(thing) by Wigs Thu Jan 30 2003 at 11:07:52

"Because ten billion years' time is so fragile, so ephemeral...
it arouses such a bittersweet, almost heartbreaking fondness"

今、そこにいる僕 - Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku (translated loosely as "Now, There I Am"), and also known as "Now and Then, Here and There" is a thirteen episode anime series that was created by Akitaroh Daichi and began airing on the WOWOW satellite station in Japan on October 14, 1999. It aired on Thursday nights between 7:00 and 7:30 with the final episode screening on January 20, 2000.

I was drawn completely into this series when I first saw it. Over the course of two nights I watched it through from start to finish and I remember wandering in almost a daze during the day in between. The series confronts you with things you would rather not think about. It is set in a fantasy world, with mecha and magic, yet the realities of war and the abuse that can come as a result of it are shown with frightening clarity. Most of us like to believe children are immune to some of the more terrible aspects of human nature, and this anime wakes you up to the fact that this isn't the case.

Many point to Grave of the Fireflies as a comparative title, and I think that is an apt choice in so far as they both deal with the impact of war on children. "Now and Then, Here and There" though delves more completely into the depth of human depravity, subtly avoiding the (often unnecessary) details of the acts themselves to concentrate on the repercussions those acts have. I think it is a very faithful portrayal of what trauma can do to children.

Credits

Director: Akitaroh DAICHI - Kodomo no Omocha (Child's Toy)
Writer: Hideyuki KURATA - Excel Saga, Read or Die
Character Designer: Atsushi OHIZUMI
Music: Taku IWASAKI - Rurouni Kenshin, Read or Die
Production: AIC and Pioneer

Episode List

  1. Tasogare wo Mitsumeru Shoujo
  2. Shounen to Kyou-Ou to
  3. Yami no Naka no Utage
  4. Fukyouwaon
  5. Hitogoroshi
  6. Sunaarashi ga Kieru
  7. Nogare no Yoru
  8. Hitori Bocchi no Futari
  9. Hazama ni te
  10. Konton e no Josou
  11. Houkai Zenya
  12. Satsuriku no Daichi
  13. Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku
I like it!