Also in that same year, the Union began the construction of a strange tower on Hokkaido designed by a scientist named Ekusun Tsukinoe. The film was licensed for North American release by ADV Films.Īfter the Separation in Japan in 1974 the northern island, Hokkaidō (or Ezo, as it is called in the anime), was occupied by the 'Union' (referring to the Soviet Union). It has been broadcast across Japan by the anime satellite television network Animax. Unlike his short film Voices of a Distant Star, which was largely made by Shinkai on his own, The Place Promised in Our Early Days is a full-scale production, as reflected by the better animation quality and the longer overall length. Set over several years in an alternate history where the Soviet Union occupies half of Japan, the film follows two childhood friends who grow apart after one of their friends disappears as international tension rises and a mysterious tower built by the Union starts replacing matter around it with matter from other universes, they cross paths once again and realize their missing friend might be the key to save the world. 'Beyond the Clouds, the Promised Place') is a 2004 Japanese animescience fictionwardrama film written, directed, produced, cinematographed, edited, and storyboarded by Makoto Shinkai in his feature film debut. The Place Promised in Our Early Days (Japanese: 雲のむこう、約束の場所Hepburn: Kumo no Mukō, Yakusoku no Basho, lit.
