History Anime / NowAndThenHereAndThere

''Now and Then, Here and There'' (a.k.a ''Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku'' or "The Me That's There Now"), originally broadcasted between October 1999 and January 2000, is a grim piece by Creator/AkitarohDaichi and Creator/HideyukiKurata.

''NTHT'' (as the title is often shortened) takes the old plot of being transported to another world and turns it on its head. Shu, our hero, is on his way home from kendo practice one day when he sees a strange girl sitting atop a smokestack. Curious, he goes up to meet her. The girl's name is Lala Ru and as Shu is introducing himself and talking to her, two strange machines warp in and attack them. Shu attempts to defend the girl, but he is easily brushed aside, and Lala Ru is taken. Shu renews his attack as Lala Ru calls for help, but everyone ends up getting transported back to where the machines came from.

Daichi pulls no punches in the thirteen episodes of this TV series and gives us no let-up. In this world, children are the targets of atrocities committed by other children. Neighboring villages are raided for vital supplies and young boys to be conscripted into the insane king Hamdo's army. Women and young girls are captured to be passed around to and raped by Hellywood soldiers as a reward for good performance in the hope that they will become pregnant and provide future soldiers and breeders. This latter fate befalls a young American girl named Sara, who is mistakenly grabbed because of her resemblance to Lala Ru. Indeed, a couple episodes in the middle of the series focus entirely on her story, not Shu's.

Daichi was influenced to create this story based on the reports coming out of {{UsefulNotes/Rwanda}} during the Genocide, and boy does it show. The anime is considered by many fans to be a masterpiece, but be warned: it is intense enough that you will probably only be able to watch it once. This one belongs on the shelf right beside ''Anime/{{Grave of the Fireflies}}''.

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Sara's name becomes Sala in the French dub, which does not make sense because she's supposed to have an everyday American name (and the name exists in French too). Hellywood/Helliwood/Heliud, Tabool/Tabur, and Zaribars/Zali Barth also suffer from this depending on whether you watch the original, the fansubs, the English subs, the English dub, or the French dub.

* NowWhichOneWasThatVoice: Completely averted. The opening theme begins with a ''DramatisPersonae'' showing the main characters with their names in English and Japanese, pictures, and the names of both their ''seiyuu'' and English [=VA=]. The end credits also show both actors for each character.

''Now and Then, Here and There'' (a.k.a ''Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku'' or "The Me That's There Now"), originally broadcasted between October 1999 and January 2000, is a grim piece by Akitaroh Daichi, the director responsible for such manic comedies as ''[[Manga/{{Kodocha}} Kodocha]]'' and ''Manga/FruitsBasket'', and Hideyuki Kurata, former staff writer on shows such as ''Anime/PrettySammy'' and ''Anime/ExcelSaga''. Only this time, they put the laughs away in a lockbox and melted the key.

'''[[Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned WARNING:]] [[NightmareFuel NOT]] [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids for the faint of heart.]]'''

'''Not this time'''. Shu is transported to a dying desert planet orbiting a bloated sun in the process of becoming a red giant. Only the worst of humanity has survived this crucible, and Shu has been dumped alone into the heart of this hell. Shu tries to behave as the hero would, ever optimistic that good will always triumph and that if he tries hard enough he will win and restore goodness to the world. Only, things don't work that way in Hellywood, the battle fortress ruled by an insane king served by a super-efficient minion who inflicts his every demented whim on a helpless population.

* PsychopathicManchild: Hamdo is not only insane, but childishly so.

* NecessarilyEvil: most of the ChildSoldiers as well as Abelia. They know that all of the killing and kidnapping is evil, but just want to get the fighting over with and go home. Hamdo, being an OmnicidalManiac, made sure that'll never happen by [[spoiler:destroying every village he "recruited" from after looting them.]]

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Shu manages to survive the destruction of Hellywood and is returned to his time period through Abelia's 'bound' technology. A pregnant Sara remains with Abelia and the survivors of Sis' village, planning to keep her child. And Lala Ru, having regained her hope in humanity through Shu's example, has returned water to the world. However, Lala Ru, Boo, Sis, and Nabuca are dead, and since the story takes place ten billion years into the future, the world is going to end anyway (assuming humanity hasn't already colonized other planets) due to the already-bloated sun about to go supernova]].

* HumongousMecha: Hellywood has several of these in its army.

* ApronMatron: Sis.

* AxCrazy: King Hamdo is this in spades.

* BreakTheCutie: In spades.

* TheCaligula: King Hamdo

* CrapsackWorld: The setting.

* {{Determinator}}: Shu

* EmotionlessGirl: Lala Ru, and to a lesser extent, Soon.

* EvilVersusEvil: Elamba vs Hamdo

* FreezeSneeze