A dynamic duo of Japanese adolescents are unexpectedly brought together due to a metaphysical glitch that disrupts the laws of space and time in this exquisitely romantic young adult anime. And if this premise strikes you as eerily similar to Makoto Shinkai’s blockbuster triumph, ‘Your Name’, rest assured, it’s no coincidence. The monumental success of ‘Your Name’, which stands as the third highest-grossing Japanese film ever, sparked a surge of sci-fi romance animations with lofty concepts (most recently Shinkai’s own esoteric fantasy ‘Suzume’), all hoping to recreate the same enchantment. However, out of all the ensuing films, Tomohisa Taguchi’s ‘The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes’ comes closest to capturing the shimmering brilliance of ‘Your Name’.
Based on a novel and subsequent manga by Mei Hachimoku, this film follows Kaoru (voiced by Oji Suzuka), a reserved high school student who stumbles upon a mysterious tunnel that, according to local folklore, has the power to fulfill one’s deepest desires, albeit at a significant cost. Concurrently, Kaoru develops a friendship with Anzu (Marie Iitoyo), the new girl at school who shares his fascination with the tunnel. Anzu is an unapologetic rebel, an aspiring manga artist who stuns her classmates on her first day by swiftly knocking down the school bully and accusing the flustered Kaoru of being a creep.
Amidst its more fantastical plot points, this refined romance finds solid ground in intricately observed details and intimate moments: a worn umbrella, borrowed and battered, that becomes a recurring symbol in the narrative; bashful glances exchanged through unruly bangs; fingers hesitantly intertwining as the night sky erupts into a dazzling display of fireworks and longing.
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