The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006)

A high-school girl named Makoto acquires the power to travel back in time, and decides to use it for her own personal benefits. Little does she know that she is affecting the lives of others just as much as she is her own.

Director:

Mamoru Hosoda

Writers:

Yasutaka Tsutsui (novel), Satoko Okudera (screenplay)

Stars:

Riisa Naka, Takuya Ishida, Mitsutaka Itakura

12 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Riisa Naka	...	Makoto Konno (voice)
Takuya Ishida	...	Chiaki Mamiya (voice)
Mitsutaka Itakura	...	Kosuke Tsuda (voice)
Ayami Kakiuchi	...	Yuri Hayakawa (voice)
Mitsuki Tanimura	...	Kaho Fujitani (voice)
Yuki Sekido	...	Miyuki Konno (voice)
Utawaka Katsura	...	Makoto's Father (voice)
Midori Ando	...	Makoto's Mother (voice)
Fumihiko Tachiki	...	Fukushima-sensei (voice)
Keiko Yamamoto	...	Obasan (voice)
Shiori Yokohari	...	Moriko Uesugi (voice)
Sonoka Matsuoka	...	Sekimi Nowake (voice)
Takayuki Handa	...	Kato (voice)
Maho Kurashima	...	Female Newscaster A (voice)
Taeko Hase	...	(voice)

Storyline

A high-school girl named Makoto acquires the power to travel back in time, and decides to use it for her own personal benefits. Little does she know that she is affecting the lives of others just as much as she is her own.

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Plot Keywords:

time manipulation | temporal paradox | high school | laboratory | falling in love | 

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Taglines:

Time waits for no one

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Mystery | Romance | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Kadokawa Pictures [Japan] Official site [France]

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

15 July 2006 (Japan)

Also Known As:

La chica que saltaba a través del tiempo

Company Credits

Production Co:

Madhouse, Happinet, Kadokawa Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

First recipient of the newly formed Animation Award in the Japanese Academy Awards.

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Goofs

Spoiler: During the time-stop sequence Chiaki laments that he will not be able to see the painting he has come to the past for because it is in restoration and he will not be around the next day when it is put on the wall. But Makoto knows that the picture is worked on by her aunt and so they could just go upstairs and take a look at it (they may find the door locked but the possibility is not even mentioned). Chiaki's last jump could not have erased that memory because Makoto's knowledge predates the event.

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Quotes

Makoto Konno: When I'm not lucky, I'm really not, but I usually am, so it balances out.

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Connections

Featured in Glass Reflection: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2010)

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Soundtracks

Kawaranai Mono
(Unchanging Things)
Written by Hanako Oku
Arrangement by Jun Satô
Performed by Hanako Oku

User Reviews

Timeless Masterpiece

There are about 10 Japanese films that I re-watch almost every year since their releases. "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" is one of only three such animated films for me.

"The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" is based on a 1967 hit novel of the same title. The original work has been used in numerous film and dorama adaptations, most famous ones being the 1983 film directed by Oobayashi Nobuhiko. Instead of making just another anime adaptation and possibly becoming just another adaptation shadowed by the 1983 film, the producers took a risk by creating a spin-off movie with the setting of about 20 years after the original story. The gamble paid off big time, as the animated film went on to win at least 23 awards worldwide.

The underlying theme in this movie was "the importance of living the moment". Our protagonist was given the power to leap back into time to correct her mistakes, only to realize later that the short-term gains only lead to greater losses that followed. The story was extremely well-constructed to teach the lesson of embracing things the way they are, and never run from confrontations, because once that moment gone, you'll never get it back.

The director for this film did a phenomenal job of pacing and creating many memorable moments, but it was the live-action film screenwriter Okudera Satoko, who really made a difference for this movie by composing a story out of number of time leaps that slowly developed the main characters and made so many epic scenes possible. Many anime screenwriters fail in movies because they incorporate too many characters, as it is common practice in series, into the limited 100 minute time-frame. What's remarkable about this piece of work is that it focuses on only three main characters. Even counting the secondary cast, there are only 8 characters in total who we are given the names of. The limited number of characters not only improved character development, it also allowed the story to focus on the underlying theme.

I was actually very uncertain about the viewing this year because I started watching a lot of TV anime again since the last viewing. However, the only new flaws I've noticed was the excessive still motion in some scenes and most backgrounds, and that the protagonist was being a bit overly insensitive in few instances, which made her character a bit unrealistic. Animation is years ahead of its time, and it still is an excellent example of what happens when music is in harmony with the story/animation. The insert song by Oku Hanako, IMO, is still the best selection ever made among hundreds of Japanese films, anime, and live-action doramas I've encountered. Ending theme is a truly poignant one that really captured the mood and made the story sink in, and the music score throughout the movie has been used perfectly to enhance the drama.

"The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" is a timeless masterpiece that made me want to cherish every moment, and it's a movie I expect myself to be re-watching for many more years to come.