Now & Then, Here & There

Now and Then, Here and There - Flight and Fall (Vol. 2)

Torn from her childhood home and trapped in another world, Sara is enslaved by a violent master. In her desperation to escape, she flees to the desert that is a haven for drifters and freedom fighters. Will she ever return to her home? Episodes 6-9.

Now and Then, Here and There - Conflict & Chaos (Vol. 3)

The desert explodes in an all-out war as a tyrant unleashes a flying battleship against a rebellion. As young Shu searches the wreckage for a captured friend, he is swept into the battle fray. It's the ultimate survival challenge in a world gone mad! Episodes 10-13.

Now and Then, Here and There - Discord and Doom (Vol. 1)

Shu, a spirited schoolboy and overeager kendo student, is whisked off to a galaxy far, far away by an alien SWAT team on snakelike ships. The lovely images of Earth are replaced with the grand and imposing designs of a military world, and Shu's happy-go-lucky life turns much darker. He's hunted, interrogated, tortured, and finally drafted into a sadistic king's army of lost boys kidnapped from worlds all over the galaxy. The initial five episodes of this 13-part manga series from Akitaroh Daichi (Jubei-Chan the Ninja Girl) are strung together as a two-hour interstellar adventure (though the opening and closing credits of each episode remain intact). New characters and intriguing ideas are layered in with each installment, but it all feels like a setup for the coming story of galactic war and brewing revolution. A slow start to a promising epic. Rated 16 and up. --Sean Axmaker

Dragged through a time warp, Shu is thrust into a hellish future of slavery and war. There he is captured by an army of kidnapped children. Caught between reluctant soldiers and the madman who has stolen their innocence, Shu fights to save the future! Episodes 1-5.

Now and Then, Here and There (Complete Collector's Boxed Set)

Shuzo "Shu" Matsutani, a rambunctious adolescent kendo student, encounters a mysterious girl named Lala-Ru in an abandoned factory near his home. When she's captured by hostile mecha, Shu is taken with her to another world, to the unfortunately named fortress-ship Hellywood, ruled by the psychotic King Hamdo. The apparently ancient Lala-Ru can produce vast quantities of water, which Hamdo desires. Shu is imprisoned, beaten, and tortured before being inducted into Hamdo's army of child-soldiers. He doggedly insists that he must protect Lala-Ru, despite her great powers. They escape Hellywood, wander through the desert, and reach a pueblo-like village where they defeat Hamdo. The rambling storyline recalls both El Hazard and Escaflowne. What sets Now and Then apart is the gritty realism of the violence: unlike other anime characters, Shu seems to feel real pain when Hamdo's thugs beat him. Although the rape of the Earth girl Sara is suggested rather than depicted, she has to decide whether to keep or abort the child. These depictions of the brutality of war give Now and Then a grim power many better-written and better-animated series lack. The most interesting segment on the "bonus disc" juxtaposes the animated version of the final episode with the storyboards. "From Then to Now" includes clips from the audition tapes of the actors playing Hamdo (Jack Taylor) and Shu (a surprisingly burly Ed Paul) along with interviews and standard behind-the-scenes footage of the recording sessions. Rated 16 Up for considerable violence, minor profanity, adult themes. --Charles Solomon

Dragged through a time warp by a strange machine, Shu is thrust into a hellish future as it explodes into war! Surrounded by fierce warriors enslaved innocents, and enigmatic wanderers, Shu faces the ultimate challenge of survival in a world gone mad!

Now and Then, Here and There - Anime Test Drive

Try it... Buy it... Get $10 Back! • From the director of Fruits Basket and Animation Runner Kuromi • A young boy is dragged through a dimensional rift and into a hellish futuristic world. • "haunting and disturbing…one of the best anime that you probably haven't seen" - Play Magazine • Each Anime Test Drive DVD includes a $10 mail-in rebate coupon (for use with the purchase of the corresponding box set at a great low price) • Contains the first 2 episodes and over 45 minutes of cool anime trailers!

Now and Then, Here and There Test Drive