What would you do if you had the ability to turn back time? Get to school earlier? Score better on a test? Or perhaps sing endless amounts of karaoke?

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a story about Makoto Konno, your average (if not somewhat tomboyish) high school student. One day, after an experience in her
school science lab, she discovers that she can travel back in time. From that moment, she uses her ability to fix her everyday problems, such as failing pop quizzes and sleeping in on a school days. At first, there doesn’t seem to be any negative effects from the “time leaping,” but she slowly becomes aware of the problems she’s causing, so she becomes determined to fix everything.

The first thing I noticed when I saw this was the outstanding animation. Each and everyone of these characters move with very fluid animation, from when they’re playing baseball to when Makoto comically rolls into objects after her time leaps. Madhouse went all out with this production. Complementing the animation are the simple yet aesthetically pleasing character designs of Yoshiyuki Sadamoto (of Evangelion fame). The beautiful animation and character designs almost give me the impression of a more contemporary Miyazaki film. Just as amazing in this movie is the musical score. Whether the mood is light-hearted or serious, the scenes are usually accompanied with an aesthetically pleasing melody. The insert song, “Kawaranai Mono,” deeply touched me, and the ending song, “Garnet,” is also very beautiful.

Something that this movie would not be complete without are the absolutely lovable and relatable characters. Makoto is tomboyish, clumsy, and not the brightest of people, yet she has a very gentle soul. To be honest, these types of characters usually end up getting on my nerves because they end up making the most absurd of decisions. This isn’t the case with Makoto, though. I didn’t compare her to other anime characters of the same traits because she almost doesn’t seem like an anime character; she is like a real person. Chiaki may act like a tough guy, but in actuality, he’s someone that does care and would not hesitate to be there for those in need, friends or not. Kousuke, unlike his two friends, is very studious. He’s generally friendly towards other people and is always there for his friends.

This movie deals with the idea of time travel, so there will naturally be faults in how it’s portrayed. However, this isn’t a movie designed to show you how time travel would actually work, so such faults don’t really matter. I believe that this movie was designed to convey a very important message to everyone: treat everyday as if it were your last and never, ever take anything or anyone for granted. As Makoto becomes aware of how she’s hurting the other people around her with her time leaping, she begins to truly understand how important her friends are to her.

This movie can be viewed by all audiences. There is nothing objectionable about it, and kids, teenagers, and adults can all enjoy this movie. This is a very emotionally charged film; you will smile, laugh, and cry. I first saw it yesterday, and I just rewatched it today. I believe this is truly one of the greatest works of modern anime.

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Category: Movie Reviews