7, 2009. As of Sept. 1, 2009, the series is licensed by ADV's successor, AEsir Holdings, with distribution from Section23 Films

Section23 Films

Section23 Films is an American home video distribution company specializing in anime and Japanese films. The company is one of five successors to ADV Films, as well as the distributor of titles from Sentai Filmworks and Switchblade Films. ADV had announced that it had sold its assets to a group of...

.

Now and Then, Here and There follows a young boy named Shuzo "Shu" Matsutani who, in an attempt to save an unknown girl, is transported to another world which is possibly the Earth in the far future. The world is desolate and militarized, and water is a scarce commodity.

Plot

While walking home "Shu", the main protagonist

Protagonist

A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...

 sees a person on top of a smoke stack in an industrial park

Industrial park

An industrial park is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development...

 where he used to hang out as a young child, Shuzo tries numerous attempts to communicate with the young girl but she is rather emotionless and quiet. After decoding her name from her lips (Lala Ru) the only other piece of information he finds out about her is her love of watching sunsets. Suddenly there is an explosion and time stops, he finds himself defending Lala Ru from abductors. He is caught in the transportation to another world after attempting to defend the unknown girl. Lala-Ru possesses a pendant containing (somehow) a vast reservoir of water and she has the ability to control that water.

Shu discovers the new world, a harsh and deserted landscape and he is beaten and interrogated inside the war ship ordered by the ruthless, psychotic dictator, Hamdo. While in prison he also meets another abducted person called Sara Ringwalt who came from America and was mistaken for Lala Ru. Sara goes through extremely horrific experiences and eventually becomes on edge frightened with fear. Shu is forced to join an army of children and pillage join the soldiers kidnapping villagers for breeding, and conscription into the ever dwindling ranks of Hamdo's army. Shu wishes to return home as well as rescuing the mysterious girl whom he tried to protect.

Although it may seem like it at first, this is not a lighthearted series. Much of the series deals with serious moral issues relating to war

War

War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...

, the consequences of war, rape

Rape

Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...

, democide

Democide

Democide is a term revived and redefined by the political scientist R. J. Rummel as "the murder of any person or people by a government, including genocide, politicide, and mass murder." Rummel created the term as an extended concept to include forms of government murder that are not covered by the...

, human brutality and the exploitation of children

Military use of children

The military use of children takes three distinct forms: children can take direct part in hostilities , or they can be used in support roles such as porters, spies, messengers, look outs, and sexual slaves; or they can be used for political advantage either as human shields or in...

.

Characters

• is a student of kendo
  Kendo
  , meaning "Way of The Sword", is a modern Japanese martial art of sword-fighting based on traditional Japanese swordsmanship, or kenjutsu.Kendo is a physically and mentally challenging activity that combines strong martial arts values with sport-like physical elements.-Practitioners:Practitioners...
  
   and carries a shinai
  Shinai
  is a weapon used for practice and competition in kendo representing a Japanese sword. Shinai are also used in other martial arts, but may be styled differently from kendo shinai, and represented with different characters....
  
  , though he fights primarily with a wooden stick, which also is a motif for his non-lethal combat style. After being thrust into a new world and brutally interrogated, 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. His devotion to protect Lala-Ru is one of the main aspects of the story. His experiences and interactions with Lala-Ru, Hamdo, and Nabuca open his eyes to the new world. Despite overwhelming odds, he retains his principles of not killing and of believing that good will still come while one is alive. After saving the world by convincing Lala-Ru that people are good, Shu is sent back home by a reformed Abelia. Shūzo also appears as a character in the anime Legendz
  Legendz
  is a role-playing game, an anime, a toy, card game, and manga series.The manga is illustrated by Makoto Haruno and the story is by Rin Hirai . The manga was published in Shueisha's Monthly Shōnen Jump in Japan, and the manga is published in English by Viz Media...
  
  .

• possesses the power to manipulate water using a pendant containing a now nearly-depleted water reservoir, which is directly tied to her physical strength and health. 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). Due to her long and disillusioned experience with humans, she feels little to no emotions with them. Her relationship with Shu changes her to be more protective and open with Shu and Sis; Shu for risking his life despite being in a foreign land as well as knowing nothing about her, and Sis for treating her like a daughter despite not knowing her very long. After using her power to flood Hellywood and parts of the world with water she soon vanished from existence right next to Shu after seeing the sunset for the last time.

• , the military leader of Hellywood, is a shrewd but childish, paranoid megalomaniac. He feels a sense of entitlement to water, an essential resource in his plans to rule the Earth, that leads to an obsession with the mysterious Lala-ru and the suppression of any who stand in his way. In a quest to secure water and other resources needed for his ultimate goal, Hamdo's army abducts children and other villagers to use as human capital in his endeavor. Hamdo suffers from uncontrollable bursts of rage
  Rage (emotion)
  Rage is a feeling of intense anger. It is associated with the Fight-or-flight response and oftentimes activated in response to an external cue, such as the murder of a loved one. The phrase, 'thrown into a fit of rage,' expresses the immediate nature of rage that occurs before deliberation. If left...
  
  . In a gruesome display of his blind emotion, he kills a cat, only to throw it on the ground & step on it later while interrogating Shu. Later in the series, Hamdo's lust for water and power begets paranoia
  Paranoia
  Paranoia [] is a thought process believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of irrationality and delusion. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concerning a perceived threat towards oneself...
  
   and he begins to doubt the loyalty of his advisor. He died at the end of the series when he drowned in the transport chamber.

• 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. By the series' end, she'd given up on supporting Hamdo's ambitions and leaves him to die amidst the chaos of his eroding empire. She then joins the free world to establish a peaceful future alongside them.

• is the leader of the child army unit Shu is forced to join. He resents Shu and sees him as a troublemaker. He feels ashamed for Shu having saved his life during a fight. Nabuca, just a child himself, devotes himself entirely to the army in the hopes that he will someday be allowed to return to his home. He repeatedly tells himself that what he does is the only thing that will enable him to return home, and this thought is the only thing keeping him going. Once Boo dies trying to protect him, he eventually comes to realize all too late the nature of his actions and has a sudden change of heart. In the last episode, he is betrayed and mortally wounded by Tabool, one of the boys in his unit. After painfully making his way to the jail cell where Shu is being kept with other prisoners from Zari-Bars, he tells Shu to go back to where he came from and that it is where he belongs. He dies immediately after in the arms of Shu who holds him through the prison cell bars.

• is the youngest soldier in Nabuca's unit and his closest companion. He is naïve, and like Nabuca, believes he will be sent home after the war. Boo dies during the invasion of Zari-Bars in episode 12 where he takes a bullet for Nabuca.

• is an American girl who is mistaken for Lala-Ru and is kidnapped on her way to pick up her father from work. She is taken to Hellywood where she is regularly raped by the Hellywood soldiers, one of whom she murders in self-defense. After escaping from Hellywood, she is rescued from the desert sands by Sis who brings her to Zari-Bars. 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 as a result of her ordeal, she attempts to commit suicide and abort the baby by pounding a rock into her abdomen. Shu, however, intervenes, taking the blows of the rock on his hand which he uses to cover her abdomen. Sis' dying request that she not hate the faultless baby changes Sara's mind and she decides to stay in the future with her unborn baby, Sis' orphans, and ex-Hellywood child soldiers to start a new life.

• is a boy soldier in Nabuca's unit who came from the same village as Nabuca. He appears captivated with the actions of Hamdo and his war and is uninterested in returning home. He is attracted to the strength of the military, and bullies others in the unit. In the final episode, he shoots and mortally wounds Nabuca, and not long after, he apparently dies while trying to survive Hellywood's destruction by Lala-Ru's flood.

• is a tough and respected member of the city-state Zari-Bars. She acts as a caretaker and stand-in mother for the children who were orphaned as result of the war state. She advocates non-violence. When Sis tries to stop Elamba from taking Lala-Ru hostage, she is shot in the leg and dies in the final episode from the bleeding.

• 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, Elamba's ruthless methods resemble those of the man he hates. He seizes Lala-Ru and tries unsuccessfully to use her to negotiate with Hellywood. This ends with him being sprayed by bullets and falling to his death.

• Soon is a quiet young girl living with Sis and the orphans in Zari-Bars. She spends many days separated from the other children her age in hopes that her father may one day return. Little does she know that her father was one of Elamba's assassins that died at the hands of Nabuca and the other Hellywood soldiers. In the meanwhile, she begins to open up to both Shu and Lala-Ru, requesting that they stay even when the radicals of the village turn against them. When she overhears Nabuca admit to killing the assassins, Soon attempts to kill Nabuca with a rifle but fails to do so due to Boo's self-sacrifice. Nabuca, horrified and almost reflexively shoots her to death in return.

Cast

Character	Japanese	English
Shuzo "Shu" Matsutani	Akemi Okamura Akemi Okamura is a Japanese voice actress and narrator from Tokyo who works for Mausu Promotion. She has had at least one song appear on the NHK program Minna no Uta. Okamura made her debut as Fio Piccolo in the 1992 film Porco Rosso.-Television Animation:...	Ted Lewis Ted Lewis (voice actor) Ted Lewis is an American voice actor who does work for 4kids Entertainment, Central Park Media, DuArt Film and Video, NYAV Post. Primarily, he is involved with anime dub voice work...
Lala-Ru	Kaori Nazuka Kaori Nazuka is a freelance voice actress and singer. She is a graduate of the Toho Gakuen College of Drama and Music. She also announced that she got married in February 2011.-TV anime:1999:*Ojarumaru...	Lisa Ortiz Lisa Ortiz Lisa Ortiz is an American theatre and voice actress, best known for her roles in English anime adaptations. She is perhaps best known for the roles of the high-elf Deedlit in Record of Lodoss War, Lina Inverse in Slayers, and Tony Tony Chopper in One Piece...
Hamdo	Koji Ishii Koji Ishii is a Japanese voice actor currently affiliated with Vi-Vo.-Notable voice roles:*Chief Koutarou Taiga in The King of Braves GaoGaiGar and The King of Braves GaoGaiGar FINAL*Kimura-sensei in Azumanga Daioh*Jose Collins in A.D...	Jack Taylor
Abelia	Reiko Yasuhara Reiko Yasuhara Reiko Yasuhara is a Japanese singer and voice actress. She was a member of the group Shoujotai .-Voice roles:*Animation Runner Kuromi *Ashita no Nadja...	Dana Halsted
Nabuca	Yuka Imai Yuka Imai is a freelance female Japanese voice actress who was previously represented by Gekidan Moonlight.-Anime:*Bakusou Kyoudai Let's & Go!! *Banner of the Stars *Boys Be.....	Dan Green Dan Green (voice actor) Daniel Alexander Green , is an American voice actor, voice director and script adapter who has worked for 4Kids Entertainment, DuArt Film and Video, NYAV Post and Central Park Media...
Boo	Hiroko Konishi Hiroko Konishi is a Japanese voice actress. She is currently not affiliated with any production, and has largely retired from voice acting.- Notable voice roles :* Aida Rion in Agent Aika* Nene Romanova in Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040...	Rachael Lillis Rachael Lillis Rachael Lillis is an American actress and voice actress. She studied acting in Boston and New York City and has appeared in various theater and independent films....
Sara Ringwalt	Azusa Nakao	Kayzie Rogers Kayzie Rogers Kayzie Rogers is an American voice actress. She is best known for her work in animated television series....
Tabool	Akio Suyama Akio Suyama is a Japanese voice actor.-Notable anime and video game voice roles:* Perio/Pete in Dōbutsu no Mori , the film adaptation of the Animal Crossing video game series.* Ichiro Ogami in Sakura Wars* Hokuto's Lackey in Cromartie High School...	Crispin Freeman Crispin Freeman Crispin McDougal Freeman is an American voice actor, and Mythology scholar. His roles have included Alucard from Hellsing, Kyon from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Karasu from Noein, Togusa from Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, as Holland Novak from Eureka Seven, Touga Kiriyu in...
Sis	Rica Matsumoto Rica Matsumoto is a Japanese voice actress and J-pop singer who was born in Yokohama, Japan. Her name is also sometimes romanized as Rika Matsumoto. She was one of the original members of the popular vocal group JAM Project. After the way of the stage, she embarked on voice acting and a singing career...	Rachael Lillis Rachael Lillis Rachael Lillis is an American actress and voice actress. She studied acting in Boston and New York City and has appeared in various theater and independent films....
Elamba	Hisoka Yamamoto	Scottie Ray Scottie Ray Scottie Ray , sometimes credited as Scott Rayow, is a voice actor who normally voices characters for properties of 4Kids Entertainment, Central Park Media and NYAV Post...
Soon	Ayaka Saitō Ayaka Saito is a Japanese voice actress who voiced Momiji Sohma in Fruits Basket, Tomoka Rana Jude in Girls Bravo, and Mitsukuni Haninozuka in Ouran High School Host Club.-TV anime:*Boogiepop Phantom as Akane Kojima...	Kerry Williams Kerry Williams Kerry Williams is a voice actress who works on the properties of 4Kids Entertainment.Kerry Williams grew up in the Tidewater area of Virginia and has worked in Florida, Japan and California as a dancer prior to pursuing a Seiyū career in New York City.She is most famous for voicing Nami in One...
Kazam	Unknown	Tony Salerno Tony Salerno Tony Salerno is an American voice actor, ADR director and scriptwriter who has worked with 4Kids Entertainment, Central Park Media and TAJ Productions. He often works as actor or staff crew on anime dubs. He is also credited as Agent Zero, Anthony Salerno and Anthony Haden Salerno...
Zari Bars Doctor	Chō Cho Cho or CHO can refer to several things:Cho can refer to the following people, real or fictional:-People:Given name* Cho Ramaswamy, an actor, columnist, and political commentator in Tamil Nadu, India* Cho U, a Chinese Go playerSurname...	Tony Salerno Tony Salerno Tony Salerno is an American voice actor, ADR director and scriptwriter who has worked with 4Kids Entertainment, Central Park Media and TAJ Productions. He often works as actor or staff crew on anime dubs. He is also credited as Agent Zero, Anthony Salerno and Anthony Haden Salerno...
Oda	Unknown	Greg Abbey

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

Taku Iwasaki

is a Japanese composer and arranger. His hometown is Tokyo, Japan. He is a graduate of Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. Iwasaki is generally known for his jazz-like score music.-Anime:...

 (credited as Takumi Iwasaki) with one track performed by Toshio Masuda and one performed by Masuda and Reiko Yasuhara

Reiko Yasuhara

Reiko Yasuhara is a Japanese singer and voice actress. She was a member of the group Shoujotai .-Voice roles:*Animation Runner Kuromi *Ashita no Nadja...

.

#	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 Raw 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.	今,そこにいる僕 (Ima soko ni iru boku)	3:22
17.	子守歌... (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 that the series "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!" Anime News Network

Anime News Network

Anime News Network is an anime industry news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, Japanese popular music and other otaku-related culture within North America, Australia and Japan. Additionally, it sometimes features similar happenings throughout the Anglosphere and elsewhere in the...

reviewer Theron Martin called the series "one of the best-written and most emotionally powerful anime series ever made."

External links

• Official Geneon Entertainment Now and Then, Here and There website
• Official AIC Now and Then, Here and There website
• Official Central Park Media Now and Then, Here and There website