This is one of the best anime films I've ever seen, if not the best."The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" is an incredible high school romance film, with time travel and emotional drama as well.
The main character, Makoto Konno is a clumsy high school girl who doesn't do so well in class. She plays baseball with her two friends: Chiaki Mamiya, an shaggy, orange-haired boy, and Kousuke Tsuda, a tall smart guy.
One day, Makoto hears something in a chemistry lab room. She sneaks in and stumbles upon a tiny nut. Then, on her bicycle ride home, her brakes go out and she almost runs into an incoming train. Instead, she stumbles into the past, at the top of the hill, before she rode down the hill.
How did she do it? Makoto's mysterious aunt suggest that Makoto may have experienced a time delay, where she leapt through time. Of course, Makoto doesn't believe it, until she tries jumping at a river, to the past. Makoto has quite a blast playing with her time leaping ability, until Chiaki asks Makoto out. Although Makoto avoids him at first, she cannot help but grow attached to Chiaki as she travels through time to change the past.
This is a touching romance about young love. "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" really excels with heart-wrenching performances from their voice actors, who really capture the full range of Makoto's anxiety and her relationship with her friend, Chiaki.
The science fiction elements in "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" are also trippy. Whenever Makoto leaps through time, she enters a stunning interdimensional portal, with computer-generated images of timers circling around her while she falls.
And believe it or not, Makoto discovers that she is not the only one who can leap through time. In fact, near the end Makoto is almost left alone, hoping that her friend could stay with her. Thankfully, the ending edges away from this depressing climax, and her best friend promises to meet her again someday.
This is an incredible film. The Japanese voice actors give the best performances. Unforunately, the English dub is mediocre at best. Thankfully, it features plenty of awesome special features, such as an audio commentary with the director and some of the voice actors. There is also a lovely music video of the ending song and a video of the opening night of the film in theaters.
This is a must-see film. Get it while you still can. There's no telling when the publishing company, Bandai, might go bankrupt in this economic crisis.
Image courtesy of animeafterglow.wordpress.com
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