Review of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006) by Faisal K — 24 Jun 2008

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is an animated adaptation of a 1965 Japanese novel of the same name. While time travel is a popular commonplace in science-fiction, this is not quite a sci-fi film in a sense it doesn't delve into the science behind time travel. Instead it is a lesson in the reccurring human notion that if we could turn back time we could solve our problems and find happiness, only to lose the things you take for granted to realise what you already had.

Despite the element of time travel, this film is surprisingly true-to-life, leaning towards more realistic tones compared to the typical anime. The story follows a 17-year old schoolgirl whose carefree summer is literally thrown into a loop after she discovers a mysterious ability to leap back through time. As she starts using this power to manipulate events to her advantage they soon lead to inevitable impact on others around her.

Perhaps the biggest achievement of this film lies in its exceptionally realistic portrayal of the characters and the very believable inter-personal relationships between the protagonist and her two male best friends. I'm being deliberately vague here not to spoil anything because you should really watch this film to understand it for yourself.

The quality of animation and the superb attention to detail merits comparisons to some of Ghibli's works. The Music, even when it is absent during the silent scenes has been cleverly used to evoke a powerful emotional response. The voice acting provided by live-action seiyuu over anime seiyuu add just the right amount realism, while retaining the traditional warmth and humour that is a part and parcel of anime.

If you have liked The Butterfly Effect or Whisper of the Heart, you'll enjoy this film.