Review: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

Dir. Mamoru Hosoda (2006)

Adolescence is a confusing stage of life, things adults may find silly can be of paramount importance to the young teenage mind and priorities are seemingly a deck of cards in a continuous state of shuffle. It can be confusing and frustrating, but it can also be a little magical amidst the turmoil. Few movies capture this feeling and time in human development as well as the girl who leapt through time does. It’s lengthy title cleverly alluding to both its coming-of-age theme and sci-fi leanings.

The cast is small and the characters are complex, rich in life, yet not conforming to traditional teenage stereotypes. They feel like real people. The story is refreshingly focused, yes as the title suggests there is time travel involved, but the narrative resists devolving into a bog-standard, action-packed, save-humanity kind of tale and instead, keeps its feet firmly planted with the characters and their emotional journeys. There isn’t much practical science involved and this creates some potential plot holes for some viewers, yet what may not make sense for the head in this story, always makes sense for the heart.

Aesthetically, the visual style is very firmly anime, reduced frame rate, giant eyes, and wildly fluctuating amount of visual detail...the works. Your mileage may vary.

The story takes a while to get into high gear, opting to spend more time getting to know the characters and how they interact with each other rather than rushing the plot device or spouting much exposition at all. That said, when the narrative begins clicking, it trots along at a brisk pace. Many science fiction films fall into the trap of over explaining their plot device, something The Girl Who Leapt Through Time barely even attempts. To some, this will be refreshing, letting the unknown science be unknown science and focusing on character instead. To others, it may bother them that the writers didn’t pack some pseudo-science babble in to gloss over potential plot holes through narrative distraction. Either way, the approach almost seems like a brave choice in a film genre so dependent on flashy, scientific gimmickry, that it almost loses sight of character. That stated, as the crux of the narrative is character driven, and the characters are all young teenagers, some audience members may not be able to relate to them or their choices, possibly diminishing their investment in the story. 

Overall though, with some suspension of disbelief, the film has a charmingly light touch. It’s moving without attempting to be life-changing, it’s subtle without being vague, and it’s angsty without being grim-dark or emo.

Content-wise, there’s very little here to keep this one from being a good watch for the whole family. An objectionable joke is repeated twice and there’s a moderate amount of danger, but nothing’s pervasive, and the film has a general feeling of innocence and exploration.

Should you see The Girl Who Leapt Through Time? If spending a couple hours with carefully crafted anime teenagers trying to figure out their place in the world with a mild sci-fi flavor seems pleasant (or unpleasant), then you have the answer appropriate for you.

-Josh Evans