The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

Starring at the stars one night while on a school ski trip, 16-year old Kazuko Yoshiyawa (played by former teen idol Tomoyo Harada) bumps into a mysterious stranger also starring up at the evening sky. It's only Fukamachi of course, one of the boys she's known her whole life - or has she? As romantic feelings blossom, strange things are happening to Kazuko - she's living moments she's already experienced, and waking up from dreams inside of dreams. Is her mind playing on tricks on her, or is she moving backwards through time? Is there something more sinister at play?

Obayashi Nobuhiko's adaptation of Tsutsui Yasutaka's "The Girl Who Leapt through Time" is dated, but for fans of Obayashi's campy but fun "House", this film is a great Sunday afternoon flick that displays a lot of Obayashi's strengths with movement. Obayashi keeps things interesting with a lot of neat strobe and colorization tricks, as well as some incredibly outdated and laughably-bad 80's computer effects. Where Obayashi really shines though is in the shots that immerse you in Kazuko's world - wonderfully subtle pans inside school hallways, classrooms, climbing the steps in Kazuko's beautifully serene town.

Most of the acting is a bit stiff and juvenile, with the exception of a young Ittoku Kishibe as Kazuko's language teacher, but the film and story are enjoyable nonetheless. "The Girl Who Leapt through Time" was a widely successful pop blend of teenage melodrama with the supernatural in Japan, and Japanese movies and anime have never looked back.

Having already seen the 2006 anime adaptation, I had the expectation going in that this could not possibly be nearly as good as that movie. I was right. However, this ended up being a movie I enjoyed. It has a slow pace, and the time shenanigans are much more restrained than the anime remake (at least for the most part). I really liked the lead actress, who reminded me of that of "Sailor Uniform and Machinegun". Turns out, she starred in a TV version of that movie prior to starring in this.

In short, if you are looking to experience the best possible version of "Girl Who Leapt Through Time", please turn your attention to the 2006 anime. If you enjoy this period of japanese culture as well as live action over animation, this is worth a look. The credit sequence alone is enough to make it worth a watch.

Tomoyo Harada is an average student in high school. She has an old friend Toshinori Omi who goes to the same school, and Ryoichi Takayanagi who is also her classmate, but is not quite the old friend she thinks he is. One day after a routine cleaning of the school's chem lab, she starts to experience a time warp in her life where she experiences the same event multiple times. Quite by accident, she is getting drawn into the plan that came from the future. She soon discovers why she is experiencing the time warp. The story is set in the beautiful town of Onomichi which is also the birth place of the film's director Nobuhiko Obayashi. Obayashi made several movies in this town where the town becomes an integral part of the movie. The beautiful classic Japanese town scape of Onomichi makes this movie worth seeing along with the interesting twist in the story's plot.

I quite loved parts of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, with the final act being the most engaging and also the most emotional. Nobuhiko Ôbayashi doesn't go quite as crazy as usual, outside a few sequences that really stand out all the more because the rest of the film's relatively normal. I quite like how with Ôbayashi, his style's always there, but you're never quite sure how dialed up or in your face it's going to be, and that balance of predictability and unpredictability makes seeing a film of his for the first time always exciting. On the topic of his films, I don't think The Little Girl Who Conquered Time is quite one of his best, but it is very good, and it's easy to recommend to anyone who's enjoyed something the filmmaker's made before.

This movie is a gem for many Japanese, especially those over 50. It was an enormous hit on its release in 1983, and the leading actress Tomoyo Harada, who was only 15 at the time, became a national heroine. This film is so much more than a cheesy sci-fi flick with outdated special effects. It captures a glittering and often bitter time of youth with such delicacy and subtleness. It is also a cruel tale of a girl who falls for the wrong guy. They share a love so supreme that after losing it, a void opens up in her life.

The whole movie is reminiscent of the Showa era with nostalgic sceneries of Onomichi (Tokyo Story by the great Yasujiro Ozu was also filmed in this historic town of Hiroshima). I still listen to the beautiful soundtrack which for me is a true classic.

For admirers of House, Obayashi's debut, which remains popular amongst western audiences, this film is worth watching. It might not work for everyone, but it is so redolent of my teenage memories that, like the rest of its avid Japanese fans, it will always have a special place in my heart.