The success of films like Your Name and A Silent Voice sparked a huge demand for big-budget anime romances on the big screen, and just like the former, some of them carry a fantastical bend to them. Whereas You Name was a body-swapping story with a hint of time travel, a pair of films titled To Every You I've Loved Before and To Me, The One Who Loved You are taking a multiverse approach to romance.
Based on the 2016 light novels of the same names, both films were released in Japan on October 7, 2022, each animated by a different studio, but weaving an interconnected story. To Me, The One Who Loved You was produced by TMS Entertainment, the studio behind Lupin the Third, while To Every You I've Loved Before was produced by Bakken Record, the studio behind the Netflix Original Series, Exception.
The Stories
To Me, The One Who Loved You is the story of Koyomi Hidaki, who lives with his father after his parents divorced, and falls in love with Shiori Satou, a girl who he meets at his father's workplace. When their parents get married, they become step-siblings, crushing their hopes of being together... unless they go to a world where they aren't family. In a world where people moving between dimensions isn't uncommon, it's possible.
And in a parallel story... To Every You I've Loved Before is the story of Koyomi Takasaki, who lives with his mother after his parents divorced, and meets a girl named Kazune Takigawa, who has already met him. She's from an alternate universe where she and Koyomi are in love. In a world where people moving between dimensions isn't uncommon, it's possible.
It's quite the enticing premise, playing with the idea of a multiverse through separate but coinciding stories, right down to which parent the protagonist lives with after the divorce. But what creates a sense of mystery and drives interest is the suggestion that multiverse travel is not only possible but a natural and not uncommon occurrence.
What must life be like when people are capable of jumping into different worlds and different lives? Is it something requiring considerable effort, or something that can simply happen like the unexplained magical elements of Makoto Shinkai films? Furthermore, what are the consequences of going to a different world?
The Art Moment
As an art piece, the experience of the films and how audiences choose to view them are proportionate to how one will receive the piece as a whole. When the film was released in Japan, the author of the original novels, Otono Yomoji, had the following to say about the films and the importance of why the story is the way it is:
"In the infinite number of parallel worlds that exist, one of the happiest futures that this fantasy has led me to is the one that will be made into these films. Two films are being released simultaneously. They are made in a way that you can watch them from either side, and the order in which you watch the two films will greatly change the way you feel about them. I hope you will enjoy the choice you can only make once, which of the two films to see first."
-Otono Yomoji
There is no definitive first or second half, meaning that the very act of choosing which one to start with will determine one's impression of the story from there on. This is the kind of story that breeds discourse over which film should be watched first, as counterintuitive to the point as it might be. It's an extremely cool idea that adds an extra dimension to the "art moment" of these films' releases.
But while the idea behind these films is compelling, the quality of the films themselves will be the determining factor whether this will be a passing curiosity or an experiment worth remembering. TMS Entertainment's resume is long and storied, which might not guarantee greatness, but certainly puts them in a better position than Bakken Record, whose smaller list of productions has been received less favorably.
From the trailers released for both films, the difference in studios is most noticeable in the character designs, but otherwise, the films look similar, and quite pretty, at that. Where the films may struggle, however, is in the performances, as the actors in the lead roles are more screen actors than voice actors, which could hinder the performances in what is bound to be quite the cosmic melodrama.
As of right now, the films have received modest reception, both currently sitting at an average of around 7.30 on MyAnimeList.net. To Me, The One Who Loved You and To Every You I've Loved Before are both scheduled to hit Crunchyroll on April 20, leaving audiences with the same crucial choice: "which should I watch first?"
Source: Crunchyroll