Now and Then, Here and There #3: Conflict and Chaos CPM 100 minutes English/Japanese English Subtitles 05/14/2002

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Spring Break's long since over and I personally blame you guys for ruining it. It's not exactly your fault, but I would've had a more stress-free week if I wasn't writing those reviews all the time! Even now, Dark Cloud 2 calls to me and I can't play because I'm watching CNN basically all day anyway. It's not entirely bad, and some of my closer friends might be relieved to hear that I've returned to my normal habits. No more than two hours of anime and gaming a week, that's about par for the course for me. I swear to god those weeks where I played Dark Cloud for four hours were just a phase. Like a junkie weaning himself off of heroin, I just needed one more hit of anime before I gathered up my vomit bucket and locked myself in my room for a weekend. So here I am. There's nothing in the world I enjoy more than dropping three people (some of whom aren't even anime fans) into the final four episodes of a show and letting them figure it out as they go. The only clues I would give were broad and not necessarily factual. "That girl gets raped by everyone, literally everyone" and "That kid's the son of Tattoo from Fantasy Island." That was as much as they were gonna get. I'm pretty sure I did more harm than good.

 

That would seem to be my M.O. though, and so I sat myself down with a hefty helping of Junior Stik-O and enjoyed the last hundred minutes Akitaroh Daichi saw fit to bless me with. Still, from the very bowels of hell, Jerry argues that his "strawberry" Filipino flavor stick is better tasting than my delicious green coconut flavor wafers, but if he so much as thinks about telling you the same I order you to kill him. I'll believe if when I see it and, if he's wrong, I swear to god I'll slice his yellow ass. It's nothing personal Jerry, I the supreme taste of coconut Junior Stik-O is not to be wasted on those who don't appreciate it. Likewise, you have to ask yourself if you can handle the extremities Now and Then will happily go to at the drop of a hat. A lot of people get shot, and they're mostly sympathetic characters. If you liked anyone in the show, you can basically guarantee that they get some part of their anatomy blown out of their back with an exit wound somewhat close to the size that I'd deem appropriate for a gun wrapped up in twine that fires rocks. Be assured that the evil people get it too, but they drown. I don't know if they were trying to say something when they did that but I don't really get it. I don't really get why one of the rapists suddenly comes around to save a little kid either. Oooooh, it was because he was the NICE rapist. I always forget those kind of things.

 

So if you can't handle watching a little kid get shot through the neck like Taye Diggs from Way of the Gun then maybe Now and Then, Here and There isn't really the show for you. Likely though, you already realized this in episode 3 and went back to your crappy sugar coated shows that are nothing but repetition ad naseum. This show seems a bit over the top, but I can't say it doesn't maintain an air of appropriateness (See? I can make up words too) throughout the entire thing. It's entertainment, so you can expect a bit of exaggeration. My much loved "Let the Bitch Die" slogan comes back in full here and even better the girl dies BECAUSE she saved the world with the "power of love". You couldn't ask for anything better than that. Well... I couldn't anyway, but I'm sort of a jerk and probably a misogynist so your mileage may vary. But I sure do love my short haired girls and I wasn't about to let the opportunity for this one pass. What you probably don't know is that I think really short blonde hair in that kind of scruffy manner is about the coolest look someone can appropriate. And the girl's walking around in a tank top and khakis like she owns the place. Let me tell you, if she wasn't a cartoon I wouldn't be typing this review because I'd be too busy making her into the baby factory she so richly deserves to be. Oh wait. She already IS a baby factory.

 

I know, I know, that was cold. But you're gonna have to get used to that kind of harsh treatment if you expect to make it in the world of Now and Then. They're not gonna baby you and take you out for ice cream and a new bike like your parents will. This short, 13 episode series is more like my very own mom and dad. It'll pull you aside and bitch at you for an hour and a half for some reason that isn't even real, then it'll take you out back and shoot you. I swear to god give my mom a pockmarked face and call her Misses Stalin, because I was punished for crimes I didn't commit like ALL THE TIME.** Maybe that's why I felt so comfortable with this show, it was like I was fifteen again and nothing was sacred. What starts out as nothing more than a semi-endearing comedic kind of show gets more hard-core than a Soviet Gulag. "Dude! That's not cool!" was the phrase most often heard during the 100 minute run. I honestly feel kind of violated. Now and Then, Here and There will only too willingly broach topics that you would've never expected broached by anyone. Again, I call out their fairly realistic portrayal of rape and its after affects. Go watch this you weird, tentacle rape loving crazies, try and learn something. Perverts.

**Then again, I got away with so much crap I did do that it kind of balanced out.