By any standard it's impressive anime; as a feature debut it's a remarkable achievement.

This was the debut film of director Makoto Shinkai, and the high quality of the animation and his strength in using vibrant imagery to convey story comes alive in nearly every scene.

Takes an intriguing idea and puts it through middling paces.

I suspect that in 20 years, film buffs worldwide will be pointing to The Place Promised in Our Early Days as the introductory work from one of cinema's first-rate directors.