Amidst a beautiful sunset, Shu is violently whisked away to a grim future devoid of water, and empty of hope; a place where children are forced to become soldiers, and kill countless others in the name of King Hamdo. Shu's companion is a mysterious girl named La La Ru, who may hold the key to survival. Now, he must concentrate on the only things that matter: escaping Hellywood, and finding a way home.
With their father serving overseas in the Navy towards the end of the World War 2, Seita and his younger sister Setsuko are living as normally as they can. One day during a firebomb raid on the city their mother suffers fatal wounds and the two siblings' lives are turned upside down as they go to live with a relative. After suffering the cruel treatment of their aunt, who makes it clear that their very presence is a nuisance, Seita and Setsuko decide to leave and go to live in an abandoned bomb shelter. With no one else to rely on, Seita and Setsuko try their hardest to live from day to day. Though when food becomes ever more scarce and no one is willing to sell what little provisions they have, life for the pair is increasingly difficult. Then when Setsuko falls ill, Seita begins to realize just how fragile life is...
Both NTHT and Grave of the Fireflies touch upon harsh parts of our world such as war and child abuse. Both show the scars these things leave behind and bring the mood down.
Grave of the Fireflies and Now and Then, Here and There are must sees for anybody. Not just for anime fans, but for anyone that yearns to feel. They both deal with sad themes, and you become enthralled by the burdens of the characters and the heaviness of the plot. Both of these shows will make you appreciate life a litle bit more and give you plenty to think about for years to come.
So you like depressing stories about war? You should see Grave of the Fireflies, perhaps the saddest anime- no, the saddest movie of any kind I've seen. It's a must see, showing the effects of WWII on Japan, but be warned, it'll ruin your mood for the rest of the day.
Both productions provide a truly emotional experience. They are stories of the suffering and pain during times of war. Both tell of the inevitable sacrifices one must make in order to survive in those rough and hopeless times.
What those two have in common? War, a sad serious story and awesome storytelling. I enjoyed every second of each anime even though i cried in the end. That's all that I can say. Beautiful masterpieces in every aspect! Watch them both!
You want to be really sad? And you want to feel like you just learned something while you're at it? You want to cry in the most profound and gut-wrenching manner possible? If you've just watched either Grave of the Fireflies or Now and Then, Here and There and want more of that powerful sadness, you will absolutely love the other. They essentially work in the same way, portraying gripping dilemmas that leave no way out but tragedy whilst simultaneously showing some of the triumphs of the human spirit. Not only that, these shows are equally good - yes, there are two such astoundingly tragic and effective anime.
Both Grave of Fireflies and Now and Then, Here and There are fantastic pieces of work that expose the horrors of war and its effect on innocent children. Both are about the loss of innocence and are told through the eyes of society's most vulnerable victims. If you liked one, you would definitely like the other.
Now and Then, Here and There is basically a fantasy version of Grave of the Fireflies with more physical cruelty, about as much psychological cruelty and just a little less emotional impact. If you loved one of these, and for some reason want to expose yourself to a similar heartwrenching, cruel story, give this anime a try.
Both extremely depressing (melancholy is far to whimsical a word) tales of the brutality of war.
If you "enjoyed" one, for lack of a better word, you should definently check out the other.
Now and Then has the much happier ending though, unsurprisingly
In the not-so-distant future, mankind is at war with itself. The lives of Chise and Shuu are torn apart when Chise is chosen to become the ultimate weapon to fight for Japan against their enemies. Death, sadness, and the hardships of love accompany Sai Kano in its grim look at war and its consequences.
It kind of depends on what you are looking for. Both NTHT and SaiKano are very emotional anime, though I'd have to say SaiKano goes a bit too much to the extremes and gets too depressing. Nonetheless, if you are looking for another tear-drawing drama SaiKano and NTHT are two must sees!
Saikano and Now and Then, Here and There are about war and its effect on fighters and civilians alike. While the placing is considerably different, Saikano having a dose of slice of life moments that are almost absent from NTHT and while the first has a strong element of romance that does not feauture in the second there is enough drama and tragedy in both. Saikano is an exercise in sheer depression, NTHT retains some amount of hope amidst the chaos but they akin in that they portray the horrors of war in a believable manner.
Now and Then feels alot like Saikano in many respects - superficial similarities aside, the mood created by the two shows is distinctly familiar to each orther. Both are at times emotional, disturbing, and also strangely uplifting, with a very personal bent. If you're in that kind of mood, I highly recommend these to respective new-comers to either work who want something worth their while.
Both shows feature children used by adults to commit violence, and the toll it takes on everyone involved, in part by twisting the love the teenagers feel for others.
While visiting her grandparents on a remote island, Shiina Tamai, our young protagonist, inadvertently finds a strange star shaped creature, which she names Hoshimaru. This creature, while seemingly harmless and unusual, holds many secrets. As Shiina and her new friend Akira soon find out, their creatures are much more than they seem to be...and against their will, they are thrown into a dangerous and hostile situation of trying to save the world from others who would use their dragonets to enslave it.
Both shows feature overly optimistic characters who seem to be oblivious to the constant death around them. Both shows are drawn in a happy-looking style and could almost fool you into thinking they are upbeat shows, yet prominently feature death, attempted suicide, rape, intense bullying and children mercilessly killing other children.
The plot of Shadow Star Narutaru and Now and Then, Here and There differs considerably but they both feature a very young and highly optimistic led that must face all sorts of ordeals. In both there are horrible events that befall children and force them to kill one another. The violence in SSN is mostly of a psychological nature and comprisesa great doese of insanity while NTHT is more graphic and straight forward. War and harship are the main causes of the traumatic events that take place in NTHT while in SSN there is an impending feeling of paranoia that is never quite explained or dispelled.
If like me, you occasionally like to watch something extremely dark and twisted to brighten your day, I could recommend either or both series to you.
Neither features particularly stunning animation, but both focus entirely on the harrowing story lines. These are two of the darkest and twisted series I think I have ever watched.
Rape, murder and personal strife feature strongly in both and do not make for easy watching, especially in view of the age of the characters involved.
Naruto Uzumaki is a young ninja who bears a great power hidden inside him, a power that has isolated him from the rest of his village. As such, his only dream is to become the Hokage - the most powerful ninja, and leader of the village; but first he needs to graduate! With his inability to perform even the most basic ninja techniques, it seems that all Naruto has going for him is his determination to succeed no matter what. Teamed up with the genius Sasuke, book-smart Sakura, and their team leader Kakashi, Naruto embarks on his quest to become the Hokage. But with outside forces posing a threat to the entire Hidden Leaf village, Naruto discovers that he must become much stronger if he ever wants to realize his dream and protect the friendships he's forged.
Nagamine is a young high school student who lives a fairly typical teenage life: hanging out with friends, attending class, and falling in love with a wonderful boy. But when she enlists in the galactic army, who is desperate for candidates to fight an alien war, she finds herself drifting farther away from her first love, Noboru. In the depths of space, where a simple email takes eight years to be delivered, will their love truly flourish, or simply fade away?