Michan recently gave me a copy of Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo, a movie she had been raving about. I watched it yesterday, and immediately it was included in my favorite movies list. And I bet it'd be in yours, too, whether or not you're an anime fan.

Toki o Kakeru Shoujo (The Girl Who Leapt Through Time) is a Japanese anime film first released in theatres in Japan in 2006.

Don't worry: there ain't no bad spoilers in this post.

The Plot
The story is centered on 17-year-old Makoto Konno, a girl who gains the power to leap through time when she gets involved in an accident at a train crossing one day. Although a little confused with her new powers at first, Makoto uses them extravagantly to avoid being late in school and to get perfect grades on tests. But then, things began to turn bad as she discovers how her actions can adversely affect others. She then goes back in time and tries to fix things for the people affected, but that just makes things even worse... Read full post...


My first thought as the movie progressed was, "Wow. Sorta like Groundhog Day... But different."

Groundhog Day is a movie where Bill Murray lives February 2nd over and over and over. TokiKake is sort of like that, I guess, except that Makoto can control when and where she wants to go. It's hilarious in the beginning, but as the story progresses, it begins to take on a bit more serious mood that makes the audience think.

The Characters
What I loved most about this movie is the characters. In my opinion, Makoto is a refreshing heroine: she has a strong character, but is also very reluctant about things. She's energetic but quiet. She knows who she is, but her doubts about herself inevitably surface, like what happens to all of us at times. She's a bit of a tomboy, but is very, very much a girl.

As for Makoto's friends Chiaki and Kousuke, they're established with such strength right smack in the beginning of the film that they manage to make you feel for them, whatever happens to them through the course of the story. Their on-screen presence is strong, whether they're doing something significant or just throwing a baseball.

These three main characters are very real, their chemistry is endearingly hilarious, and their relationship is close to the heart of anybody who's had friends.

All other supporting characters are precisely that: supporting. They all play an important role in building the plot. All of them, from Makoto's sister to Makoto's classmates to the lady who yells at Makoto for bumping into her.

The animation
I may be no professional, but I think the animation is superb. Adorably designed characters, realistically painted scenes, and intricately detailed...er...details. Facial expressions are priceless, the stage is always amazingly rendered, and the small details are never overpowering.

The perfect symmetry in a lot of scenes is always amazing to stare at. It's symmetry, but it's not simply a mirror image, since what appears on one side is different from what appears on the other. Er...yeah.

The direction
Oh my goodness. Mamoru Hosoda does such an unbelievably amazing job at this, I don't even know where to begin.

For one, all the sequences are done perfectly, whether it be one that shows tranquil everyday life, a comedic episode, or a thrilling bike ride down a steep slope. I love where they locate their cameras, showing scenes at angles that will get the most effect. Perfection, I tells ya.

There are a lot more -- and I mean a LOT -- of aesthetic and artistic techniques used in this film that are executed beautifully, but I don't think I can tackle them without pointing out spoilers, so... I'll just leave it at that.

The music
If you were to ask me what the main musical score feels like, I'd say that it's an exhilarating flight, light and floating at one point, and then soaring at another. It makes me think of blue skies, white clouds, and cool winds. Hehe. I think it's just perfect for a movie that has a title connected to leaping/flying.

Other sound tracks include a great mix of light summer tunes, peaceful nocturnes and dramatic melodies, all played at the perfect times throughout the movie, further enhancing the story unfolding in the screen. The insert songs are pretty, too, and the lyrics are most fitting to the characters.

Sarah's verdict:
Oh, gee, isn't it obvious? A perfect 10! The only thing I didn't like about this movie is also one of the things that I grudgingly love: the ending.

ARGH the ending. It SO made me want to smash the laptop into pieces. (Of course I didn't.) I hated (and loved) it so much that I even wrote a fanfic for it. Yep, my TokiKake fanfic is the latest addition to my fanfic archive, but don't read it if you haven't seen the movie!

*ahem* Seeing that I can't rant (and rave) without giving out spoilers, I'll stop now.

Hm. Maybe the only thing a lacking in this movie is a bit more answers. Many questions are left open at the end of the film... I guess they meant it to be that way, but... yeah.

In summary: TokiKake is an awesome movie. Watch it. Seriously.

More info
Tsutsui Yasutaka's novel, Toki o Kakeru Shoujo (unofficial translation: The Little Girl Who Conquered Time) is the basis of the film... (Yes, it's the same Japanese title, but a different English translation for the sake of distinction.) The film isn't a movie version of the book, though, but is set as a continuation of the book in the same setting some twenty years later.

TokiKake was produced by the animation studio Madhouse and distributed through Kadokawa Herald Pictures. Directed by Mamoru Hosoda.

| Bagetsafonik launch recap » | so I finally went back to TriNoMa » | Battle of the Old Posts » | check 'em out :: 08-01-07 » | Bagetsafonik's Travelogue, ready for take-off! » | blame it on spoon-licking » | of heroes and superpowers » | check 'im out :: ironchefjabes » | Becoming Jane » | Lord Voldemort kills Harry in the lounge, with the... »