105 of 110 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Anime Achievement, October 7, 2008
I wasn't expecting much from this movie due to its weird title and what I felt was an awkward animation style. Plus I was an avid Hayao Miyazaki fan, and I did not believe any anime movie could overcome the feel-goodness of his movies in general. I was very wrong.
"The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" (or "Toki wa Kakeru Shoujo") is about a girl named Makoto Konno who, after a strange encounter in a lab after school discovers she has the power to "jump" through time. Literally.
Although it started off slow, the pace made the hackneyed concept of time jumping much more original. Not to mention the main characters were all extremely likable and realistic. I couldn't help but root for Makoto in whatever crazy things she wound up doing in the past. The things she went back to change were trivial things, like a test she failed, or when her friend Chiaki confessed to her. They are all things that ordinary, idiotic people like ourselves would do if we had that power. This story is only something the Japanese could come up with, and I commemorate director Mamoru Hosoda for blending mundane Japanese life with such a fantastical concept like time travel. It's warm, funny, and touching. That is, for the first half.
The second half of the film takes a hugely dramatic turn. It's almost mind-blowing in the way things played out. For spoiler fans, it has something to do with Chiaki (You know, the friend who confessed to her?). Anyways, I loved this shift in the plot, even though it lost some of its precious feel-good elements along the way. Makoto still managed to keep some humor in her crazy ventures, and her personality is not lost in the plot twist. Chiaki's transformation though, I'm still a bit iffy about.
I think this movie is way up there with Miyazaki's films. The perfect blend of fantasy and feel-goodness, along with some dry humor as well makes for an excellent film. I also felt myself warming up to the animation style as well, which was very contemporary, so I wasn't used to it, but I'm now completely in love with it. "Time waits for no one" so go watch this movie!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Timeless, November 23, 2008
When I put The Girl Who Leapt Through Time into my DVD player, I expected a very good albeit light anime movie. What I got instead was an emotional experience which might be the most moving anime movie I've seen so far.
Makoto Konno is a slightly clumsy tomboy on the verge of the age right when teens start looking at the opposite sex differently whose priority is hanging out with her two best buddies - cheeky but endearing Chiaki Mamiya and evenheaded, gentlemanly Kosuke Tsuda. One day, her bicycle brakes won't work, and she finds herself about to be killed by crashing into a train passing her lane. Fortunately, a miracle occurs - and she finds herself having time-jumped backwards safe and sound.
After talking to her aunt, who had a similar experience, she experiments and finds that she can do it again, begining with small things like preventing the poaching of a snack by her sister. But when things start progressing to slightly more serious matters and she takes a series of jumps in a panic when she realizes that one of her best guys is about to say something to her privately that will take them to a place from which they can't come back that she isn't sure she's ready to go, things take a dark turn and spiral out of control - and she finds that this time, she might not be able to fix what she's done...
Part sci-fi with a neat twist that anyone who isn't familiar with the source material probably won't see coming and part teen drama with an achingly accurate depiction of that critical time in life and personal development, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a warm, poignant work that should be in the collection of any anime fan.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
40 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wow better than I expected, March 22, 2009
Length:: 3:14 Mins
This is one of my favorites now. Good story, great plot twist, not something you would expect to like at first. Highly recommended.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
![[Start the discussion]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/start-new-discussion-sec._V192250339_.gif){kind=small}
