Originally published Friday, August 29, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Movie review
"The Girl Who Leapt Through Time": Oft-told tale lands as a dazzling splash of anime
One of the best anime features to reach these shores in recent years, "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" is a charming sequel to the popular, oft-adapted 1965 novel by Yasutaka Tsutsui that centers on an impulsive teenage girl who suddenly discovers an ability to literally leap through time.
Special to The Seattle Times
"The Girl Who Leapt Through Time," with the voices of Riisa Naka, Takuya Ishida and Mitsutaka Itakura. Directed by Mamoru Hosoda, from a screenplay by Satoko Okudera. 98 minutes. In Japanese with English subtitles. Not rated; suitable for all ages. Varsity.
While it's relatively unknown to Westerners, Yasutaka Tsutsui's novel "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" has been a mainstay among juvenile readers in Japan since it was originally serialized in 1965-66.
It's been adapted at least once per decade ever since, including live-action features in 1983 and 1997, and as a TV series in 1972 and 1994. An English-version manga adaptation will be published in the U.S. next month, and Tsutsui's original story is so versatile — and such a classic example of how time travel can be handled with novelty, wit and intelligence — that it seems like a shoo-in for a dazzling American version.
Until that happens, we've got Mamoru Hosoda's splendid anime feature to keep us happily entertained. It's officially a sequel, and it's no wonder Tsutsui has endorsed it as "a true second generation" of his novel: This is one of the most thoughtfully engaging anime features to reach these shores, and a perfect place to start for anyone, of any age, who's been resistant to anime (and manga) as a popular Japanese import.
Hosoda's previous feature was 2000's "Digimon: The Movie," but here, with the invaluable assistance of Tokyo's esteemed Mad House animation studio, he's making a quantum leap forward with his sensitive handling of a fast-paced, entertaining screenplay by Satoko Okudera. Much of the film's charm comes from the titular character, who suddenly discovers an ability to leap through time: She's no superheroine-in-waiting or a mad genius with a nefarious plot. No, she's just Makoto (voice of Riisa Naka), a rather typical, self-indulgent junior-high-schooler prone to schoolgirl crushes and impulsive decisions with unexpected consequences.
Always late for school, and content to enjoy the company of boy-pals Kousuke (Mitsutaka Itakura) and Chiaki (Takuya Ishida) as they play catch on a local baseball field (one of several motifs that provide the story's temporal touchstones), Makoto is initially unaware that her time-jumping skills come from a walnut-shaped device from the future. She's just thrilled by the ability to leap backward in time (which literally requires leaping, with pratfalls aplenty) to fix the awkward mistakes and moments that plague any teenager's daily existence. None of that history-altering stuff for her, no way!
Before long, however, the more serious consequences of Makoto's time-leaping become increasingly apparent, especially in her relationships with Kousuke and Chiaki, whose role in the story grows increasingly important. Through a deft combination of physical comedy, teenage angst and small-scale exploration of a fascinating premise, "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" remains smartly committed to the emotional lives of its characters and their intermingled fates.
"Time waits for no one," as Makoto learns all too well, and that lesson makes "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" one of the most enjoyable surprises of the year.
Jeff Shannon: j.sh@verizon.net
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
Movie review: 'The Adjustment Bureau': Hats off to a fine fantasy
Movie review: 'Beastly': Fairy-tale misfits who look like models
Movie review: 'Rango': Johnny Depp nails his role as the lizard hero in this wild Western
Movie review: 'Take Me Home Tonight': a big '80s party you may not want to crash
Actor Mickey Rooney tells Congress about abuse

nwautos
Turismo upgrade "Gran Turismo 5: XL Edition" for PlayStation 3 has features such as new car-tuning settings, new NASCAR vehicles, better replay video...
Post a comment
- Lakewood cop accused of embezzling $150K meant for slain officers' families
- 3 big health insurers stockpile $2.4 billion as rates keep rising
- Agency set to investigate handling of 911 call about Josh Powell
- Quick decisions: How Washington hired its new football staff
- Social worker recounts minutes before Powell fire
- Historic day for gay marriage as another fight looms
- Justin Wilcox's versatile defensive style is the right fit for Huskies | Jerry Brewer
- It's Terrence Time: Enigmatic Ross leads Huskies
- $25B settlement reached over foreclosure abuses
- Council members get briefing on arena proposal, minus details
- Gay-marriage bill passes House, awaits Gregoire's signature
503 - Wanted in Seattle classrooms: more teachers of color
393 - Council members get briefing on arena proposal, minus details
337 - AP Source: Obama to change birth control rule
308 - Oregon live game thread
155 - Worker: Josh Powell told son he had 'surprise'
109 - Rough road again
108 - A few late-night notes
92 - USA Today further spells out how Mariners, handful of clubs next in line for huge cash windfall
75 - Marijuana legalization initiative set to go on Nov. ballot
73
- Wanted in Seattle classrooms: more teachers of color
- State Medicaid program to stop paying for unneeded ER visits
- 3 big health insurers stockpile $2.4 billion as rates keep rising
- Economy, blogs give survivalists new reason to look to Northwest
- State's share of mortgage settlement: $648 million
- Bellevue College adds a third bachelor's degree program
- One man's audacious pursuit of sailing history
- Darren Berg gets 18-year sentence for Ponzi scheme
- $25B settlement reached over foreclosure abuses
- 'Gauguin and Polynesia': dazzling mix-and-match | Art review










