The Place Promised in Our Early Days has a fantastic premise that while isn't fully explained in the beginnings of the film, once it does, it fascinates you. Taking place in an alternate history where Japan was split into two after World War II, one occupied by the Union and the other half by the USA, a strange tower is built. Eventually, it is revealed that the parallel universes exists and the tower is replacing matter around it with matter from other universes. This really takes a backseat since the film focuses on three middle school students, as they spend their summer building an aeroplane to approach the tower. Unfortunately, the story ends up becoming a sort of a mess since it doesn't convey the thoughts and feelings of each of the characters in ways that flesh it out, thus making their actions confusing. The middle of the film dragged on to what seemed like an eternity, with bad pacing and sequencing of events. Not even the melancholy yet hopeful ending, could save the plot as you're left wondering what the aftermath of everything would be like.