© Makoto Shinkai / CoMix Wave

Kumo no Mukou Yakusoku no Basho (雲のむこう、約束の場所, Beyond the Clouds, The Promised Place. Or as marketed in North America: The Place Promised in Our Early Days) is a 90 minute Japanese anime created and directed by Makoto Shinkai, following his previous work Voices of a Distant Star. As in the previous film, the soundtrack was composed by Tenmon. Unlike the previous film which was largely created by Makoto on his own, Kumo no Mukou was a full scale production as reflected by the better animation quality and the longer overall length. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (484x659, 198 KB) Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (484x659, 198 KB) Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... This is the current Anime Collaboration of the Week. ... This article refers to a person; for other uses, see Makoto (disambiguation) Shinkai Makoto (新海誠) is the director, animator, and principle voice actor of two popular anime. ... © Makoto Shinkai / CoMix Wave Voices of a Distant Star (星の声, ほしのこえ, Hoshi no Koe; translation: Voice(s) of a Star/Voice(s) of Stars), (2002) is a 30-minute Japanese anime OAV conceived, directed, and animated by one man, Makoto Shinkai. ... This article needs to be wikified. ...

The film was released in Japan in late 2004.

Synopsis

Note: There is a great deal of symbolism in this film, which may be open to different interpretations.

Kumo no Mukou takes place in Japan during the late 1990's in an alternate timeline. Though it is not directly explained in the film, the world in the anime apparently diverges from our own in the decades following World War II when the southern half of Japan, including Honshu and Kyushu was occupied by the United States, while Hokkaido was occupied by the "Union" (presumably referring to the Soviet Union). Beginning in 1974, the Union began the construction of a strange tower on Hokkaido, visible from as far away as Tokyo. By the 1990's when the story begins, the U.S. occupation of Southern Japan has ended, and the two nations are allies. 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 Uilta exists in the South, and is involved with attacks on, and incursions into Union territory. Combatants Allied Powers Axis Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties 17 million military deaths 7 million military deaths World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a mid-20th century conflict that engulfed much of the globe and is accepted as the largest and deadliest... todo mal de [ [ Shikoku ] ] a través del [ [ mar interior ] ], y noreste de [ [ Kyushu ] ] a través del [ [ estrecho de Kanmon ] ]. Es la séptima isla más grande, y la segunda isla populosa en el mundo después de [ [ Java (isla)|Java ] ] (véase [ [ lista de las islas de la población ] ]). < style=float del div... Kyushu region, Japan Kyushu (九州) is the third largest island of Japan and most southerly and westerly of the four main islands. ... Hokkaido   listen? (北海道 Hokkaidō, literal meaning: North Sea Route, Ainu: Mosir), formerly known as Ezo, is the second largest island of Japan. ... View of Tokyos Shibuya district Long a symbol of Tokyo, the Nijubashi Bridge at the Kokyo Imperial Palace. ...

The anime follows the story of three friends living in Aomori on the northern end of southern Japan, two boys: Hiroki Fujisawa, Takuya Shirakawa, and one girl: Sayuri Sawatari (also Hiroki's primary romantic interest). While attending the 9th grade in 1996, the three are fascinated by the Hokkaido Tower visible across the Tsugaru Strait to the north. The two boys have been constructing a small airplane over the years and the three promise to one day fly to Hokkaido to visit the tower. However, Sayuri mysteriously disappears at the end of summer, leaving the boys behind. Aomori Waterfront Aomori (青森市; Aomori-shi) is the capital city of Aomori Prefecture (青森県; Aomori-ken), the north end of HonshÅ«. The city faces Mutsu Bay connecting Tsugaru Channel and the Hakkoda Mountains lie in the southern part of Aomori. ... Tsugaru Strait (津軽海峡 Tsugaru Kaikyō) is a channel between Honshu and Hokkaido in northern Japan connecting the Sea of Japan with the Pacific Ocean. ... Fixed-wing aircraft is a term used to refer to what are more commonly known as aeroplanes in Commonwealth English (excluding Canada) or airplanes in North American English. ...

Three years later, Hiroki and Takuya have stopped working on the plane. Hiroki has moved to Tokyo where he attends school while dreaming of Sayuri; Takuya studies physics while working as a researcher studying parallel universes for the government and also becomes involved with Uilta. The two eventually learn that Sayuri has fallen into a strange coma which is somehow connected to the Union's research into parallel universes and the Hokkaido Tower. Since antiquity, people have tried to understand the behavior of matter: why unsupported objects drop to the ground, why different materials have different properties, and so forth. ... Parallel universes started as a plot device in science fiction. ...

Tensions continue to grow between the U.S./Southern Japan and the Union as it becomes apparent that the Union is attempting to use the Tower as a weapon to replace the existing world with a parallel universe. Things are further complicated when it is discovered that the Tower was constructed by Sayuri's grandfather, and the only thing preventing the Tower from activating is Sayuri's coma, forcing Hiroki and Takuya to choose between saving the world or saving Sayuri.

With war brewing, Hiroki and Takuya eventually return to their old home near the border with the (still comatose) Sayuri. The boys finish building their plane just as war finally breaks out. Hiroki flies the plane across the strait to the Tower carrying Sayuri and a missile provided by Uilta. Sayuri finally awakens as the plane circles the Tower, the Tower activates and begins to swallow the surrounding area. Flying back, Hiroki fires the missile destroying the Tower, followed by a scene involving a crying Sayuri (presumably in joy), ending the movie.

It is unclear exactly what follows though it is implied near the beginning of the movie that Southern Japan and Hokkaido were eventually reunified, and both Hiroki and Takuya survived. Whether or not Sayuri survived the destruction of the Tower that she was linked to is open to interpretation.

See also

• Makoto Shinkai
• Voices of a Distant Star

This article refers to a person; for other uses, see Makoto (disambiguation) Shinkai Makoto (新海誠) is the director, animator, and principle voice actor of two popular anime. ... © Makoto Shinkai / CoMix Wave Voices of a Distant Star (星の声, ほしのこえ, Hoshi no Koe; translation: Voice(s) of a Star/Voice(s) of Stars), (2002) is a 30-minute Japanese anime OAV conceived, directed, and animated by one man, Makoto Shinkai. ...

External links

• Official Site (Japanese)
• Interlaced + Beyond the Clouds Review/Image Gallery
• IMDb entry