Who is That and Why Should I Care #9 – Lala-Ru
Now and Then, Here and There is without a doubt one of my all time favorite anime series. It’s truly a heartbreaking and emotional masterpiece, with a perfect ending. The story is so impactful, so very tear jerking, that I think everyone needs to see it. It is brilliant in its way of weaving in an important and timely message in a fantasy series, all while dissecting (or deconstructing) the Isekai genre. It is a very brutal story, but an important one. However the story would not work without an excellent cast of characters. And Lala-Ru is my favorite from the show.
Who: Lala-Ru
What Show: Now and Then, Here and There (1999-2000)
Why You Should Care:
Lala-Ru is first introduced in episode one, however it will take the entire 13 episodes of this series for you to get a full understanding of who this character truly is. Lala-Ru first appears to be a blue haired, stoic, quiet cute girl around the main character’s age. She is eventually revealed to have supernatural powers over water. It turns out she is thousands of years old and magical. In the future world of this anime water has become scarce, and many technological devices run on water; not to mention everyone needs water to survive. Lala-Ru has a pendant that stores the water, yet every time she uses it, she weakens.
What I like so much about this character is she at first appears stoic and emotionless, but we later learn that she’s just worn down. She has lived for thousands of years, and must have seen countless people fight over her and her abilities. She’s seen the worst in humanity, and has lost faith in people. She used to think there were good people, but she must have watched them be murdered or die. She famously says “All the good people of this world are already dead.” Yet by the end her hope in humanity is restored, she believes in someone. That is so inspirational. The way she shows this, what she does in the last episode is heartbreaking.
I also really like the way she looks. Her blue hair, calm eyes, and cute face helps to depict the type of character Lala-Ru is. It also helps her name is so cool and unique! There’s really nothing else like that name! She’s also a very powerful but vulnerable character. I like how this character grows, how she changes with the story, and where she ends up. She is the type of person I would like to meet in real life. She is the central point, the catalyst, to everything that happens in Now and Then, Here and There. And she makes the entire anime work. She’s an all time favorite character of mine, as I like how cynical and dark she is, yet also how she can change her mind.
