The Place Promised in Our Early Days

About The Place Promised in Our Early Days

The Place Promised in Our Early Days (雲のむこう、約束の場所) arrives as a drama anime by CoMix Wave (2004), and the premise is easy to summarize. In short: In an alternate timeline, Japan was divided after losing World War II: Hokkaido was annexed by "Union" while Honshu and other southern islands were under US sovereignty. A gigantic yet unexplained tower was constructed at Hokkaido and could be seen clearly from Aomori (the northernmost prefecture of Honshu) across Tsugaru Strait.

Further in, in the summer of 1996, three 9th-graders had made a promise that one day they'll build an aircraft and unravel the tower's mystery, but their project was abandoned after the girl, Sayuri Sawatari. Three years later, Hiroki Fujisawa accidentally found out that Sayuri had been in a coma since then, and he asked Takuya Shirakawa to help him finding a way to revive her. What they don't know yet is that Sayuri's unconsciousness is somehow linked with secrets of the tower and the world.

With drama at the core, character writing and emotional payoff matter more than spectacle. Sayuri Sawatari (Yuuka Nanri) and Hiroki Fujisawa (Hidetaka Yoshioka) are two of the characters you will meet early. This one is best suited to viewers who prefer story and feelings over flashy action. The run is 1 episodes in total, so you know what you are signing up for.

Production & Appeal

Animation is handled by CoMix Wave, so the studio's house style defines how The Place Promised in Our Early Days looks and moves on screen. The drama focus matters here: character writing and emotional payoff matter more than spectacle. With a 6.8/10 score, it is more of a niche pick than a universal crowd-pleaser. On the casting side, Yuuka Nanri voicing Sayuri Sawatari gives the lead role a recognizable voice. Released in 2004, it competed with that season's other new series for attention.