EyeOnAnime Review – The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.
A review: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time – Toki o Kakeru Shōjo
It was after reading “The Time Traveller’s Wife” by Audrey Niffenegger that I was struck by how effectively the concept of time travel encapsulates human desires; specifically our thoughts on regret and consequence, the idea that we can change the past.
An obvious insight?
Undoubtedly. But in my opinion very few films or series have actually managed to capture the simple, human, morally ambiguous themes inherent in time travel stories.
So it was very timely and fortunate that, on a whim, I decided to purchase a copy of Director Mamoru Hosoda’s film “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time”.
Makoto is your average high school girl; a protagonist familiar to both Japanese and Western audiences. She just happens to be a little unlucky; always in the wrong place at the wrong time. She’s also a bit of a Tomboy. But for the most part Makoto’s life is made up of oversleeping, post-school baseball sessions and visiting her aunt. That is until, quite accidentally, she acquires the ability to literally leap through time.
At first I couldn’t put my finger on why I liked this film so much. The narrative certainly becomes a bit disjointed while moving towards the final, bittersweet conclusion, and much of the dialogue and sequences, on paper, might be considered trite. Except they’re not. This is largely due to the excellent voice acting by the cast as a whole, but specifically Riisa Naka (Makoto) and Takuya Ishida (Chiaki), as well as the beautiful and fluid animation rendering and compellingly told story.
As the film enthusiastically leads the viewer through Makoto’s increasingly desperate attempts at undoing events in her life, we’re encouraged to examine the nature of circumstance and regret, love and loss and the persistence of time. The film is accompanied by a subtle and beautifully intricate music score, which adds to the overall production value of the film.
Madhouse studios’ – the same studio that produced other gems such as Millenium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers and Paprika – excellent design and pastel imagery collaborates perfectly with Hosoda’s near flawless directing and talent for building endearing, lovable characters. Oh, and I forgot to mention that it’s just bucket-loads of fun.
Though the latter scenes of the film seem to be somewhat rushed and leave quite a few questions unanswered, the overall effect is beautifully emotive. As a whole it’s an effortless example of excellent production value and expert film-making. It’s also a perfect introduction to light Sci-Fi anime. I couldn’t recommend it more. See this film!
Film score: 9.5 out of 10
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