The Place Promised in Our Early Days

The Place Promised in Our Early Days (2004) is an anime drama you can watch online on iFILM. It marks the first feature by Makoto Shinkai, who would later make Your Name. The story unfolds in an alternate post-war Japan, split in two.

The north falls under the Union, the south under the United States. On the northern shore stands a colossal tower that climbs into the clouds, visible for miles, its purpose a secret. Three high schoolers on the southern island make a promise: build a plane themselves, cross the border and learn what the tower hides. Then one of them slips into a sleep she cannot wake from, and the dream of flight becomes a vow to save her.

Shinkai paints a quiet film about youth, distance and longing, full of the rust-streaked railways, sunset skies and trembling light that became his signature. It won the Mainichi Film Award for best animation of its year. Stream The Place Promised in Our Early Days (2004) online on iFILM.