Kumo No Yukou, Yakusoku No Basho (2004) The Place Promised in Our Early Days (DVD)

      I'm not a die-hard fan of the anime genre--more of what you might call a hopeful fan. It's a genre that I want to like, because it puts science fiction and fantasy out there into the world, reconnects me with Japanese (pop) culture, and because I appreciate the craftsmanship involved. But even more than mainstream Hollywood, the world of anime relies heavily on a handful of tired formulae aimed mostly at very young viewers, and because of the relatively low production costs of anime, its crap-to-quality ratio is shockingly high, even by Hollywood's standards. A few directors and their anime have stood out and can pass the "blush test" with serious film fans--Ohtomo with Akira and Steamboy, Oshii's Ghost in the Shell, Arias's Tekon kinkuriito, and of course just about all of Miyazaki's work since the Lupin movies. There are others of course, but sadly, most of it is disposable, at best.
      That's why it's always so nice to encounter an anime that makes me feel like my appreciation of it could benefit from a second viewing. The Place Promised in our Early Days, directed by Makoto Shinkai, is such a movie (a more literal translation of the title would probably be "The Clouds Will Part to Reveal the Land of Promise," but the English title is apropos). It's an alternate history tale about a post-war Japan in which Japan's northern island Hokkaido was occupied and isolated by a mysterious political force called "the Union," which erected a gigantic, mysterious tower that looms over the entire country and feeds the curiosity of two high school friends who plan to build a homemade plane and fly it to the forbidden zone of the tower.
      It's an enigmatic story about youth, divergent lives, and a search for purpose in the world, and if my memories from long-ago readings serve, has interesting parallels with Ray Bradbury's Dandelion Wine. It's also one of the most visually beautiful anime I've ever seen, including Miyazaki's best work. If you're even slightly curious about dabbling in anime, I would recommend Place as an exemplar of what the genre can accomplish.