The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes (2022)

[夏へのトンネル、さよならの出口]

Director: Tomohisa Taguchi
Starring: Ouji Suzuka, Marie Itoyo, Tasuku Hatanaka

Synopsis:
There is an urban legend of the Urashima Tunnel that grants your heart's desire but ages you 100 years. A boy finds this tunnel and seeks to use its power to bring his sister back from the dead.

Impressions:
Given the premise of the film, I thought most of the runtime would be dedicated to the search for the Urashima Tunnel, but the tunnel is discovered rather early and the movie is mostly about Touno and Hanashiro bonding while experimenting with the tunnel's properties. This exploration into the mechanics, combined with fleshing out our main duo, is quite effective and makes good use of the time we have. The contrast of wishing for what you don't have, for what you've lost, versus finding happiness with what you have is nicely played. Also, the film looks gorgeous. I hadn't heard of Studio CLAP before this, but they were spun off Madhouse and this is their third film, so they'll definitely be on my radar in the future. Definitely give this one a watch.

Rating:
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