The Place Promised in Our Early Days

"Against all odds, a promise will be kept."

2004 1h 30m JA

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 572

AnimationAdventureDramaRomanceWarScience Fiction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In a post-war alternative timeline, Japan is divided into the North, controlled by the Union, and the South, controlled by the United States. A mysterious high tower rises within the borders of the Union. Three high school students promise to cross the border with a self-built airplane and unravel the secret of the tower.

“Against all odds, a promise will be kept.”

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Cast

Hidetaka Yoshioka
Hiroki Fujisawa (voice)
Masato Hagiwara
Takuya Shirakawa (voice)
Yuuka Nanri
Sayuri Sawatari (voice)
Unsho Ishizuka
Okabe (voice)
Kazuhiko Inoue
Tomizawa (voice)
Risa Mizuno
Maki Kasahara (voice)
Hidenobu Kiuchi
Arisaka (voice)
Masami Iwasaki
Emishi Seisakujo Koin / Eki Shanai Announce / Byoin Incho (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Makoto Shinkai
Writers: Makoto Shinkai, Makoto Shinkai
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

90 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 22 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Makoto Shinkai, shot by Makoto Shinkai. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Tenmon. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Makoto Shinkai shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Hidetaka Yoshioka and Masato Hagiwara and Yuuka Nanri carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Against all odds, a promise will be kept.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0381348 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Makoto Shinkai directs. Makoto Shinkai behind the camera. Tenmon scores. Makoto Shinkai cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released 22 years ago.
3Directed by Makoto Shinkai, shot by Makoto Shinkai. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Tenmon. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Makoto Shinkai shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Hidetaka Yoshioka and Masato Hagiwara and Yuuka Nanri carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Against all odds, a promise will be kept.".
8IMDB entry: tt0381348 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 8 themes, including "airplane", "violin", "adult animation", "alternate timeline".
10Released under 15 different titles around the world.