History YMMV / NowAndThenHereAndThere

** Some viewers might also wish Shu had more overt & clear personal growth; his amount of character development is debatable and primarily a matter of subtext and interpretation.

* CompleteMonster: [[TheCaligula King]] [[BigBad Hamdo]] uses his floating fortress, Hellywood, to plunder resources from a desperate land as well as kidnap children to use as soldiers in his army. [[EstablishingCharacterMoment Introduced]] [[BadPeopleAbuseAnimals strangling his own cat to death]], Hamdo reacts with psychotic glee upon learning his men have found a girl who possesses an amulet capable of creating water, a precious resource in his time. When he discovers she's lost said amulet and refuses to help him find it, Hamdo flies into a rage and [[WouldHurtAChild is implied to rape her as punishment]]. [[DirtyCoward So cowardly]] that any threat of his enemies coming close to him sends him into a panic, Hamdo orders his second-in-command to fire upon them, even while his own ChildSoldiers are engaged with them on the frontline, caring nothing for them in the face of getting to save his own skin. Despite preaching a campaign to unify the desolate world, Hamdo's actions [[NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist make it clear]] he's a [[PsychopathicManchild self-serving, unintelligent bully]] whose [[ItsAllAboutMe only interest is in securing and consolidating his own power]].

* MainstreamObscurity: As much as this series is mentioned, very few have actually gotten around to watching it.

* AcceptableTargets: Probably warlords.

* CompleteMonster: [[TheCaligula King]] [[BigBad Hamdo]] uses his floating fortress, Hellywood, to plunder resources from a desperate land as well as kidnap children to use as soldiers in his army. [[EstablishingCharacterMoment Introduced]] [[BadPeopleAbuseAnimals strangling his own cat to death]], Hamdo reacts with psychotic glee upon learning his men have found a girl who possesses an amulet capable of creating water, a precious resource in his time. When he discovers she's lost said amulet and refuses to help him find it, Hamdo flies into a rage and [[WouldHurtAChild is implied to rape her as punishment]]. [[DirtyCoward So cowardly]] that any threat of his enemies coming close to him sends him into a panic, Hamdo orders his second-in-command to fire upon them, even while his own ChildSoldiers are engaged with them on the frontline, caring nothing for them in the face of getting to save his own skin. Despite preaching a campaign to unify the desolate world, Hamdo's actions [[[[NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist make it clear]] he's a [[PsychopathicManchild self-serving, unintelligent bully]] whose [[ItsAllAboutMe only interest is in securing and consolidating his own power]].

* CompleteMonster: [[TheCaligula King Hamdo]] is a raging and unpredictable tyrant who uses ChildSoldiers as CannonFodder. Hamdo evokes the smallest drop of pity because he is obviously insane and in great pain, but then then he kills his cat in a temper tantrum and [[WouldHurtAChild sexually assaults a little girl]]. His second-in-command warns him that one of his tactical moves will directly result in the bloody deaths of thousands of children, and his response is, [[WeHaveReserves more or less]], "So?"

* DoNotDoThisCoolThing / TruffautWasRight: Averted. Like the aforementioned ''Anime/GraveOfTheFireflies'', this is one of the few (anti)-war shows that doesn't make war or the life of a soldier look like fun.

* MoralEventHorizon: King Hamdo has a few, before the series started, he had abducted numerous children, put them into combat [[spoiler: and destroyed their villages so they can't go home.]] Other examples could be Ordering Shu tortured.

* DoNotDoThisCoolThing / TruffautWasRight: Averted. Like the aforementioned ''GraveOfTheFireflies'', this is one of the few (anti)-war shows that doesn't make war or the life of a soldier look like fun.

* CompleteMonster: [[TheCaligula King Hamdo]] is a raging and unpredictable tyrant who uses {{child soldiers}} as {{cannon fodder}}. Hamdo evokes the smallest drop of pity because he is obviously insane and in great pain, but then then he kills his cat in a temper tantrum and [[WouldHurtAChild sexually assaults a little girl]]. His second-in-command warns him that one of his tactical moves will directly result in the bloody deaths of thousands of children, and his response is, [[WeHaveReserves more or less]], "So?"

* CompleteMonster: King Hamdo is a raging and unpredictable tyrant who uses {{child soldiers}} as cannon fodder. Hamdo evokes the smallest drop of sympathy because he is obviously insane and in great pain - and then he kills his cat in a temper tantrum and sexually assaults a little girl. His second-in-command warns him that one of his tactical moves will [[WeHaveReserves directly result in the bloody deaths of thousands of children]], and his response is, more or less, "So?"

* DarknessInducedAudienceapathy: After the NonIndicativeFirstEpisode, the series pulls no punches in being grim-dark, complete with [[CompleteMonster one of the most abominable villains in history]] and a main character who is [[PinballProtagonist near-powerless to change much.]] In the end, the protagonist has no great influence and is able only to inspire the actually-powerful Lala-Ru to bring about a more-or-less happy ending. The mostly-positive outcome feels insignificant after the series' overall dark journey.

* DarknessInducedAudienceapathy: After the NonIndicativeFirstEpisode, the series pulls no punches in being grim-dark, complete with [[CompleteMonster one of the most abominable villains in history]] and a main character who is [[PinballProtagonist near-powerless to change much.]] Hell, the main character's actions don't even affect the resolution of the series.

* [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome Crowning Music Of Heartbreaking]]: As he proved on the Rurouni Kenshin OAV soundtracks, Taku Iwasaki's music WILL make you want to sob in the corner just by listening to it.

* DiabolusExNihilo: The sand monster in Episode 8. It makes for a good JumpScare and is [[DeTerminator quite hard to shake off]], but it doesn't affect the plot much and is never spoken of again. It might even have counted as a BigLippedAlligatorMoment if not for some of threatening animals already seen skulking around, as well as the general CrapsackWorld atmosphere.

* FridgeLogic: How are Sara and Shu able to talk to each other? It's highly doubtful that Sara's fluent in Japanese and Shu in English, and for that matter what language does everyone in Hellywood speak? How are Sara and Shu able to speak to them?
** Another question is why they don't use the time machine to get water.
*** I thought it was assumed that the time machine requires a lot of energy to use, and the limited amount of matter it can retrieve at a time wouldn't be enough to break even.
** While the story only involves the conflict between Hellywood and Zari Bars, it seems logical that there are countless other settlements all over the world, located at many different altitudes, depending on where the water is. One might wonder what happens at the end of the show to all of the settlements that were located below what would become [[spoiler:sea level]]. Oh those poor [[NoEndorHolocaust Ewoks]].
** The [[GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion abortion]] for [[spoiler: Sara]] may actually have been a non option seeing as the doctor who recommended it, and the only doctor we've seen in the series, was shot dead, and no other was mentioned.

* FridgeHorror: The director specifically says he was inspired to write this anime by the Rwandan genocide and by extension, Africa and the ThirdWorld's particularly brutal dictators and civil wars. Of course, in real life, there weren't just the infamous [[UsefulNotes/IdiAmin Idi Amin]] or [[ThePhilippines Ferdinand Marcos]] making hell for their people; there were plenty other brutal strongmen who didn't stand out quite as much in Western media. In other words, especially considering the environmental hardships Earth is facing in NTHT, ''Hamdo probably isn't the only brutal, power-hungry strongman out there''.
** As far as Sara's parents know, their daughter has been [[AdultFear kidnapped and likely killed and dumped somewhere]]. And you thought her story that we saw was sad enough...

* AcceptableTargets - Probably warlords.

* AngstWhatAngst - Played straight with Shu; averted with Sara.
* CompleteMonster - King Hamdo is a raging and unpredictable tyrant who uses {{child soldiers}} as cannon fodder. Hamdo evokes the smallest drop of sympathy because he is obviously insane and in great pain - and then he kills his cat in a temper tantrum and sexually assaults a little girl. His second-in-command warns him that one of his tactical moves will [[WeHaveReserves directly result in the bloody deaths of thousands of children]], and his response is, more or less, "So?"
* [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome Crowning Music Of Heartbreaking]] - As he proved on the Rurouni Kenshin OAV soundtracks, Taku Iwasaki's music WILL make you want to sob in the corner just by listening to it.

* DoNotDoThisCoolThing / TruffautWasRight - Averted. Like the aforementioned ''GraveOfTheFireflies'', this is one of the few (anti)-war shows that doesn't make war or the life of a soldier look like fun.
* EnsembleDarkhorse - Some fans actually complain that the story follows Shu instead of Nabuca.

* FridgeHorror - The director specifically says he was inspired to write this anime by the Rwandan genocide and by extension, Africa and the ThirdWorld's particularly brutal dictators and civil wars. Of course, in real life, there weren't just the infamous [[UsefulNotes/IdiAmin Idi Amin]] or [[ThePhilippines Ferdinand Marcos]] making hell for their people; there were plenty other brutal strongmen who didn't stand out quite as much in Western media. In other words, especially considering the environmental hardships Earth is facing in NTHT, ''Hamdo probably isn't the only brutal, power-hungry strongman out there''.

* FridgeLogic - How are Sara and Shu able to talk to each other? It's highly doubtful that Sara's fluent in Japanese and Shu in English, and for that matter what language does everyone in Hellywood speak? How are Sara and Shu able to speak to them?

* TearJerker - Most of the series, but especially the last two episodes.

* DiabolusExNihilo: The sand monster in Episode 8. It makes for a good JumpScare and is [[DeTerminator quite hard to shake off]], but it doesn't affect the plot much and is never spoken of again.

* GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: The sand monster in Episode 8. It makes for a good JumpScare and is [[DeTerminator quite hard to shake off]], but it doesn't affect the plot much and is never spoken of again.

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: The sand monster in Episode 8. It makes for a good JumpScare and is [[DeTerminator quite hard to shake off]], but it doesn't affect the plot much and is never spoken of again.

** The [[GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion abortion]] for [[spoiler: Sara]] may actually have been a non option seeing as the doctor who recommended it, and the only doctor we've seen in the series, was shot dead, and no other was mentioned.

* DoNotDoThisCoolThing/TruffautWasRight - Averted. Like the aforementioned ''GraveOfTheFireflies'', this is one of the few (anti)-war shows that doesn't make war or the life of a soldier look like fun.

* DoNotDoThisCoolThing - Averted. Like the aforementioned ''GraveOfTheFireflies'', this is one of the few (anti)-war shows that doesn't make war or the life of a soldier look like fun.

* DoNotDoThisCoolThing - Averted. Like the aforementioned ''GraveOfTheFireflies'', this is one of the few (anti)-war shows that doesn't glamorize war or the life of a soldier.

* DoNotDoThisCoolThing - Averted. Like the aforementioned ''GraveOfTheFireflies'', this is one of the few (anti)-war shows that doesn't glamorous war or the life of a soldier.