A still from the movie The Place Promised in Our Early Days [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

6. The Place Promised in Our Early Days: 7.9

The Place Promised in Our Early Days is a 90-minute Japanese anime film following the director's previous work Voices of a Distant Star.

Against the backdrop of Japan's separation into two islands because of war, the anime follows the story of three friends including two boys and a girl living in Aomori on the northern island. During their childhood, the three long to go to a giant and mysterious tower standing at the southern island. As time goes by, the girl catches a strange disease and sleeps continuously for the most part of three years. The two boys want to save her but also shoulder the responsibility of fighting in the war. How do they choose between friendship and safeguarding their homeland? The two boys find all the answers at the tower.