The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes
Light novel cover
夏へのトンネル、さよならの出口
(Natsu e no Tonneru, Sayonara no Deguchi)
Genre
Light novel
Written byMei Hachimoku
Illustrated byKukka
Published byShogakukan
English publisher
ImprintGagaga Bunko
DemographicMale
PublishedJuly 18, 2019
Manga
The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes: Ultramarine
Written byMei Hachimoku
Illustrated byKoudon
Published byShogakukan
English publisher
  • NA: Seven Seas Entertainment
Magazine
DemographicSeinen
Original runJuly 18, 2020 – November 19, 2021
Volumes4
Anime film
Directed byTomohisa Taguchi
Produced by
  • Reiko Sasaki
  • Masayo Kudou
  • Nao Matsumura
  • Taisuke Shiikawa
Written byTomohisa Taguchi
Music byHarumi Fuuki
StudioCLAP [ja]
Licensed bySentai Filmworks
ReleasedSeptember 9, 2022 (2022-09-09)
Runtime83 minutes
icon Anime and manga portal

The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes (Japanese: 夏へのトンネル、さよならの出口, Hepburn: Natsu e no Tonneru, Sayonara no Deguchi) is a Japanese light novel written by Mei Hachimoku and illustrated by Kukka, published by Shogakukan under its Gagaga Bunko imprint in July 2019. A manga adaptation, titled The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes: Ultramarine and illustrated by Koudon, was serialized in Shogakukan's seinen manga magazine Monthly Sunday Gene-X from July 2020 to November 2021, with its chapters collected in four tankōbon volumes. Both the light novel and manga are licensed in North America by Seven Seas Entertainment. An anime film adaptation produced by CLAP [ja] premiered in September 2022.

Plot

Set in a fictional city where Kasaki Station exists, there is an urban legend about an "Urashima Tunnel," a tunnel that is capable of granting one's wish—but with a price. Kaoru Touno is a high school student in a rural town in Japan who keeps to himself, going home each day on the Oosara-Sugimori train line. One rainy day, Kaoru meets a soaked Anzu Hanashiro at the train station. Kaoru tries to give her his umbrella, during which she reveals that she does not have parents, which Kaoru tells her is "good". Anzu accepts the umbrella, and they exchange phone numbers.

The next day, Kaoru's teacher reveals Anzu as a new transfer student from Tokyo, to Kaoru's surprise. Despite the class's best efforts to make her feel welcome, Anzu's cold nature rebuffs them, eventually drawing the attention of class mean girl Koharu Kawasaki, who steals her manga and drops it on the floor. To the surprise of everyone, Anzu punches Koharu, drawing blood. Back at home later that night, Kaoru's father attacks him in a drunken rage, accusing his mother of leaving them and Kaoru himself of being responsible for his sister Karen's death, demanding that Kaoru bring Karen back, and declaring that Kaoru can give up his life in exchange for his sister's. Kaoru runs away, accidentally stumbling upon Urashima Tunnel. He brings back one of Karen's slippers and his dead pet parrot. He discovers that in the short time inside the tunnel, a week had passed outside.

The next day, Kaoru re-enters the tunnel, finding Anzu inside. They agree to work together to fulfill both their wishes. Over the course of weeks, their relationship grows. The pair discover that every 3 seconds in the tunnel equates to 2 hours outside. On an aquarium date, Anzu admits that she's scared of the tunnel. Kaoru talks about his wish: Kaoru and his sister Karen had a fight over a trivial matter, and while Karen was climbing a tree to catch a rhinoceros beetle to make up to him, she fell and died. Kaoru wishes to get her back.

Kaoru and Anzu go back into the tunnel, aiming to get back out in 108 seconds, 3 days outside. They retrieve a stack of papers, but they overshoot and spend more than 2 minutes inside. As it's 4am in the morning, the pair agree to go to Anzu's place until morning arrives. While there, Anzu explains her wish: her grandfather was a financially unsuccessful manga artist, who became a burden on Anzu's parents. When Anzu told her parents her dream of becoming a manga artist as well, they kicked her out of the house. Anzu wishes to attain the talent that would make her a successful manga artist and make her mark on the world. The stack of papers they retrieved was an old manga that young Anzu wrote and was thrown into the trash by her father. Kaoru insists on reading it, discovering that Anzu is already talented.

One night after a date at the summer festival, Kaoru returns home to find his father with a new woman, Kaoru's stepmother. The next day, he convinces Anzu to postpone their final trip into the tunnel, but Kaoru himself disappears soon after. Fearing the worst, Anzu goes to Urashima Tunnel, receiving a message from Kaoru that reveals the tunnel cannot grant wishes, only restore what was lost. He implores her to become a manga artist, so that he can see her manga when he eventually exits the tunnel. Anzu is heartbroken, and tearfully admits that she only wanted to be with him.

Inside the tunnel, Kaoru finds himself in a fictional space where he reunites with his sister the day after she died, but begins receiving messages from outside, something previously proven to be impossible. His sister states that she will be happy as long as he's with someone he loves. Kaoru realizes he wants to be with Anzu; he accepts and moves on from his sister's death.

Outside, 8 years have passed. Anzu is a moderately successful, but bitter and tired manga artist. One day at the train station where Kaoru and Anzu first met, Anzu breaks down, saying she's always thinking of him. She receives a message from Kaoru; thinking that he's already left the tunnel, she races to meet him.

Kaoru slips and falls inside the tunnel, but wakes up to see Anzu. They share a kiss, and Kaoru exits the tunnel 13 years and 102 days after he first entered.

Characters

Kaoru Touno (塔野カオル, Tōno Kaoru)
Voiced by: Ouji Suzuka[2] (Japanese); Gabriel Regojo[3] (English)
Anzu Hanashiro (花城あんず, Hanashiro Anzu)
Voiced by: Marie Iitoyo[2] (Japanese); Patricia Duran[3] (English)
Shouhei Kaga (加賀翔平, Kaga Shōhei)
Voiced by: Tasuku Hatanaka[4] (Japanese); Scott Gibbs[3] (English)
Koharu Kawasaki (川崎小春, Kawasaki Koharu)
Voiced by: Arisa Komiya[4] (Japanese); Maggie Flecknoe[3] (English)
Hanamoto-sensei (浜本先生)
Voiced by: Haruka Terui[4] (Japanese); Shelley Calene-Black[3] (English)
Kaoru's father (カオルの父, Kaoru no Chichi)
Voiced by: Rikiya Koyama[4] (Japanese); John Gremillion[3] (English)
Karen Touno (塔野カレン, Tōno Karen)
Voiced by: Seiran Kobayashi[4] (Japanese); Anna Austin[3] (English)

Media

Light novel

The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes, written by Mei Hachimoku and illustrated by Kukka, was released by Shogakukan under its Gagaga Bunko imprint on July 18, 2019.[5]

In July 2021, Seven Seas Entertainment announced that they had licensed the light novel for English release in North America.[6] It was released on May 17, 2022.[7]

Manga

A manga adaptation, The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes: Ultramarine (夏へのトンネル、さよならの出口　群青, Natsu e no Tonneru, Sayonara no Deguchi Gunjō), illustrated by Koudon, started its serialization in Shogakukan's seinen manga magazine Monthly Sunday Gene-X on July 18, 2020.[8] The series was also published on the MangaONE app. The first part of the final chapter was published on MangaONE on October 1, 2021,[9] and the series finished in Monthly Sunday Gene-X on November 19 of the same year.[10] Shogakukan collected its chapters in four tankōbon volumes, released from December 18, 2020,[11] to December 17, 2021.[12]

In July 2021, Seven Seas Entertainment announced that they had licensed the manga for English release in North America.[6] The first volume was released on July 26, 2022.[13]

Volumes

No. Original release date Original ISBN English release date English ISBN
1 December 18, 2020[11]978-4-09-157619-4July 26, 2022[13]978-1-63858-420-9
2 March 18, 2021[14]978-4-09-157632-3October 18, 2022[15]978-1-63858-795-8
3 August 19, 2021[16]978-4-09-157648-4February 28, 2023[17]978-1-63858-977-8
4 December 17, 2021[12]978-4-09-157666-8June 13, 2023[18]978-1-68579-533-7

Anime film

An anime film adaptation was announced on December 15, 2021. The film is produced by CLAP [ja] and written and directed by Tomohisa Taguchi, with Tomomi Yabuki designing the characters and serving as chief animation director, and Harumi Fuuki composing the music.[19] It premiered on September 9, 2022.[20] The film's theme song is "Finale" (フィナーレ。, Fināre) by Eill.[21] The film was released on Blu-ray on May 24, 2023.[22]

Sentai Filmworks licensed the film for North America,[23] and Anime Limited acquired the film in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Malta.[24] It premiered in UK cinemas on July 14, 2023,[25] and in US theaters on November 3 of the same year.[26] Hidive began streaming the film on January 2, 2024,[3] and the film was released on Blu-ray on January 10 of the same year.[27]

Reception

The film adaptation won the Paul Grimault Award at the 2023 Annecy International Animation Film Festival.[28] On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 83% based on 12 reviews, with an average rating of 6.6/10.[29] Writing for The Guardian, Phil Hoad gave the film three out of five stars, describing the plot as simplistic but the animation as "something else", capturing "the momentousness of first love".[30]

References

  1. ^ a b "The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes (Light Novel)". Seven Seas Entertainment. Archived from the original on September 16, 2021. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Mateo, Alex (March 23, 2022). "'The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbye' Anime Film Casts Oji Suzuka, Marie Iitoyo". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on April 27, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Tai, Anita (December 19, 2023). "HIDIVE Streams 'The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes' Anime Film on January 2". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on December 19, 2023. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e Pineda, Rafael Antonio (July 11, 2022). "'The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbye' Anime Film's Trailer Previews Theme Song, Reveals More Cast". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 12, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  5. ^ 夏へのトンネル、さよならの出口 (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on July 4, 2021. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  6. ^ a b Hazra, Adriana (July 3, 2021). "Seven Seas Entertainment Adds 7 New Manga, 2 Light Novels". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 4, 2021. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  7. ^ "Book: The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbye (Light Novel)". Seven Seas Entertainment. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  8. ^ サンデーGX創刊20周年！ブラック・ラグーン4号連続アクスタ付属、4大新連載も. Nalalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. July 18, 2020. Archived from the original on April 23, 2021. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  9. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (October 5, 2021). "'The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbye' Manga Posts 1st Part of Final Chapter". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  10. ^ 月刊 サンデーＧＸ 2021年12月号 (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on September 12, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  11. ^ a b 夏へのトンネル、さよならの出口 群青 １ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on July 4, 2021. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  12. ^ a b 夏へのトンネル、さよならの出口 群青 ４ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on March 23, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  13. ^ a b "The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes: Ultramarine (Manga) Vol. 1". Seven Seas Entertainment. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  14. ^ 夏へのトンネル、さよならの出口 群青 ２ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on July 4, 2021. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  15. ^ "The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes: Ultramarine (Manga) Vol. 2". Seven Seas Entertainment. Archived from the original on April 3, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  16. ^ 夏へのトンネル、さよならの出口 群青 ３ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on September 16, 2021. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  17. ^ "The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes: Ultramarine (Manga) Vol. 3". Seven Seas Entertainment. Archived from the original on September 26, 2022. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
  18. ^ "The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes: Ultramarine (Manga) Vol. 4". Seven Seas Entertainment. Archived from the original on November 29, 2022. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  19. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (December 15, 2021). "'The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbye' Sci-Fi Drama Novel Gets Anime Film in 2022". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 7, 2023. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  20. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (April 26, 2022). "'The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbye' Anime Film's Teaser Reveals More Staff, September 9 Debut". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on May 22, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  21. ^ Mateo, Alex (August 16, 2022). "'The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbye' Anime Film's Trailer Previews Theme Song". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  22. ^ 劇場アニメ『夏へのトンネル、さよならの出口』第32回日本映画批評家大賞にてアニメーション作品賞を受賞. ln-news.com (in Japanese). April 11, 2023. Archived from the original on May 25, 2023. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
  23. ^ "Co-production "Giant Beast of Ars" and "The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes" Movie Top List of Hidive Announcements at Anime Weekend Atlanta". Sentai Filmworks. October 28, 2022. Archived from the original on December 18, 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  24. ^ "Anime Limited to Release The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes in UK Cinemas". Anime News Network. April 14, 2023. Archived from the original on May 16, 2023. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  25. ^ Osmond, Andrew (July 11, 2023). "The Tunnel to Summer Opens in U.K. Cinemas on Friday". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 11, 2023. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  26. ^ Mateo, Alex (September 27, 2023). "'The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes' Anime Film Opens in U.S. Theaters on November 3". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 27, 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  27. ^ Mateo, Alex (January 10, 2024). "North American Anime, Manga Releases, January 7–13". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  28. ^ Hazra, Adriana (June 19, 2023). "'The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes' Film Wins Award at Annecy". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 19, 2023. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
  29. ^ "The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
  30. ^ Hoad, Phil (July 10, 2023). "The Tunnel to Summer, Exit of Goodbyes review – metaphysical anime tale of first love". The Guardian. Archived from the original on August 31, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Tunnel_to_Summer,_the_Exit_of_Goodbyes&oldid=1252383567"