Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku

***Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku*** (今、そこにいる僕, Now and Then, Here and There) is a Japanese anime television series conceived and directed by Akitaro Daichi, with a screenplay by Hideyuki Kurata. It premiered in Japan on the WOWOW television station on October 14, 1999 and ran until January 20, 2000. It was licensed for Region 1 DVD English language release by Central Park Media under their US Manga Corps label. Following the 2009 bankruptcy and liquidation of Central Park Media, ADV Films rescued the series for a boxset re-release on July 7, 2009. However, the ADV re-release is now out of print. The series is available for purchase through iTunes, YouTube and Google Play.

*Now and Then, Here and There* follows a young boy named Shuzo "Shu" Matsutani who, in an attempt to save an unknown girl, is transported to another world which may be the Earth in the far future. The world is desolate and militarized, survival is a daily struggle for displaced refugees, and water is a scarce commodity.

## Synopsis

Shuuzou "Shuu" Matsutani lives his ordinary life in peace. He has friends, a crush, and a passion for kendo. Dejected after losing to his kendo rival, Shuu climbs a smokestack to watch the sunset where he finds Lala-Ru, a quiet, blue-haired girl wearing a strange pendant. Shuu attempts to befriend her, despite her uninterested, bland responses.

However, his hopes are crushed when a woman, accompanied by two serpentine machines, appears out of thin air with one goal in mind: to capture Lala-Ru. Shuu, bull-headed as he is, tries to save his new friend from her kidnappers and is transported to a desert world, unlike anything he has ever seen before. Yet, despite the circumstances, Shuu only thinks of saving Lala-Ru, until he is thoroughly beaten up by some soldiers. As he soon finds out, Lala-Ru can manipulate water and her pendant is the source from which she can bring forth the liquid, a scarce commodity in his new environment. But now, the pendant is lost, and Shuu is the prime suspect.

*Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku* is the haunting story of a dystopian world, and of Shuu, who has to endure torture, hunger, and the horrors of war to save the lonely girl he found sitting atop a smokestack.

## TV Anime

* Planning - Hiroaki Inoue
* Produced by Shoichi Kumabe, Kazuaki Morijiri
* Director - Heitaro Daichi
* Assistant Director - Nagisa Miyazaki , Makoto Noriza
* Series composition/screenplay - Hideyuki Kurata
* Character design - Atsushi Oizumi
* Concept design - Kenji Yamazaki
* Chief animation director - Rie Nishino
* Art supervision - Hiroshi Kato
* Art Director - Masanobu Nomura, Takamasa Mashiki (Episodes 2, 3, 5-13), Kuniharu Kyoda (Episode 4)
* Art setting - Masahiro Sato
* Color design - Kumi Akiyama
* Director of Photography - Akio Saito
* Editing - Masahiro Matsumura, Miwako Shiboseki (Episodes 2-13)
* Sound director - Kazuya Tanaka
* Music - Taku Iwasaki
* Effect - Minoru Yamada
* Recording - Yasushi Nagura
* Sound production person - Eri Shirasaki
* Music producer - Keiichi Nozaki
* Sound production - Aquatone, Gakuonsha
* Recording Studio - Abaco Creative Studio
* Soundtrack - Victor Entertainment
* Production producer - Kei Fukura, Yoshiyuki Matsuzaki
* Special cooperation - Ryosuke Takahashi
* Production - AIC/ Pioneer LDC

### Soundtrack

Released 1999, the *Now and Then, Here and There* contains seventeen tracks, including the opening and ending sequences. Most of the tracks are performed by Taku Iwasaki (credited as Takumi Iwasaki) with one track performed by Toshio Masuda and one performed by Masuda and Reiko Yasuhara.

## Reception

The show was very well received by critics and also received comparisons to *Grave of the Fireflies*. AnimeOnDVD.com stated *Now and Then, Here and There* is "a wonderfully scripted show, where each line of dialog seems to be said with some larger purpose behind it." Of the events of war, the show continues a "devastating and brutal feel throughout.". Commenting on the realism of the show, reviewer Chris Beveridge stated "The story doesn't flinch from putting people into the situations and resolving them in a way that they’d likely play out in real life." SciFi.com stated the show was "a cruel series with a kindhearted message" that contrasted brutality with a greater message. The review further mentioned:

> Never before in anime have I seen a dead cat used as a motif and a metaphor. But like so many aspects of *Now and Then, Here and There*, this unusual artistic decision is a startling, effective and chilling one.
>
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J!-ENT.com's Dennis A. Amith stated that the series "*shows a perspective of war through the eyes of a young teen. The savagery, the brutality, and how even through darkness, how hope can go a long way. A riveting anime series that is worth watching and even worth owning!*" Anime News Network reviewer Theron Martin called the series "one of the best-written and most emotionally powerful anime series ever made."

## External Link

* *TV Anime "Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku"* Official (AIC - Work introduction page) - Wayback Machine (Archived on August 31, 2013)
* *Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku* *─* Wikipedia **JP**
* *Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku* *─* Wikipedia **EN**