Anime Review: The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes

The Tunnel to Summer season, the Exit of Goodbyes, is an intriguing drama fantasy anime movie that aired earlier this yr. It scratched an itch I didn’t know I had as a viewer and critic, regardless of the movie having a extremely restricted scope with an equally restricted solid.

The Tunnel of Love

The anime movie takes place in a universe the place a mysterious, fantastical tunnel referred to as the Urashima Tunnel exists. This inexplicable tunnel relies on an city legend within the anime’s world the place whoever ventures into it is going to get a want fulfilled however on the value of time passing considerably. Each minute is a number of hours and hours are a number of years. Nonetheless, it’s made clear early within the movie that not many individuals have ventured into the tunnel.

The anime follows two highschool protagonists, Kaoru Touno and Anzu Hanashiro. We be taught early on that these two characters have had a tough life resulting from their advanced household conditions. Stricken with the lack of his sister, being deserted by his mom, and the fixed verbal and emotional abuse from his mentally ailing father, Kaoru is understandably a really gloomy one who fails to make connections. At some point, he meets Anzu, an equally gloomy and antagonistic teenage lady who shortly turns into an outcast in school. He offers her an umbrella within the rain the day they meet and the 2 turn out to be reluctant acquaintances.

At some point, Kaoru unknowingly ventures into Urashima Tunnel and discovers it has the power to carry again useless family members, however on the value of the time spent within the current. Regardless of this, he decides he has little to lose, and plans to danger all of it to enter the tunnel and produce again his sister. 

Unknowingly, Anzu notices him going into the tunnel and decides to hitch him in his quest, however together with her personal motivation of getting “actual expertise” with a view to be a profitable manga artist. Whereas their motivations could also be a bit shallow, we ultimately be taught why they’re so decided to attain their targets. The movie closely emphasizes a number of widespread themes, such because the significance of household and acceptance, the affect of neglect and grief however shifting on, forming connections from mutual ache and studying to stay previous it.

An Glorious Manufacturing

These themes and messages are fantastically instructed by lovely narrative moments within the movie which might be surprisingly solely portrayed by the 2 primary characters and its melancholic environment and route by isolating linear photographs, moody climate to match the dreary characters, and its impeccable soundtrack whose songs are solely ever performed when they’re wanted to emphasise the extra dramatic moments within the narrative. Many of the movie and dialogue between the characters are very noticeably accomplished in silence, with the music solely often invading these moments when it efficiently strengthens it. 

A major instance of those scenes might be seen midway into the movie when the 2 leads reenact how they first met in a really healthful but humorous manner. With out spoiling an excessive amount of, this implausible, heartwarming scene is just portrayed by the impeccable voice appearing from each the English and Japanese solid, accomplished in a easy, solemn, but impactful manner. This scene was the second the anime distinguished itself from the a number of fantasy romance anime dramas and is the place I began actually liking it.

The Good and Dangerous

There isn’t a lot that makes The Tunnel to Summer season distinctive in comparison with its counterparts. Nonetheless, It’d be disingenuous to not observe the way it combines all its glorious parts in a extremely partaking and memorable manner. The movie is comparatively quick, nevertheless it leaves an affect regardless. Nonetheless, this isn’t to say the expertise it supplies is one with out flaws, as lots of them are seen in its executions.

Whereas it’s straightforward to grasp that most of the movie’s scenes are symbolic and have extra which means to them, lots of them turn out to be extremely flawed the extra you look into them. Because of its quick run time, a number of elements of the movie are left obscure and unexplained. An instance of that is the Urashima Tunnel itself. Its origin and the way its mysterious powers work are left unexplained, nobody apart the characters acknowledges its existence, and the way the characters simply settle for its existence and determine to make use of it’s fairly unusual. Moreover, with out spoiling an excessive amount of, the movie will get a bit messy in the direction of the top when Kaoru ultimately will get nearer to his aim. How he goes again in time however nonetheless retains his reminiscence and is aware of issues concerning the future is just not defined in any respect.

Nonetheless, regardless of all these flaws, the movie nonetheless supplies an incredible viewing expertise that’s in contrast to many anime movies. Studio CLAP additionally does an incredible job with crisp, constant animation, which I’d have appreciated extra if HI DIVE’s watermark had not hindered the expertise as a lot because it did.

Last Ideas

General, The Tunnel to Summer season, the Exit of Goodbyes, although not with out its flaws, is a superb anime movie with endearing characters, a superbly melancholic aesthetic, and glorious animation. In case you’re a fan of fantasy romance anime, then you definitely may wish to test it out.

A screener of this movie was offered by HI Dive for this overview.

Are you a fan of coming of age tales? What did you consider our overview? Let BagoGames know your ideas within the feedback part under.