Anime Movie Review: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

Time waits for no one. – Yasutaka Tsutsui

If you were given a chance to travel through time, either go back to the past or discover what lies ahead in the future, what will you do?

The Girl Who Leap Through Time, also known as Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo is a 2006 98-minute Japanese animated science fiction romance film about a girl who acquired the ability to time travel. Produced by Madhouse, a Japanese animation studio that helped produced well-known anime series and movies like Death Note, Cardcaptor Sakura, Hunter x Hunter, Paprika and Wolf Children, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is another award winning film as a loose sequel to the 1967 novel of the same name by Yasutaka Tsutsui.

Makoto Konno, the protagonist of the story, is an average senior high school student, who likes to spend majority of her days after school hitting baseballs and playing catch with her best pals Chiaki Mamiya and Kousuke Tsuda. A slender girl with a pixie-like hair, she is upbeat and a bit tom-boyish.

While she was tasked to take the questionnaires on the science lab, she discovered a message written on the blackboard: “Time waits for no one”, and suddenly heard a strange noise. Intrigue by the noise behind the other door, she began investigating and accidentally falls upon a wall-nut shaped object.

After the incident, Makoto was riding her bicycle on her way home and unfortunately, the brakes started to fail. Makoto is then thrown off her bike, ejected into the rail-road crossing and was hit by the incoming train. Suddenly, Makoto finds herself on the street before the railroad crossing, transported back to the point in time slightly earlier before the accident happens.

At first, I was a bit annoyed by Makoto’s character because she was using the power to “time-leap” for selfish reasons. Just to satisfy her own desires, she used the power to  correct all the mistakes she made and to avoid all the misfortunes she encountered on the day she gained the power to time leap. From avoiding being late that day, getting perfect grades on the pop quiz, preventing making mess on the cooking class, and dodging the people being hurled towards her, even relive the single karaoke sessions for several hours. Consequently, she tries to keep times from changing just to prevent undesirable situations from happening like the seemingly awkward confession from her classmate and best pal, Chiaki.

It was her aunt Kazuko Yoshiyama, who works at Tokyo National Museum, that explained to her that she has the power to “time leap”. She told her that while she was enjoying herself using the time leap, someone else might be suffering as a result. Interestingly, her aunt Kazuko is the protagonist of the novel Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo as well as it’s manga and live action adaptation series.

The story line of the film takes the basic idea of one person bestowed with powers, unable to control it responsibly, abuses it, and learns the hard way in the end.  There are some interesting plot developments and plot twists in the story. Makoto’s character was mainly developed on this one and a half hour movie, while the two other main characters, her bestfriend Chiaki and Kousuke, didn’t get quite as much development as they should have. Apparently, some may find plot holes and inconsistencies in the story.

While Chiaki is the main reason why Makoto gained the power to time leap, his reason why he traveled back in time, which is in Makoto’s genaration is only to just see the painting, (The Drawing of White Plum Blossoms, Two Camelia and Chrysanthemums) which in his era, were already destroyed in a fire and its confirmed record of existence was at Makoto’s time, place and season. It was not further explained why Chiaki wants to see the painting so bad. I really want to know haha!

The ending was very hanging for me especially when Chiaki comforts Makoto that he will wait for her in the future. But that scene also intrigues me if it still possible for Makoto to meet Chiaki in the future, especially how far is Chiaki’s generation, the time which a device for time travel is available.

While the character design is simple and a bit lackluster if you compare to those eye-candy and beautiful characters in Violet Evergarden, the background, landscapes and cityscapes were magnificent and detailed. The soundtrack also is equally beautiful, the serene piano tracks accompanying the emotional scenes in the movie is pretty good. My most favorite is the insert song “Kawaranai Mono”, written, composed, and performed by singer-songwriter Hanako Oku.

This animated film received multiple awards including:

• Animation Grand Award – 61st Annual Mainichi Film Awards
• Grand Prize in animation division – Japan Media Arts Festival (2006)
• Special Distinction for Feature Film  – France’s 31st Annecy International Animated Film Festival (2007)
• Best Animated Film – Sitgates Film Festival (2006)
• Animation of the Year – Japan Academy Prize (2007)
• Animation of the Year – Tokyo Anime Awards (2007)
• Best Original Story/Work – Tokyo Anime Awards (2007)

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a recommendable film to watch. Witness how this movie became award-winning and be entertained by the beauty of its story.

You may find references in anime with time-travel themes like Steins;Gate, Charlotte, Erased, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and Re:Zero.

 

Rating: 8

 

Aired: Jul 15, 2006

Genres: Sci-Fi, Adventure, Drama, Romance

Source: Novel

Studios: Madhouse

Producers: Kadokawa Shoten, Bandai, Memory-Tech, Happinet Pictures

Licensors: Funimation, Bandai Entertainment, Kadokawa Pictures USA

Duration: 1 hr. 38 min.

Rating: PG – Children

 

Thank you for reading!!!

 

—Credits to the owners of the images I used for this blog. Thank you so much!