agmtw logo
search

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

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

7.0

Two kids time-travel through a wish-granting tunnel in this wistful, if a bit familiar, sci-fi romance

Movie

Japan
Japanese
Animation, Drama, Fantasy, Romance
2022
imdb
rt
wiki

TLDR

It's not Your Name, but it's not bad.

What it's about

After bumping into each other at the train station, traumatized high school student Kaoru Touno and Tokyo transferee Anzu Hanashiro set out to explore the fabled time-bending Urashima Tunnel, which supposedly grants them their every wish for a price.

The take

With time-bending natural phenomena linking two teenagers into a romance, there's no denying that The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes can feel a tad too similar to the internationally acclaimed Your Name (2016). Right off the bat, it doesn't compare. Nonetheless, the film still works because of the key difference between them. Unlike the earlier film, the time travel is triggered not because of being magically bound to save a whole town from natural disaster, but due to the regret, sorrow, and personal trauma that shifted the course of their lives. It makes for an intriguing sci-fi metaphor about co-dependency and healing through one's first relationship. The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes may not compare to other anime time travel adventures, but it's animated beautifully and it effectively captures that wistful feeling one gets with their first love.

What stands out

The runtime. This is the kind of film that could have been better paced if it was just a little bit longer.

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

The Farewell (2019)

Awkwafina shines in this complex culture clash comedy.

9.1

Look Back (2024)

Art connects people through time and space in this short and sweet drama

8.5

Perfect Days (2023)

This Japanese film is a quaint reminder that joy can be found in the smallest and simplest of things

8.3

Departures (Okuribito) (2008)

An elegant and sentimental film about a reluctant cellist becoming a mortician.

9.0

Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy (2021)

Three separate stories intertwined with themes of love and fate

8.9

Lust, Caution (2007)

A wartime spy falls for a collaborator in this erotic espionage drama

7.3

Drive My Car (2021)

A poignant, meandering tale of art, love, and loss

8.9

A City of Sadness (1989)

With A City of Sadness, Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien paints a picture of a society on the brink

8.8

Asako I & II (2018)

A quietly surreal meditation on love and the people it transforms us into

8.0

The Parades (2024)

Michihito Fujii reimagines a peaceful, communal afterlife in this slice-of-life supernatural drama

7.2

Curated by humans, not algorithms.

agmtw logo

© 2025 agoodmovietowatch, all rights reserved.