The Girl Who Leapt Through Time [DVD] [2006]

This film contains such a broad spectrum of emotions. I actually had a copy of this a while ago but never got around to watching it properly; I just flicked through it to get the gist of it - only, I didn't get the gist of it at all. Each part of it is quite misleading to the over all feeling and flow of the story. Now, having watched it properly, I can see this. When you start watching it, it's a lightly comic slice-of-life thing. You're introduced to the various characters, mainly the heroine Makoto, and it's easy to believe that the whole film will just be this nice, heart-warming school life drama. Without wanting to give too much away, this isn't the case and after a fairly long intro, the plot proper kicks in and you really start to appreciate the slow build-up and low-key presentation of the film so far; it really grounds the consequent sci-fi plot and helps it become the philosophical piece it is, rather than just a novel movie about a kid that can leap through time. Much of the plot could have been brought about without the time travel element; for example, when Makoto learns of someone's feelings towards her but then leaps back to before the confession, the same effect could have been achieved by simply having her overhear the guy telling a friend that he likes her. The impressive thing is, though, the time travel never feels like a gimmick, never feels bolted on or superfluous to the plot. If she'd merely overheard and done nothing about it, it would have remained a simple drama; since she goes back to a time before the confession, something much more tragic and regrettable takes place. This is just one of many leaps that Makoto makes to avoid things happening, some in the "oh no I burnt my toast!" magnitude, and others far more serious. Seeing her be flippant with her powers makes it all the more affecting when things get serious and she realises her powers aren't just a toy for her to play with. Like so many great anime films, it manages to be a powerful allegory and a potent drama at the same time, not sacrificing any quality for another. The only faults I can think of are that, yes, it is a little slow to get started and this may put off some more impatient viewers. Really, don't be put off if you feel your interest lagging early on. Enjoy the light-hearted stuff for what it is and realise that it'll only add to the impact of the more serious stuff later. The second fault is similar to the first; it's a pacing issue. Once the plot has laid itself bare in front of you, when almost all the plot twists have, uh, twisted, the story slows right down and almost lets the tension and drama its created to this point slip away as it slightly flounders towards its climax. It's not a big deal, though, and to be honest, as long as your heart is still beating, you should be sufficiently adsorbed and enthralled by the end to not really care about a bit of bad pacing. In case you're wondering, this is an anime that will appeal to all sorts of people, all genders, all ages, anime fans and people who still think of it as "those Chinese cartoons". The romance is very affecting without being tacky or self-important. It has positive messages but never gets anywhere near feeling preachy or pretentious. It effortlessly slides between comedy, drama, romance, sci-fi, philosophy, slice-of-life and, I guess, thriller, without you realising it's changing. Considering you can get it for just under the price of a packet of fags (at the time of this review), you'd literally be mad to miss it.

'The Girl Who Leapt Through Time' is another masterclass from the anime genre. I bought it on impulse and it was one of the best buys i've made. The story is that of a 17 year old girl who develops the ability to time jump, which comes in very handy for getting better grades and avoiding mishaps. But it's soon clear that it isnt as good as it sounds. Though the story may seem simple, it is has many excellent twists and turns which kept the interest flowing. One of the best things about the film is the characters. Theres a lot of time for development and you find yourself really caring about them. Makato makes for a very likeable main character, while her best friends Chikai and Kosuke are typical teenage lads and are also very likeable. Though theres humour, theres also a lot of emotion running through the film and it is very poigniant and sad at times. Its a film that pulls on the heart strings and makes you feel for the characters. Visually it is another wonderful anime to look at. Its vibrant and is filled with life. The music is another standout, a delight to listen to and fitting in perfectly. Buy this! You won't regret it.

As a newcomer to anime I snapped this up largely due to the fact that it was cheap (!!) and that the story looked quite interesting. My only previously experience of anime was "Totoro" and I must admit that the whole business of animation appeals hugely. This film is not quite up to the standards of the Ghibli studio although still impressive. All in all, this films seemed like a film very much aimed at teenagers and the American accents in the dubbing seemed to accentuate this impression for me. Had the film finished about 3/4 of the way through, I think this would have been a fair assessment but the last quarter took a slightly darker note and various elements within the storyline took a far greater significance than I had anticipated. The narrative took a really interesting twist at this point which is definately worthy of another star even if the film also benefitted from keeping the impact of the time -leaping to a modest scale which , I felt, definately enhanced the story line. I am beginning to learnt that the beauty of the backdrops is very much a feature of anime and the impression is extremely easy on the eye even if the characters' eyes all disappear when drawn at a distance and there is something very odd about the way the people all walk away from the camera. It was also really amusing to note that despite the unfeasibly short skirt worn by the principle character, her modesty was always preserved whenever she was thrown back into the present after a spot of time travel! Whilst probably aimed at a teenage market, I think that the story was good enough to be appreciated by an older audience although not as hard -hitting as somelike like Chomet's "The Illusionist." Enjoyable, never the less.

For the low cost, I was worried that this would be average at best; the main reason I bought it was because I wanted a Manga film dubbed into English so that my young son wouldn't have to worry about reading the subtitles. Within the first five minutes, I wondered whether I had made a mistake after one of the characters mentioned 'jerked' as an inappropriate verb! However, after that minor glitch, the film was truly brilliant! My son loved it and I did too. The cover reveals a little of the plot and it is genuinely moving. The animation is incredible and there are some 'camera-shots' that I have not seen before (an amazing running sequence filmed like a tracking shot in which the dolly-camera can't keep up with the runner, then goes too far ahead...). In other words, the framing is masterful. This would make an incredible film - it reminded me a little of 'Open Your Eyes' which was made into 'Vanilla Sky'; however the plot is more PG and the school-setting is of interest to youngsters. When I watched trailers on the DVD of other films, none came close to this masterpiece. I would have liked some bonus-material, but the film itself is five stars. Really good!

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a great anime film by Manga Entertainment. This anime film is based on a teenage school girl known as Makoto Konno who lives an ordinary high school gril live until one day she nearly has an accident but during that accident she gains a power known as time leaping the ability to go back into the past but how will Makoto use this new power will she be able to control it or will she go mad with the power and do whatever she wants with it. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a comedy, adventure and mysterious film as you will try to figure out how Makoto got this power, how the power esisted and how she will use it as you watch this timeless classic. As you follow this story you will not want to miss a single seconf od this amazing adventure as you will stunning visuals and amazing scenery as you stay by Makoto's side. I would recommend this film to anyone who loves comedy, adventure, mystery, anime or maybe all of these aspects. If you are just beginning your journey into the world of anime this film would be a great addition to your beginning collection or the collection of a anime veteran.

This is time travel done in a way which recalls Donnie Darko, but isn't as dark, it is a cerebral film which uses the idea of time travel to achieve a feeling and to make a point. Rather than a film about time travel this film is about living life with your eyes open, not just sleepwalking to the end but it also doesn't just mean having fun, it means being responsible as well. Just like Donnie Darko it is a film that shows that there are consequences to life and the choices we make always and without fail; these realisations are given incredible weight by a perfect mix of humour and seriousness. The detail on characters can often feel minimal and it is, there is often little definition in faces and the characters have a way of moving which looks like frames are missing and detail left out. Rather than detract from the film though this style seems to come together very well to add a complimentary dream like feel to everything which really adds to the whole atmosphere in a way which brings the world to life more than many super detailed facial animation could. The backgrounds in contrast are well detailed and beautifully bright. As well as being impressive the contrast between characters and backgrounds also speak of how important and fixed our surroundings can be, but that despite this within the surroundings there is so much space for so many stories and so many different ways to tell them. All we have to do is pick our path and thoughtfully follow it. The interplay between characters is charmingly endearing; through jokes and japes the interactions are realistically captivating from the point of view of the minimalist animation and the dialogue, it feels right and it flows naturally almost as if there were real psychology at work in ever relation of pencil mark and every dash of colour because of this the film manages to be laugh out loud funny at times and heartbreaking at others. It is something that can take you by surprise by especially if you are not used to watching anime Konno's jumps back in time slowly become increasingly more chaotic as she attempts to change time for the benefit of others rather than purely for her own benefit which is often the case to begin with, sufficed to say that it is never as easy as she expects it to be and the outcome is almost always mental or physical pain for somebody. If you like a bit of thought and a nice gentle pace to your films this is for you, it is absorbing, emotional and funny. What more could you ask for?

This story has nice plot turns, and is not immediately lucid. So, you may want to see it again some other time. Parts are well drawn. The drawings of the main persons are somewhat more simple renderings. To me not an absolute winner, although time-plots are good for ideas.

"The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" is a brilliant case of classic Shoujo meeting "Groundhog Day". The characters are engaging and interesting and the anime colour palette is strikingly beautiful. The viewer is quickly swept into a remarkably immersive plot line in which the interest never flags. As in most Shoujo, the emphasis is on the growth of self awareness in the protagonist who slowly learns that personal empowerment depends on learning the meaning of true responsibility, friendship and love. We love this heroine from the beginning but we admire her far more at the end. The DVD is of excellent quality and offers the choice of sub-titles or English Dubbing. I found the dub was superb. The format is wide-screen with a choice of audio options. This is a wonderful film which will appeal to all who love science-fiction, romance, and anime! Don't miss it!

This movie is a great watch, and is one of those movies you can watch over and over and still would love to watch it again. It is also a great flick to watch with your girlfriend/boyfriend and is suitable for most ages. Only down side i got out of this purchase was that it is set for region 2, i solely bought because of the amazing price, i set my region on my lap top to region 2 so its watchable. But if you're already in region 2, its a 5 out of 5 buy right now, great for any film/anime collector. The films theme is time travel, or as you can tell by the title, Time leaping.

Een tienermeisje ontdekt een niet zelf gezocht tijdelijk vermogen om stukken geleefde tijd opnieuw te beleven. Deze onthutsende ontdekking kan zij aanvankelijk moeilijk geloven maar wanneer die acceptatie er is, ook niet meteen beheersen. Dit omdat zij niet meteen weet hoe het werkt, en omdat zij nog aan het ontdekken is wie zij zelf is, en welke plek zij wenst in te nemen te midden van haar vrienden en leeftijdgenoten. Dit alles werd in gang gezet doordat tijdreizen van een tienerjongen op een geheimzinnige manier met haar verknoopt zijn geraakt, en haar zo met zijn lotgevallen heeft meegesleurd ... Naar aanleiding van een oudere zus, met wie zij op rustiger momenten meer beschouwelijke gesprekken heeft, beraadt zij zich stapsgewijs op verbeterde versies van verstreken tijd, om ongelukken of verkeerde besluiten te corrigeren. Eerst nog op een impulsieve en slecht doordachte manier, waarbij zij zich niet inhoudt gebruik te maken van het creëren van steeds nieuwe tijdlijnen, en daardoor ook weer nieuwe fouten maakt; die zij vervolgens betreurt. De ineens snelle opeenvolging van scenario's wordt hierdoor lastig te volgen en te doorzien in zijn logica en consequenties, voor iedereen in het verhaal, en vermoedelijk ook voor de kijker. Maar dat stoort op een merkwaardige manier toch niet erg, zeker als je de film nog eens terug ziet. Een op zichzelf genomen niet realistisch uitgangspunt voor een bij tienerzorgen aanknopend verhaal, over hun vaak onbehaaglijke zoektocht naar zichzelf, met relatievraagstukken, conflicten en onzekerheden; op zoek naar hun persoonlijke plek in een gemeenschap en naar liefde, geborgenheid en kameraadschap. Maar dan wel met een dosis ongebruikelijke metafysica!

Makoto (Emily Hirst) is an average teenager who enjoys spending her free time with her two best friends, Chiaki (Andrew Francis) and Kousuke (Alex Zahara). However, she has a particularly unlucky day that includes failing a math test and setting a fire in a home economics class. Things go from bad to worse for her when the brakes on her bicycle fail and ends up nearly losing her life colliding with a train. But she is saved when she suddenly discovers that she has the power to perform "time leaps" or the ability to essentially "rewind" time. Confused at first by this newfound power, she starts to use it to solve minor things in her own life including acing her math test and extending her leisure time. But it is not long before she realizes that this power can be used to manipulate the lives of those around her. As a person whose knowledge of anime films is pretty much non-existent outside of the works of Studio Ghibli, this film caught my eye with an interesting sounding premise which reminded me of one of my favorite movies: 1993's Groundhog Day. I was not disappointed. To start off with, the characters in this film are simply great. There are no tired tropes in play here but the characters come off as realistic and likable. It is easy to like a character like Makoto as you watch her go through her life and attempt to use time leaps to improve it and sympathize with her when things do not always go according to plan. Likewise, the other characters come off as well written and enjoyable to watch. The writing in this film is quite excellent as it explores the possibilities and consequences of Makoto's time leaps. The film manages to use its premise to find humor that results in some very funny scenes. But at the same time, there are serious moments that come off as very touching. The animation itself, while not the best I have seen in the anime style, does work well. Characters are animated fluidly enough that do seem to be alive, but also cartoony at times to emphasize the emotions at hand. If there is one criticism I have of this movie is that it comes off as somewhat unevenly paced. There are some spots where the movie just seems to slow down at awkward points and it becomes a little frustrating. However, this is only a minor point. This set includes three discs. There is a standard DVD of the feature film, a DVD with some bonus features, and a Blu-ray with the feature film, which looks excellent, two audio commentaries, and storyboards. This is a thoroughly enjoyable film that is sure to be enjoyed by fans of anime or just people that like a funny and touching animated film.

原作(筒井康隆)とは 視点が違いますが、10代の少女の恋に揺れる おバカッぽい日常+SF が描かれた名作で 大好きです。

Es una gran película de anime, la recomiendo mucho y es una edición con book con el arte y vale mucho la pena para los coleccionistas.