Michite Kuru Toki no Mukou ni

This has been on my wish list for a very long time: the 1992 TV special Michite Kuru Toki no Mukou ni (Across the Surging Times). It is based on Suzuki Kouji's award-winning 1991 novel, Paradise, which has been translated into English. Now, thanks to Perevodildo and other members of the Orphan team, the anime is available in English too.

Michite Kuru is a love story that spans millennia. [Spoilers follow.] It starts before recorded history, more than 10,000 years ago. Bogud and Fayau are lovers, belonging to the Tangad tribe in Mongolia. On his first solo hunt, Bogud fells a legendary red deer, which becomes his spirit animal. 

He carves a talisman of a red deer and gives it to Fayau to protect her. 

Despite that, they are separated by war. Fayau is carried away by a tribe of nomads who intend to cross the Bering Straights' land bridge to "a new world." 

Bogud swears to find her but is compelled to go south, via the sea.

In the present day, composer Leslie Mardoff and his producer Gilbert Griffith are exploring a deep cave in the desert. Leslie, who is a quarter Native American, is looking for inspiration for his next composition. 

Inexplicably, the notoriously media-shy Mardoff has agreed to an interview with a fledgling reporter named Flora. 

Mardoff wears a stone talisman of a red deer, passed down from his ancestors. Flora has a birthmark that resembles a red deer.

The story switches to a South Sea island during the Age of Discovery. Three English sailors, Channing, Tyler, and Jones, are marooned there.

Tyler tries to convince his colleagues to build a ship in order to escape, but Jones has fallen in love with a native girl, Laia, and wants to stay. The couple discovers a lost monument with an image of a red deer. 

This galvanizes the natives, who tell Tyler they will help, provided that the ship is large enough to take everyone and reach "the new world." Now tattooed with a red deer, Laia has a premonition of an impending disaster, and she, Jones, and the tribe barely escape with their lives.

Back in the present day, Flora, who bears a birthmark of a red deer on her arm, has a premonition that a massive earthquake is coming. When it hits the cave, Gilbert is killed, and Leslie is trapped underground, with a tsunami threatening to knock him off his precarious perch. But Flora arrives just in time to save him.

The meeting of Leslie and Flora completes the destiny of Bogud, Fayau, and the red deer, begun millennia before. Leslie is a descendant of Fayau and inherited her talisman. Flora is Bogud's descendant via Laia, and her birthmark reflects her ancestor's tattoo. [End spoilers]

Some notes:

• The land bridge from Siberia to Alaska was known as Beringia. The land bridge disappeared about 10,000 years ago. Only an exceptionally harsh winter, freezing the ocean and lowering sea levels, would have allowed nomads to cross on foot.
• Red deer are a real species, endemic in Europe and Asia. They appear in Paleolithic cave drawings, sometimes with spiritual connotations.
• Radiolaria, foraminifera, fusulinida are tiny fossil organisms that are often used in dating rock strata.
• The migration of Asian hunter-gatherers - the ancestors of today's Native Americans - into North America began during the Last Glacial Maximum (18,000 years ago or even earlier) or even earlier, when the Beringia land bridge existed.
  

The voice cast is large and consists mostly of well-known seiyuu of the era.

• Inoue Kazuhiko (Leslie Madoff) starred as Yamaoka Shirou in Oishinbo, Yuki Eiri in Gravitation, the title role in Cyborg 009, Gorou in Moonlight Mile, Tachibana no Tomomasa in Haruka Naru Toki no Nake de: Hachyoushou, and my favorite role, the irascible, sake-swilling Nyanko-sensei in the Natsume Yuujichou franchise. He also played Arthur in Ai to Ken no Camelot, Ando Shiro in Dioxin no Natsu, Saiki Haruka in Tobira o Akete, Iori in Tomoe's Run!, Kanuma Hayate in Akai Hayate, Ryousuke in Daishizen no Majuu Bagi, Kitten Smith in Starship Troopers, Liu Bei Xuande in both Sangokushi TV specials, Ayako in Lunn Flies into the Wind, Nakatsugawa in Boyfriend, Jinpachi Nezu in Sanada 10, Katsuhiko in Hiatari Ryouko, Minamoto no Yoshitsune in Genji, Part 1, Hisui in Haruka Naru Toki no Nake de 2, and Kajiwara Kagetoki in Haruka Naru Toki no Nake de 3, all Orphan releases.
• Hazama Michio (Gilbert) began his career in 1963 with Astro Boy. He appeared in numerous anime, including his roles as Jacques' father in Hitomi no Naka no Shounen: 15 Shounen Hyouryuuki and Senator Dan Foster in Oishinbo: Japan-America Rice Wars, both Orphan releases.
• Katsuki Masako (Flora) played Maroko in Gosenzosama Banbanzai and its movie version, Maroko, Mira in Ginga Tansa 2100-nen: Border Planet, Queen Bee in Golgo 13: Queen Bee, and Tsunade (Fifth Hokage) in the Naruto franchise. She also played Utako in Mellow, Arianna Wyszynska in Apfelland Monogatari, Kenbishi Yuuri in Yuukan Club, Hojo's lover in Sanctuary, Itchan's mother in Sensou Douwa: Tako ni Natta Okaasan, Kubo in Milky Passion: Dougenzaka, Yamimama in Megami Paradise, and Yamazaki's maintenance engineer Kiriko in Kigyou Senshi Yamazaki: Long Distance Call, all Orphan releases.
• Sakakibara Yoshiko (Flora's editor) played Sybil in Black Magic M-66, Sylvia Stingray in Bubblegum Crisis/Crash, Sir Integra Hellsing in both versions of Hellsing, Paula in Condition Green, Kaoru in Karuizawa Syndrome, Melinda in Dallos, and Mimau in Greed. The last four are Orphan releases.
• Furumoto Shinnosuke (Bogud) starred as Hiro in H2, the title role in Junkers Come Here: Memories of You, and Akihiro in The Girl from Phantasia. The last two are Orphan releases.
• Hyoudou Mako (Fayau) had featured roles in Angel's Egg, Aquarion TV, Jungle de Ikou!, Macross Plus, Madlax, and RahXephon. She appeared in Hidamari no Ki, an Orphan release.
• Kataoka Tomie (Bogud's mother) played Blonda in Don Dracula, Tomeko in Meisou-ou Border, and appeared in Bagi, all Orphan releases.
• Yoshimura You (Bogud's father) appeared in Capricorn, Ranma 1/2: Big Trouble in Nekonron, China, and Tsuide ni Tonchinkan. He played Mansaku Kenbishi in Yuukan Club, an Orphan release.
• Nagai Ichirou (Tangad Elder) starred in numerous shows, playing grandfather Jigoro in Yawara!, the off-the-wall narrator in Gosenzosama Banbanzai!, Professor Hajime in Queen Millennia, and Happosai in the Ranma 1/2 franchise. He appeared in Ore no Sora, Nayuta, One Pound Gospel, Rain Boy, Manxmouse, Nora, Hidamari no Ki, Yuukan Club, Amon Saga, Botchan, Ipponbouchou Mantaraou, Tengai Makyou, and Yamato 2520, all Orphan releases.
• Tsujitani Kouji (the northern tribe's leader) played the title role in the Captain Tylor franchise and the lead role in the 3x3 Eyes OVAs. He also played Takei in Sotsugyou: Graduation, Honda in Bakuen Campus Guardress, Guy in Ai no Kusabi, Homare in Okane ga Nai, Shou in Condition Green, Saburou in Kasei Yakyoku, Kotarou in Genji, Part 1, and Seishirou in Yuukan Club, all Orphan releases.
• Nomoto Reizou (the northern tribe's shaman) appeared in Sugato Sanshiro, Fumoon, and Sangokushi movie 3, all Orphan releases, as well as Dokaben, Karasu Tengu Kabuto, Ninja Scroll, and Prince Planet.
• Tomiyama Kei (Channing) played the title roles in Sabu to Ichi Torimono Hikae, Roppou Yabure, and the original Tiger Mask, as well as Lingham in Genmu Senki Leda, Sir Jogo  in SF Saiyuuki Starzinger, Susumu in the Yamato franchise, and Wen Li in Legend of the Galactic Heroes. He also played leading roles in Grimm Douwa: Kin no Tori, Ginga Tansa 2100-nen: Border Planet, Bremen 4, Sugata Sanshiro, the Sangokushi TV specials, and Yousei Ou, all Orphan releases. He won a posthumous Special Achievement Award in 2007.
• Genda Tesshou (Tyler) played Colonel Muto in Joker Game, Moloch in Yondemasu Azazel-san, Rei in the Urusei Yatsura franchise, Moguro Fukuzou in New Laughing Salesman,  and "Oyaji" in Mitsuboshi Colors. He also played Tamura in Ore no Sora, Akauma in Fire Tripper, Jin Kiryu in Blue Sonnet, Zigong in Eiyuu Banka Koushi-den, Paul Rusch in Yume Kakeru Kougen, Jim Hyatt in AWOL Compression Remix, Galbreath in Next Senki Ehrgeiz, Baguda in Greed, the narrator in Akai Hayate and Meisou-ou Border, Dog McCoy in Dallos, Mayor Carlo in Inochi no Chikyuu: Natsu no Dioxin, Hebopi in Wild 7, Oosukune in Izumo, Miyoshi in Sanada 10, and Kuroki and Kirishima in Eguchi Hisashi no Kotobuki Gorou Show, all Orphan releases.
• Sugiyama Ryoichi (Jones) does not appear in any anime database.
• Hirai Nami (Laia) was a singer-songwriter. She sang the ending song. This was her only voice-acting role.
• Ootsuka Chikao (Captain Violet, who marooned the sailors) played Nezumi in the first GeGeGe no Kitaro series, Zenigata in the Lupin III pilot film, Goemon in Lupin III Part 1, Hook in Peter Pan no Bouken, Tora in the Ushio to Tora OVAs, Joseph JoeStar in the first JoJo's Bizarre Adventures OVAs, and Yoran Pailsen in the Armored Trooper Votoms franchise. He played the villain Yamada in Kosuke-sama Rikimaru-sama: Konpeitou no Ryuu and appeared in several Tezuka Osamu TV specials, all Orphan releases.
• Ooki Tamio (Captain Victor, an American privateer) played Dr. Tenma in Tezuka Osamu Disappears, an Orphan release, as well as the 1980 version of Astro Boy, Darai Sem in Amon Saga and Ibuya in Hidamari no Ki (both Orphan releases), Aramaki in the GITS movies, and the title role in Planetarian: Hoshi no Hito.

The show was directed by Toriumi Hasayuki, one of the founders of Studio Pierrot. His directing credits include Uchuu no Kishi Tekkaman, Hurricane Polymar, The Mysterious Cities of Gold, The Wonderful Adventures of Nils, Area 88, and the first Ultraman series. 

I was attracted to this project in the distant past; hard to say why (although I'm a sucker for "reincarnation romance" anime). When a second-hand laserdisc became available in Japan, I bought it. Our local media maven ripped it on the Domesday Duplicator and encoded it. However, no translator was available, and Orphan eventually it released in raw form. Fortunately, Perevodildo picked it up. He translated and timed. He also found the English translation of the source novel, which helped fill in missing pieces of the plot. Yume translation checked (thanks, MartyMcflies). I edited and typeset (very little). ImAWasteOfHair, Topper3000, and Uchuu QCed.

So I'm quite chuffed that Michite Kuru Toki no Mukou ni is available to an English-speaking audience after more than 30 years. It has lively characters and a vast sweep that make its romance plot compelling, at least to me. You can get the show from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

Garden of Remembrance

Yamada Naoki is a modern anime auteur. She started at Kyoto Animation, where she became one of the youngest directors in its history, helming TV series including K-On and Tamako Market, and movies including Tamako Love Story, Koe no Katachi (A Silent Voice), and Liz to Aoi Tori (Liz and the Blue Bird). In 2020, she went out on her own and directed several projects for Science Saru, including the TV series Heike Monogatari and the newly released movie The Colors Within. She's not yet 40.

Garden of Remembrance is an anime short just released in Japan. There is no dialog, just music and one song. The plot is abstract. Summarizing the program at the Annecy Film Festival, "In an untidy room, strewn with empty beer tins, empty wine bottles, and a half-empty glass of whisky, a girl is getting up and preparing herself for her day. YOUR morning starts.

One day, in town, YOU walk past THE CHILDHOOD FRIEND who is buying an Anemone I liked, and remembering that I liked them, YOU rush out to buy them. THE CHILDHOOD FRIEND displays the Anemone with care. 

One day, years after I died, YOU hear noise from the closet. Opening it, YOU see MY garden right in front of YOU. Overflowing emotions of ME and YOU. When exiting from the room of memories, a picture of the Anemone that YOU painted is displayed in YOUR new room."

Got that? You may not remember the plot, but you will remember the visuals: a riot of dazzling colors and designs. 

The action starts out repetitively: the girl's morning is shown seven times. However, the sequence gets faster each time, and the details vary slightly to show the passage of time: different T-shirts functioning as pajamas, different breakfasts and, because years are passing, not just days, different smartphones. 

The explosion of memories, when it occurs, jolts the film out of repetition into variability and even fantasy, accompanied by a melancholic song. It ends silently, on an up note... I think.

One translation note. The song includes this lyric:

I don't need a cucumber horse
Or an eggplant cow

This is a reference to Obon, the festival of remembrance for the dead. Participants carve a cucumber horse and an eggplant cow that allow the dead to come home and return, respectively.

Skr grabbed the video as soon as it started streaming in Japan. He timed and translated the song, typeset the credits, and asked me to typese all smartphone screens. Perevodildo and onkeikun checked the song translation. Skr and I QCed.

Orphan is a not a real-time, or even real-decade, fansubbing group, except when a broadcast or streamed short catches Skr's attention. When you watch Garden of Remembrance, you'll see why this one did. You can get the show from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.