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.

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.

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.

新品なのに定価の半額以下で買えました。 カラオケのシーンのフィルムが一緒にケースに入ってました！びっくりぃ 本編は言わずもがな最高です。画質も良い。 パッケージは貞本さん作のポスター絵です。