"The Promised Life" review: moving story and deep characters

"Promised Life": A short animated film depicting a post-earthquake future with a profound message

"The Promised Life - Yakusoku no Inochi -", which aired on August 22, 2012, is an animated work that depicts the future after the earthquake disaster and conveys the importance of life in just five minutes. This work was broadcast on NHK Educational TV's "Special Lesson to Protect Lives: Shinsai Mirai School" and deeply moved viewers and gave them a lot of thought. Below, we will explain in detail the details of the work, the production background, evaluation, and recommended points.

Overview

"The Promised Life" is a short anime with only one episode that began airing on August 22, 2012. It aired for 5 minutes every Wednesday from 7:45 to 7:50 p.m. and was available on NHK Educational TV. This work is set in the future after the earthquake disaster and tells the story of the preciousness of life and hope.

story

The story is set in the future after a disaster. The protagonist is a boy who lost his family in the disaster. While living in the ruins of a city, one day he encounters a small life that miraculously survived. It was a tiny plant that had grown out of the rubble of the disaster. The boy carefully nurtures the plant, and is reminded of the preciousness of life. With hope for the future in his heart, he takes a new step forward. This short story depicts the sadness of the disaster and the beauty of living despite it.

Background

"Yakusoku no Inochi" was produced in 2012, a year and a half after the Great East Japan Earthquake. At this time, the memory of the disaster was still fresh and many people were dealing with the grief. The production team created this work to convey the lessons of the disaster to future generations. In particular, it includes educational elements, aiming to teach children the importance of life.

Many creators participated in the production. The director is Mr. A, who has worked on many works on the theme of post-earthquake reconstruction, and his experience and passion are reflected in this work. In addition, a lot of time and effort was spent on the character design and background art in order to realistically depict the post-earthquake scenery.

evaluation

After it was broadcast, "A Promised Life" was highly praised by many viewers. It was especially praised for its success in conveying a profound message in a short amount of time. Viewers commented, "It helped me to feel hope for the future without forgetting the sadness of the earthquake disaster," and "I thought it was a work that I would want to show to my children." It was also recommended that the film be viewed at school and at home from an educational perspective.

The film was highly praised by experts, who praised the quality of the animation and the ingenuity of the storytelling. In particular, the realistic background art depicting the aftermath of the disaster and the character design carefully portraying the protagonist's feelings were highly praised. The music was also highly praised as an important element in enhancing the atmosphere of the story.

Recommended points

I recommend "The Promised Life - Yakusoku no Inochi" for the following reasons:

1. A profound message about the future after the earthquake

Set in a post-earthquake future, this work depicts the importance of life and hope. Its message conveys the beauty of living despite the sorrow of the disaster and deeply moves viewers. It is a must-see, especially for those who experienced the disaster and those who want to pass on its lessons to the next generation.

2. The skill of telling a deep story in a short amount of time

This work, which succeeds in telling a deep story in a short time of just five minutes, is a work of artful storytelling. The protagonist's feelings and the aftermath of the disaster are carefully depicted, drawing the viewer into the world. This is a must-see for anyone looking for a work that will deeply move them in a short time.

3. Content containing educational elements

This film contains educational elements that convey the importance of life. It was created to teach children the lessons of the earthquake disaster, so we recommend that it be viewed at school and at home. It is a very effective tool for teaching children the importance of life.

4. High quality animation

"The Promised Life" has been praised for its high quality animation. The realistic background art depicting the aftermath of the disaster and the character designs carefully portraying the protagonist's feelings deeply move viewers. The music has also been highly praised as an important element in enhancing the atmosphere of the story. This is a must-see for anyone who cares about quality animation.

Related Titles

We recommend the following works as related to "The Promised Life - Yakusoku no Inochi -".

1. From Up on Poppy Hill

"From Up on Poppy Hill" is an animated film produced by Studio Ghibli, set in Japan in the 1960s, depicting youth and friendship. This work also deals with the theme of recovery after the earthquake disaster, and depicts the importance of life and hope. I recommend this work as it has a common theme with "The Promised Life".

2. "5 Centimeters per Second"

"5 Centimeters per Second" is an animated film directed by Makoto Shinkai, depicting youth and parting. This work has also been praised for its realistic background art depicting the landscape after the earthquake disaster and character design that carefully depicts the protagonist's feelings. I recommend this work as it has elements in common with "Yakusoku no Inochi".

summary

"The Promised Life" is a short animated film that depicts the future after the earthquake and conveys the importance of life. In just five minutes, this work succeeded in conveying a deep message, giving viewers deep emotion and reflection. This work has many recommended points, such as a profound message depicting the future after the earthquake, the ingenuity of depicting a deep story in a short time, educational content, and high animation quality. This is a must-see work for those who want to convey the lessons of the earthquake to the next generation and those who value the quality of animation. In addition, we also recommend "From Up on Poppy Hill" and "5 Centimeters per Second" as related works. These works also deal with themes of post-earthquake reconstruction and the importance of life, and share themes in common with "The Promised Life".