The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes (夏へのトンネル、さよならの出口, Natsu e no Tunnel, Sayonara no Deguchi) is a 2022 theatrical anime film based on Mei Hachimoku’s light novel of the same name with illustrator Kukka. The film was adapted by studio CLAP, and the staff credits include director & screenplay writer Tomohisa Taguchi, character designer Tomomi Yabuki and music composed by Harumi Fuuki. The film was theatrically released in September 2022 for Japan.
Background:
“There is a phenomenon called the Urashima Tunnel, which exists outside the boundaries that constrain our reality. Unbound by such restrictions, it can achieve the otherwise impossible, journey wherever a mind can conceive, and bring the one thing that they most desire. But the cost of using the tunnel is staggering: a portion of one’s own existence. Yet… when Kaoru Tono discovers something matching the Tunnel’s description, he can’t help but think of the sister he lost five years ago. Can the tunnel really reunite them? And how is his school’s beautiful new transfer student involved? The answers await down a path into mystery in THE TUNNEL TO SUMMER, THE EXIT OF GOODBYES.”
Plot Synopsis via Anime Limited, April 2025.
The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes is a title that I first remember when book publisher Seven Seas picked up the rights to bring the original novel to English, and from that point I only knew the basic premise – the idea of going into a tunnel for whatever that person wants but at a cost. When the anime adaptation was revealed I was curious to see how it’ll be, especially as it was adapted by CLAP, the studio behind Pompo: The Cinéphile, and director Tomohisa Taguchi, who worked on Akudama Drive and Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War series.
The film also made its appearance at Scotland Loves Anime festival in 2022 which if I remember right, had audience members baffled by the direction of the second half of the film. There was a wider theatrical release in the UK a year later but I missed out on it due to work and timing issues. Given the studio and director involved, it was pretty much on Anime Limited’s radar and they picked up the license for the United Kingdom and Ireland while Sentai Filmworks picked up the film for the United States and Canada way earlier. Sentai already released the film at the start of 2024, so it was a bit baffling also that it took Anime Limited 16 months to finally bring the film over to home video.
Collector’s Edition Contents:
It’s been a while since we have had a packaging layout like The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes, though I hope the long wait was worth it.
This collector’s edition release is presented with a rigid slipcase with an o-card containing an Scanavo case to house the Blu-ray & DVD discs as well as an exclusive art card and a 28-page booklet that includes character artwork, key frame animation and a segment over the film’s post-processing effects.
The box art is clean with no ratings/information on all sides, while the o-card does have information about the release on the back cover with ratings and specs. The collector’s edition Blu-ray & DVD combo pack release retailed for £39.99 SRP, with a standard edition Blu-ray available for £19.99 SRP.
The film was included as part of their March 2025 early bird line-up which I have ordered from. The set was on offer for £24.99 + £3.50 postage, with the Anime Unlimited membership lowering the cost down to £22.49 + £3.50 postage (totalling £25.99).
Physical Contents:
- Rigid Slipcase with clean artwork and o-card with specification and BBFC rating details
- Scanavo case packaging
- Exclusive art card
- 28-page Booklet
On-Disc Contents:
Distributor: Anime Limited
Released: 28th April 2025
The collector’s edition release for The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes contains the film on a single Blu-ray disc and a single DVD disc. The Blu-ray disc has been encoded and authored by Sentai Filmworks, via their January 2024 release, while the DVD disc is encoded and authored by what looks to be VDMS.
On the Blu-ray disc, audio options include the original Japanese audio with English subtitles and the Sentai Studios English dub with optional English subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. The yellow subtitles are locked during playback.
On the DVD disc, audio options include the original Japanese audio with English subtitles and the Sentai Studios English dub. The white subtitles are locked during playback.
The regions for the Blu-ray disc are accessible to players set to A & B, while the DVD discs are locked to players set to 2.
Blu-ray Specs:
| Languages | English, Japanese |
| Audio | English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 |
| Video | 1080p High Definition Native format 2.39:1 aspect ratio |
| Region | A B |
| Subtitles | English, English SDH |
| Locked Subtitles | Yes |
| Discs | 1 BD-25 |
DVD Specs:
| Languages | English, Japanese |
| Audio | English Dolby Digital 5.1 Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 |
| Video | Standard Definition in NTSC format 2.39:1 aspect ratio |
| Region | 2 |
| Subtitles | English |
| Locked Subtitles | Yes |
| Discs | 1 |
Blu-ray On-Disc Extra Features:
- Japanese Promos (03:06 runtime)
DVD On-Disc Extra Features:
- Interview with Director Tomohisa Taguchi (16:39 runtime)
- Trailer (01:06 runtime)
Unboxing Photos:
Final Notes:
The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes is available to purchase on Blu-ray by Anime Limited in the UK & Ireland.
The collector’s edition Blu-ray & DVD release can be bought exclusively through the AllTheAnime Store, while the standard edition Blu-ray is available across different retailers including AllTheAnime Store, Amazon UK, and Anime-on-Line.
(Disclaimer: Amazon links are also included when available. They are affiliated so if you decide to order them, I’ll earn a small percentage if they ship which will help me with any hauls or small bills.)
The Normanic Vault 
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