Plot
A teenage girl finds that she has the ability to leap through time. With her newfound power, she tries to use it to her advantage, but soon finds that tampering with time can lead to some rather discomforting results.
Storyline A teenage girl finds that she has the ability to leap through time. With her newfound power, she tries to use it to her advantage, but soon finds that tampering with time can lead to some rather discomforting results.
Trivia:
This movie was released to a small number of theaters in Japan, taking in approximately 300 million yen (US$3 million). The film wasn't advertised as frequently as other animation features from 2006 (such as "Tales from Earthsea"), but word of mouth and glowing reviews generated interest. At Theatre Shinjuku for days in a row, film-goers would fill the theater, some even standing to watch the film. Following this, distribution company Kadokawa Herald Pictures took unprecedented measures to increase the number of theaters showing the film across Japan, and sent the film to several international festivals.
Goofs:
Continuity:
In the scene where Makoto opens the science lab's door, the glass window of the door is opaque. When Makoto enters the laboratory, the glass window of the door is transparent.
Quotes: Makoto Konno:
Yuri... You know, I... have something I couldn't tell you. Yuri Hayakawa:
What is it? Makoto Konno:
I... like Chiaki. Sorry. Yuri Hayakawa:
I see... That's what I thought. I passed him on my way here. Go.
[Makoto nods]
Yuri Hayakawa:
Makoto! Time waits for no one...
User Review
A Nutshell Review: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
Rating: 10/10
The poster of this animated movie looks a little suggestive, but nope,
it's actually a wholesome time travel movie which explores a little on
the vestment of such powers to a klutzy individual, as well as
relationships, and the perennial question of what would anyone do if
you have the ability to go back into time, and make changes presumably
for the better.
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time tells a wonderful story centered on 3
friends, the tomboyish and clumsy Makoto Konono (voiced by Riisa Naka),
and two hunks Chiaki Mamiya (Takuya Ishida) and Kousuke Tsuda
(Mitsutaka Itakura). Theirs is a friendship formed after school at the
baseball court where they spend quality time talking about typical
teenage stuff. Things start to change however, when Makoto by accident
gets the power to time travel, and in her own ditzy way, uses her new
found abilities for "good" - directly for herself, or in some Emma like
moments, to influence the outcome of relationships for her friends and
play matchmaker.
And that's just scratching the tip of the iceberg. While it's animation
style is kept simple and fairly straightforward, it doesn't compromise
on the complexity of its storyline. Not that it serves to confuse,
rather you'll be amazed by the amount of pathos the story contains,
with its various subplots especially when the time travelling stuff
kicks in. It has adult sensibilities in the treatment of the plot, and
knows exactly when to hit the right emotional chords when warranted.
Although based on a book, the story here serves as a quasi-sequel of
sorts which takes place some 20 years later, what I can say is that the
love stories intertwined has its major one being able to touch like
that in Be With You. I loved that movie, and watching how this bore
some similarities, you can't help but feel the same emotions coming
across in the same way, nevermind that the characters here are
animated, as you can feel the pain, the love, and their despair. And
that is something that I should say is difficult for the genre -
they're not real persons on screen - but yet being able to evoke
emotions and for one to react and empathize, definitely makes it
powerful, and a cut above others. Something that our local animated
films had failed to do in giving us cold characters and bastardized
stories from folklore.
But it's not always all the time serious in tone or mood. The movie has
light hearted moments, sometimes bordering on the slapstick, no thanks
to the bumbling Makoto character. In a sequence, it was reminiscent of
Chinese Odyssey starring Stephen Chow, where each time travel moment
gets played ad nausem with different comedic effect. Undoing blunders
as we see is not exactly Makoto's forte, and while she may be using her
powers in a carefree way, with great powers come great responsibilities
(sorry, can't resist that one!)
As usual, anyone can find fault with the time travel paradox which
rears its ugly head in any time travel movie, but I would suggest that
you park those thoughts aside, and enjoy the story that the Girl Who
Leapt Through Time is telling. There are slight attempts at addressing
it with its creation of totally new and different realities with each
jump, but even then a major paradoxical flaw still exists. At its
lowest denominator, the film reminds to seize the day like it's your
last, do what's right, and don't be shy in telling someone how you feel
about them.
The Best Animated Film of the recent Awards of the Japanese Academy,
this film gets my vote of support too with its superbly emotional and
touching tale, and with its similarities to that aspect of the film
which I like to Be With You, it will be no surprise if this movie finds
its way to my Top Ten of the year. Highly recommended!
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