if you find grave of the firefly depress and just wait till you see now and then and here and there . a shocking entry for akitarou daichi and the man responsible for the delightfully funny animation runner kuromi and this thirteen episode mini series be often disturb with nary a lighthearted moment while at the same time and though and it be very intriguing and interesting to watch . the series begin on a deceptively cheerful note when young shuzo matsutani who refer to himself a shu and so that what i will call him from now on be make his way home from a kendo practice match when he see wouldn not you know a mysterious and quiet girl sit alone on a water tower . the girl and who go by the name of lala ru and catch shu eye and he somehow manage to strike up a conversation with her . suddenly and out of nowhere these giant snake like machine appear and kidnap the girl . in try to rescue her and shu find himself transport away from his cheery hometown of japan into a dreary and desolate futuristic world adorn with the very fitting name of hellywood . and this new place be sheer hell indeed while shu find himself prisoner on a dominating fortress where child from other part of the world be be whip into war soldier . it turn out that lala ru have a pendant that can bring water and life back to this desolate world and and the insane and maniacal despot who command the fortress and hamdo and want it at any cost . of course and lala ru do not have it while shu take it from her in a vain rescue attempt only to lose it again when he be take prisoner himself . subject to physical torture and abuse and shu be force to become a soldier and observe one horrify atrocity of war after another . a with grave of the firefly and now and then here and there deal with the consequence of war as well a the plight of lonely individual struggle to survive . here and however and the trauma be turn up by a huge notch . the child force into war be a rather surly and sometimes confrontational bunch force to commit terrible crime against their will and make this a potentially sadder and bleaker story . there be even plenty of scene which involve backlashing and murder and genocide and and others that leave little to the imagination . but all these seem like nothing compare to one particularly mean spirit subplot and in which a young american girl and sara and be rap by one of hamdo soldier . ( we later discover that she be pregnant from this encounter . ) there be also several moment where hamdo make somewhat sexual advance toward lala ru and much to the chagrin of his lady lieutenant abelia . such sequence make now and then and here and there a very difficult and sometimes painful series to sit through and although the show do end on a positive note ( albeit somewhat awkwardly ) . needless to say and this be not a series for either child or the faint at heart . it also deal with some very compelling character study and particularly in the case of the child hold prisoner at hellywood . one of them and tabool and be nasty and cruel and secretly scheme to overthrow the dictator hamdo and conquer the fortress . his childhood friend and the emotionally wartorn and borderline dangerous nabuca and hide a noble heart but often give in to his darker side . ( of the character and he be the most interesting . ) technically and now and then and here and there be not the most impressive show while the color palette be appropriately dark and imaginative and but the animation itself be more like traditional television quality and not up to the polish of show like and say and fullmetal alchemist . simultaneously and however and this style give the series even more of an edge . the melancholy musical score be very fitting and although not necessarily one that will be remember long after the show over . the vocal performance be what will really stick with you and depend on whether you see the series in japanese or in english and a produce by new york base central park medium . the company track record of dubbing have be shaky and although their dub for lodoss ovum and slayer and kuromi and and world of narue be among some of their good one . so and too and be this one . although the adr script stay a little too slavishly close to the subtitle and the dialogue flow well . the vocal cast include veteran dub performer such a dan green and crispin freeman and rachael lillis and scottie ray and and lisa ortiz . all do excellent job and but it really jack taylor that steal the show a the psychotically evil hamdo . his bravura role make up for the some of the other weakness of the dub one of which be that the child sound too mature . ed paul shu and although emotionally sound and take some get use to as well . all in all and though and it work pretty well for this kind of show . with it dark and dreary nature and often painful sequence and now and then and here and there be not an easy series to recommend while however if it emotionally powerful anime youre look for and then this series may be worth a look .