Mini Film Review – The Tunnel To Summer, The Exit Of Goodbyes

I have just seen The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes; and it was really good! Directed by Tomohisa Taguchi, and starring Marie Iitoyo, Oji Suzuka, and Arisa Komiya; The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes is an Anime film based on the light novel and Manga of the same name by Mei Hachimoku, about two teenagers who discover a secret tunnel, which grants those who enter their deepest desires, however; there is a time delay, as time outside the tunnel speeds up. It was a really interesting film structurally, as it introduces two characters, who are socially similar, but with different wishes, whose eventual romance blossoms from a desire to investigate the tunnel’s effects. It’s a really clever way to create an on-screen romance you actually care about, between two people you grow to love, and can feel the sheer heartbreak for when it seems the love will end. The ending does feel a bit long, and you sort of want to know more about how their lives workout as the credits roll, so it’s a tiny bit overkill, and a tiny bit anti-climactic too. But the story and love between these two characters feels so natural, and so good, when the film reaches it’s climax.

The film also has a title which is too long to remember in full. When I got to the cinema, I asked a ticket to see “the tunnel film”!