Trying to get into the college of her choice, Makoto (Ren Komai), a high school student with poor grades but a fondness for science fiction, saw a commercial for the local university in junior high and has since dreamed of designing robots in the future. However, she gets an F on the entry exam. One day, she meets a mysterious young man from the future named Shinichi (Ui Mihara). According to Shinichi, the only way to prevent his dystopian future is for Makoto to go to university and complete a design for a combat robot. Can they save the city from the impending destruction?
On the whole, “Future! Future!” is a serviceable enough comedy short. The central plotline here works perfectly, bringing Makoto and Shinichi together in a quick fashion while also spelling out the main framework of the story throughout. Makoto’s geeky charms with her rampant quoting and referencing science fiction elements from pop culture allow her to be relatable, while coming to terms with Shinichi’s story. The blossoming romance that takes place between them as she uses his futurian knowledge to help her study for a test that will help her get into the college she needs to complete the manual for the robot that will save the world is cute enough. However, it’s still the comedic touches on Makoto’s nerdy references and reactions to everything that allows for a generally fun time.
The one place where “Future! Future!” does stumble is in the central storyline. Kairi Manabe‘s screenplay makes it quite ambiguous how Makoto slipped so far in her grades to the point that Shinichi needs to come from the future to save her. A far more useful tactic would’ve been to time-travel to a point in her life where her grades had only just started to slip and his presence to keep her focused so that intense cramming sessions to pass wouldn’t have been necessary.
As well, the commonly utilized tactic of the romance being interrupted by a misunderstanding that puts a fake jeopardy on the fateful exam that will determine the fate of mankind is hollow and rushed, requiring more than the brief running time afforded to it to have more impact. Still, “Future! Future!” has a lot to like about it and is well worth the time to catch it.