The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes

Directed by Tomohisa Taguchi at CLAP and adapted from Mei Hachimoku's light novel, The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes released in 2022 and earned solid critical reception for its handling of grief and its tightly constructed time-dilation premise. Its emotional core, in which two damaged teenagers negotiate what they are willing to trade for something they cannot otherwise have, gives the science fiction conceit real weight. The film is frequently recommended alongside other short, emotionally direct anime features. Its central trade, time for a wish, gives the premise real emotional consequence.