The theme of Time travel has always served as an interesting staple in the genre of Science Fiction, going back to a certain time and place to look at certain moments in history that were different back then in contrast to what is there now, but the possibility of changing those events to see what could change in the future is also a thought that is often scary at times to imagine. Time Travel in fiction has been used countless times from novels such as The Time Machine by H.G Wells to films like Back to the Future to take a deeper look at what happens and what the side effects are in Time travel. With Anime you have the works of Steins;Gate & Puella Magi Madoka Magica that manage to cover the basics of how Time travel works, then you have films like The Girl Who Leapt Through Time which focuses on the important notion in that “Time Waits for No One” and why you should not waste it.
The story focuses on 17 year old Makoto Konno, A tomboyish high school girl who has been having a bad day following a series of unlucky events. On her way home she is sent hurtling in front of an oncoming train when the breaks on her bike fail to stop her at the level crossing; however she is instead sent hurtling back through time back to the point before the accident. She finds out from her Aunt Kazuko Yoshiyama that she has the ability to “Time-Leap” which gives her the ability to literally leap through time as much as possible; at first however she uses her ability rather irresponsibly. From being able to cheating on a test to relive a single moment in Karaoke it feels very similar to what someone would do if given the ability to go back in time in a somewhat “Groundhog Day” style of living the same day and same events as many times as possible, but what can also be the dangerous side effects of that and what consequences can be brought upon by the person who uses it and who is involved in it.
The issue of Time Travel however is something which plays heavily into the phrase “Actions speak louder than words” because of what could happen and what could change based on said action, The Girl that Leapt through Time is a somewhat relatable example of what could happen if you get too carried away with such power and if you use it for your own self-indulgence and continue to be irresponsible with it.
The characters for the film are likable as well as interesting to engage with over the course of the film. Makoto’s character is very lively but also unenthusiastic at times, but she manages to serve as a likable protagonist, we also see her relationship with her two male friends Kousuke Tsuda & Chiaki Mamiya which tie into the main character’s tomboyish persona of not having many female friends. While they aren’t thoroughly developed both Kosuke & Chiaki are important to the growth of the main character and how she will eventually use her powers properly and to help other people, the supporting cast while they are minimal do manage to offer the story something to engage with on Makoto’s use of her Time-Leap powers as well as help her become a better person.
What the film actually is however is a loose sequel to the novel of the exact same name from 1967 written by Yasutaka Tsutsui. The character of that novel Kazuko Yoshiyama (which Makoto jokingly calls her “Auntie Witch”) serves as kind of mentor to her and explains the powers of Time-Leaping and what role they played in her life but also warns Makoto to be careful with what gift she has.
With the theme of time and what it plays to the main character, the idea of “Time waits for no one” is dropped a few times and it doesn’t do it in a way that is condescending. As this film is set during the beginning of the Summer and as the schools will be breaking up soon, the characters start discussing future plans and what they will be doing once the summer is over and they resume their lives. For Makoto who really enjoys her time playing baseball with her two best friends, Chiaki and Kousuke she really hopes that can last forever and that the friendship with them will last too. But the idea and the importance of time really is that it can be fleeting and that you shouldn't be idle with it and to use what time you have on such trivial issues, some of which come back to bite the main character hard with bad consequences.
Production for this film is a warm and pleasant one to look at. Animated by Studio Madhouse and directed by Mamoru Hosoda (Digimon the Movie, Summer Wars, Wolf Children), The Girl that Leapt through Time manages to capture the stillness but also the golden feeling of the summer. The backgrounds are heavily detailed and the use of colour is bright as well as plays well to some of the light-hearted moments of the film, all of which are carried out well by Studio Ghibli veteran Nizo Yamamoto. The animation is pleasing to look at but incorporates the use of rotoscoping for some realistic movements of the characters; character designs by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto (Wings of Honneamise, Neon Genesis Evangelion) while they don't stand out too well and can appear as slightly generic, they work well for the film's tone and story.
Audio for this film in terms of it’s music is very limited. The score by Kiyoshi Yoshida can range from light-hearted and funny to dramatic in a way that tugs at the heart strings well enough, the rest of the music is mostly played on Piano thanks to Haruki Mino. The Piano music provides a very strong stillness to the film that helps make it feel peaceful as well as comforting, lyrical insert songs sung by Hanako Oku that are played at the end of the film and during the credits: Kawaranai Mono & Garnet work well to bring the story to a close and give you a sense of optimism but also hope for what’s in store for the characters.
The English dub by The Ocean Group is rather strong and well casted for the players they picked, Emily Hirst as Makoto Konno plays the character as somewhat hot-headed but also kind and supportive, eager to help anyone out and plays very well to serious and emotional moments in the film. Alex Zahara as Kousuke Tsuda is stern but does a good job at playing the character with a sense of likability to him. Andrew Francis as Chiaki Mamiya plays the character as playful in moments of hilarity and cold in times of serious tonal shift and captures the elements well, The one role however that stands out the most in the dub for me was Saffron Henderson as Kazuko Yoshiyama. She captures the warm and comforting tones of the character in her slightly mature age and she never raises her voice to the point of anger once Makoto talks about the misuse of her powers, Saffron plays Yoshiyama as the mentor that isn’t strict but wants to help her niece be responsible with what she has.
Additional voices such as Brian Dobson, Natalie Walters, Shannon Chan- Kent, David Hurwitz, Brian Drummond, Tabitha St. Germain, Natalie Walters etc do blend into the background and sadly don’t add much feeling of depth to the supporting cast. However they do a great job with the work they are given and make the characters they play important to some small degree.
The Girl that Leapt through Time is a coming of age tale set during the summer where the element of time-travel is one that is rooted into a light-hearted high school story, but also helps teach us about the importance of time and how precious it is and not to waste on things that are not important. To see how time really flies by and what you do with it that matters, the end result of this is a good little film that teaches us that…”Time waits for no one”.
Definitely worth giving a look.
Definitely worth giving a look.
Sami Sadek is a lifelong Transformers and Anime fan, and can often be found propping up bars or appearing in the background of Auto Assembly vids. He has also talks on Youtube, Tweets on Twitter, doodles on Deviantart and is a regular co-host on this very site's Cyberritz. He has never had a swordfight atop a church whilst a crow watches. Honest.
