Posted by Saddletank on 12.26.2007, 05:43 AM:
That's a pretty fair thumbnail. From Wiki:
(NOT MANY SPOILERS, BUT SOME - NOTHING CRITICAL COZ I EDITED IT)
The setting.
The story takes place in Japan during the late 1990s in an alternate timeline. Though it is not directly explained in the film, the world in the anime apparently diverges from Japan's in the decades following World War II. In 1974, Japan underwent the Separation: the southern part, including the main islands of Honshū and Kyūshū, were occupied by the United States, while the northern island, Hokkaidō (or Ezo, as it is called in the anime), was occupied by the "Union" (presumably referring to the Soviet Union). Also in that same year, the Union began the construction of a strange tower on Hokkaido designed by a scientist named Ekusun Tsukinoe. On a clear day, the incredible height of the tower makes it visible from as far away as Tokyo.
By the 1990s when the story begins, the U.S. occupation of southern Japan has ended, and the two nations have formed a pact called the Alliance. Hokkaido remains under the control of the Union; contact between the North and the South is all but suspended; and border clashes are common. An underground group committed to reunifying Japan known as the Uilta Liberation Front exists in the South. Covertly supported by some Alliance government officials, it makes incursions into and executes attacks on Union territory.
The early days.
The anime follows the story of three friends living in Aomori on the northern end of southern Japan: two boys, Hiroki Fujisawa and Takuya Shirakawa, both child prodigies; and one girl, Sayuri Sawatari. In 1996, the three are in eighth grade, their last year of middle school, and they are fascinated by the Hokkaido Tower visible across the Tsugaru Strait to the north.
On the last day before spring break, one of Sayuri's friends, Kana Matsuura, confesses to Takuya that she has romantic feelings for him, but he does not return her feelings. Takuya tells Hiroki that he should date Kana instead, but Hiroki declines, as he is actually romantically interested in Sayuri. Hiroki stays after school for archery practice while Sayuri stays after school for violin practice; they ride the train home together and get to know each other, and Sayuri becomes close friends with the two boys.
The two boys have found a crashed Maritime Self-Defense Force drone plane. Naming it the Bella Ciela, they work on rebuilding the plane, scrounging parts from their (after-school and holidays) workplace, the Emishi Manufacturing factory, with the help of their boss, Mr. Okabe. The three teenagers promise to one day fly to Hokkaido to visit the Tower. However, before they can do this, Sayuri mysteriously disappears during the summer.
Three years later.
Takuya and Hiroki have stopped working on the plane, having taken different paths after the grief they suffered at Sayuri's disappearance. Although only in high school, the brilliant Takuya is working as a physicist at an Alliance scientific facility sponsored by the United States National Security Agency, researching parallel universes (per the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics) alongside Ms. Maki Kasahara under the supervision of Professor Tomizawa. They know that the Hokkaido Tower, which began operating in 1996, replaces matter around it with matter from other universes, but they do not yet know why it does this for only a 2-km radius. Takuya becomes involved with the Uilta Liberation Front after he learns that Mr. Okabe is its leader; his factory workers are the other agents of the organization. Okabe was originally motivated to form the group when his family was trapped in Hokkaido by the Separation, and he signs Takuya on for an excursion to Ezo with Uilta.
Hiroki has moved to Tokyo where he attends high school. He is haunted by dreams of Sayuri and suffers from depression, leading a miserable and lonely existence.
(end of Wiki excerpt due to spoilers)
From this point on the story gets up into final high gear as the two boys make contact with Sayuri again under very peculiar circumstances.
Its essentially a very poignant love story about separation (there are numerous themes of separation and reunion in the movie) and the pain of missing someone, very much like Shinkai's first movie Voices of a Diistant Star, for me the moments when the three friends are together or two of them are, are particularly powerful, Shinkai can convey great emotion in merely silences and looks and body posture, he's the top artist around at the moment for this kind of thing. The long scenes of Hiroki alone and depressed in Tokyo is heartbreaking, maybe the most powerful scenes in the movie. He speaks a long monologue about his existence alone there, fantastic stuff, the voice acting is beautiful. Hidetaka Yoshioka who is the VA does a fantastic job, the whole scene is dream-like.
T.C. definitely one to get, its not only a great story but a stunning visual feast too.
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