Product Description

What would you do if you could leap backward through time? When 17 year old Makoto Konno gains this ability after an accident in her high school chemistry lab, she immediately sets about improving her grades and preventing personal mishaps. Before long however, she realizes that even innocuous changes can have terrible consequences. Changing the past is not as simple as it seems, and eventually Makoto will have to rely on her new powers to shape the future for herself and her friends.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #813 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-12-08
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Original language: Japanese, English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 98 minutes

Synopsis
There is a future that we can't wait for. What would you do if you could 'leap' backward through time? When tomboyish 17 year old Makoto Konno gains this ability after an accident in her high school chemistry lab, she immediately sets about improving her grades and preventing personal mishaps. Before long, however, she realizes that even innocuous changes can have terrible consequences. Changing the past is not as simple as it seems, and eventually Makoto will have to rely on her new powers to shape the future for herself and her friends. Featuring brilliant character design by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto (Neon Genesis Evangelion) and stunning art direction by long time Studio Ghibli. Nizo Yamamoto's The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a feast for the eyes as well as the heart.

Customer Reviews

Excellent story, beautifully animated
I've just watched this in Japanese with English subtitles (so can't say anything about the quality of any future dub).

I suppose one might summarise the plot as "(Japanese) high school romance with time travel", except that might suggest its appeal would be limited to schoolgirl types - not so at all.

It's funny, occasionally quite moving, cleverly plotted and beautifully animated.
The characterisation is excellent.

This won SF awards in Japan, and I can easily see why.
Both I and my 11 year old son thought it was brilliant.

Absolutely fab!
I was in HMV (sorry Amazon) when I saw this film. I was wandering near the anime section, trying not to look too close (I'm a student and have no money) when this film just jumped out at me, and after a cursory glance I bought it.
I then watched it 5 times in the next two weeks. I raved about it to anyone that cared to listen and forced my family and friends to watch it (even those not interested in anime). I e-mailed friends at other unis, having to make up words such as 'fabtastical' to explain its awesomeness. They loved it, I love it. Buy it.

Charming coming-of-age fable
This isn't a manga-monster movie. It's more like a heart-of-gold Disney tale which deals with the heartache of teenage development, illustrated with a clever sci-fi spin which allows the heroine to hop backwards in time. This means she can try to correct those horribly embarassing moments of adolescent life -- which sounds ideal, but...

...every action has a consequence, and light-hearted mucking around with the time-stream to score well in a school test, or to stay out late at the karaokee club morphs into a real threat towards her best friends' well-being, her own life, and the happiness of them all.
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is beautifully animated and cleverly plotted so you're not quite sure what the outcome will be. It leaps from 'frothy' to 'meaningful' very smoothly and avoids all the slushy sentimentality of Hollywood cartoons.
However the first third is quite slowly paced and it nearly lost my attention -- there was a lot of set up with the characters and background which dragged on for me. Once it hits half way however the film romps off and kept us guessing then right to the bittersweet end.

An ideal movie for anyone in their teenage years who's dealing with friendships that evolve into something more, and who maybe wishes they could have 'that moment' all over again to get it right next time! Charming viewing also for us older folk who want to re-live those moments, and remember how it feels for time to pass at a very different pace to the way it does in adult life.
8/10