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Posted by Tom:
Now and Then, Here and There

   Now and Then, Here and There is the lightest dark show I've seen.

   What's light about it is the animation. The character designs are
   simple, like one would expect from a funny show, and everything is
   well-lit and so on.

   What's dark is the story, and the various things that happen to the
   characters. This is no funny show. People die, get raped, get
   pregnant, consider having an abortion, and more people die. Children
   are drafted into an army, and forced to shoot innocents in cold blood,
   under penalty of torture or execution. It's set in a post-apocalyptic
   world ruled by Hamdo, a sort of insane prince with his own flying
   battle fortress, Hellywood.

   Caught up in this is Shu, a normal Japanese kid interested in Kendo,
   Lala-ru, a girl who has the power to control water, the source of
   steampunk power, and Sara, an American girl caught because she looked
   like Lala-ru. These characters sorta try to do the right thing in an
   evil world.

   It's hard to rate this show. While at times I was at the edge of my
   seat wanting to see more, at the same time I never really identified
   with or felt anything for the characters. Instead, I just wanted to
   see where the story went. (It had an ending that was definitive but
   not overly interesting or special.)

   I guess I'll call this an okay show.