If there's one thing Kaoru Touno regrets the most, is his last words to his little sister, "I hate you too". He suffers over the fact that his little sister died while trying to catch a beetle for her brother. If there's one thing Anzu Hanashiro fears the most, is being not talented. Not talented enough to become a manga artist, not able to fulfill her deceased grandpa's dream. But they find a tunnel that's rumoured to grant any wish, in exchange for their now, their present. So they decide to work together and enter the tunnel, but the tunnel is its own world, with its own rules of time and space. They waste their present together, chasing in the tunnel to make their wishes come true. Touno, to get over his past and Hanashiro, to get a future. Both of them sympathize with each other's struggles, in the time they wasted together, forming a bond together.
This is a story about these two characters; one who's coming to terms with his past and one who's finding a future to fulfill her grandpa's dream. The tunnel is a labyrinth where time runs slower than the outside world. Our characters go inside the tunnel for their past and/or future, but one thing they ignore is that, spending too much past or future makes you forgot about the present. While we are hung up on our dreams and mistakes, the world around us moves away. And it can never be bought back.
The cute romance takes the spotlight, but the movie is too short to give a fleshed out development for its characters. As for the visuals, studio CLAP really did well. Every scene including the tunnel is mesmerizing. The music and songs are alright. I only wish the movie was a bit longer and gave more screen time elaborating their struggles.
I think this is a good movie. Though I wish it did a bit better at a few elements, it is about a boy coming to terms with his regrets of past and a girl finding the courage to overcome her fear of future. And the present they found together.
70.5 out of 77 users liked this review
