The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (Toki wo kakeru shojo) poster & wallpaper
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Riisa Naka, Takuya Ishida, Ayami Kakiuchi, Sachie Hara, Mitsutaka Itakuru ... see more see more... , Mitsuki Tanimura , Yuki Sekido , Fumihiko Tachiki , Kaitou , Andou Midori , Uesugi Moriko , Sekimi Nowake , Katsura Utawaka , Mitsutaka Itakura , Andrew Francis , David Hurwitz , Emily Hirst , Midori Ando , Shannon Chan-Kent

When a typical young high school girl discovers that she has the unique ability to traverse space and time, her efforts to use the power as a means of preserving the relationships she shares with her ... read more read more...closest friends reveals the perpetually shifting nature of personal relationships in Digimon: The Movie director Mamoru Hosoda's warmhearted fantasy. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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89% liked it

8,767 ratings

Critics

87% liked it

15 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 38 min.

Directed by: Mamoru Hosoda

Release Date: March 3, 2007

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DVD Release Date: November 18, 2008

Stats: 1,200 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,200)

  • lewiskendell
    September 9, 2010
    lewiskendell
    "I wonder how someone was able to create such a beautiful painting, when it must have seemed that the world was coming to an end."

    When high school student Makoto inadvertently discovers that she's gained the ability to leap (literally) backward through time, she immediately beg... read moreins using it to her advantage - with little concern for how and why she's gained this mysterious power. No problem is too trivial to be solved by a little time travel, from pop quizzes to uncomfortable conversations. But, nothing in the past can be changed without consequence, and Makoto's frivolous use of her ability may result in one or more of her friends being lost forever.

    The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is about as mainstream and accessible as anime gets. The characters are all pretty normal, likeable, and relatable. There's a lot of humor in the first half of the story, while the last half is quite serious, heartfelt, and poignant. The animation and character designs are clean and smooth, and have a very modern appeal. The score has a lot of piano pieces that occasionally caught my ear in a very pleasant way.

    I recommend this both to anime fans, and to those who aren't particularly familiar with eastern animation. The story is an entertaining mix of moments both somber and lighthearted, the characters are great, and the visuals were top-notch. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time isn't just a good animated movie, it's good by any standards.
  • SirPant
    July 13, 2010
    SirPant
    I am a fan of Anime but not so much the high-school romance crap that is often associated with it. It has some nice visuals but the story is a little boring and the script, although probibly a little lost in translation, was also poor. I found it to be a little dull. This is no S... read moretudio Ghibli!
  • 3niR
    April 15, 2010
    3niR
    I loved it.
  • kiriyamakazou
    March 7, 2009
    kiriyamakazou
    Excellent anime that deals with time and life in general. The film is more akin to Groundhog Day than other sci-fi tales. Makoto is a young girl that starts to suddenly travel backwards through time. She can control it with a simple leap. She uses her new found power to correct e... read moreven the tiniest mistakes in her daily life. This soon leads to others facing the consequences and things only get worse, as she tries to correct the mistakes for them. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a sweet teenage romance as well as suggesting that we must simply accept the little mistakes/bad fortune in life and embrace the good moments rather than dwell on the bad. The animation is excellent and the story is beautifully written. It never gets to complicated and the scene as the bike speeds towards the train was nerve wracking. Perhaps a more downbeat ending could have been more affective, but that's probably my dark and cynical self.
  • LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    December 30, 2008
    LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    "There is a future that we can't wait for."

    When a typical young high school girl discovers that she has the unique ability to traverse space and time, her efforts to use the power as a means of preserving the relationships she shares with her closest friends reveals th... read moree perpetually shifting nature of personal relationships in Digimon: The Movie director Mamoru Hosoda's warmhearted fantasy.

    Review
    What an amazing film this was. Its funny, its heartwarming, its emotional during certain points and if you are in touch with your emotional side, there is a chance that you will cry buckets. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a Japanese animated film that dwells in high school life and all that comes with it, the crushes, the puppy love, the platonic friendship and friendship that soon blossoms into romance. To spice things up a bit, the creators incorporated time travel in the mix and gave it to our klutzy heroine Makoto and the end result is absolutely satisfying as it manages to hit all the right spots and tug your heartstrings. The animation is just gorgeous to look at. It reminds you of a Ghibli movie due to its breathtaking use of rich colors and lavish texture, the film itself almost comes alive with its near perfect animation. The voice work done is perfect as well, integrating it seamlessly into the film thus giving life to the colorful and cheerful characters on screen. While the Sci-fi part and the time travel stuff may not be ironed out to the highest level, I suggest you leave your Einstein mindset right at the doorstep and just enjoy the story that the film is telling. All in all, if you look at it, the film is a touching tale bursting with emotions and it just warms your heart in all the right places. Highly recommended.
  • thmtsang
    November 22, 2008
    thmtsang
    Great Japanese anime about a girl who meets someone from the future who gives her the power to leap through time. She uses her powers to help her friends.
  • skactopus
    March 5, 2008
    skactopus
    Time travel and Japanese anime. Sounds like a great combination right? Well this is a great film, but there is room for improvement.

    As you've probably figured out, this film uses the concept of time travel to drive its plot. First things first, this is more of a romantic co

    ... read moremedy than a science fiction story. Yes there is time travel, but this film uses it differently. Instead of the usual big jump in time to prevent or change some major event this film takes many small leaps, ranging from a few seconds to a day or two, to solve little teenage problems. This may not sound all that great, but the story is quite entertaining.

    Although there is time travel involved, the story is pretty easy to follow. This is because the explanations and reasonings for the jumps don't go too deep, which is actually OK for this film. There isn't a lot of focus on the consequences of meddling with time either. The first half of the film has some comedic parts as well. The repeated one after another time jumps to redo a botched event is pretty funny. Not to mention the main character Makoto keeps tumbling over when leaping. Once you hit the second half of this film there is a nice twist, but the comedy really drops off and it turns into a romantic drama. This may be a turn off to some people, but it isn't all that bad.

    Visually, this movie is just like a typical anime and this is OK. This film doesn't need to be visually stunning to entertain.

    The voice over work is good. Riisa Naka does a nice Makoto and the supporting cast is there as well.

    This animation has a good story with a decent ending and is a nice watch if you like animations and time travel.
  • staindslaved
    February 28, 2012
    staindslaved
    An anime film that has a coherent plot, character development AS WELL AS interesting ideas and mild moral/theological questions. Oh Girl Who Leapt Through Time I think I love you! (that's not weird is it? I mean she is a highschooler) The film deals with basic childhood angst, ... read morepuberty and the fears of growing up all enveloped in a sci-fi plot involving a device that allows its central character to go back to any previous point in her timeline she wishes. However she only has a limited amount of jumps. She learns important worldly lessens on what you can change or correct about yourself and your environment and what cannot be undone or prevented no matter your efforts. You can try and try and try but you cannot stop yourself from growing-up, you can't change peoples emotions and everybody eventually has to die. Great animated film, more of this and less of Metropolis/Paprika?/Ninja Scroll please!
  • lesleyanorton
    September 10, 2009
    lesleyanorton
    17 year old Japanes Makoto goes to high school, hangs out with her mates, makes choices, grows up, discovers consequences, discovers boys and leaps through time,
  • danieljparsons
    December 28, 2008
    danieljparsons
    Stunning.

View All The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (Toki wo kakeru shojo) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Ty Burr
August 22, 2008
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

What makes The Girl Who Leapt Through Time such an unexpected treat is the contemplative pace and painterly visuals. Full Review

Nick Pinkerton
June 11, 2008
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice

It's basically the equivalent of a sensitively wrought read from the Young Adult shelf, and there's naught wrong with that. Full Review

James O'Ehley
May 20, 2009
James O'Ehley, Sci-Fi Movie Page

Near perfect anime . . . Full Review

Mark Salisbury
September 19, 2008
Mark Salisbury, Total Film

This charming, visually fertile film captures the conflicted emotions of first love and embarrassment of being a teen with real sensitivity. Full Review

Rob Daniel
September 19, 2008
Rob Daniel, Sky Movies

Only seventeen Lord of the Rings-esque endings spoil the fun, but this sweet take on teen-angst romance quietly impresses. Full Review

Tim Robey
September 19, 2008
Tim Robey, Daily Telegraph

Beautifully-drawn Japanimation about a time-hopping schoolgirl, by turns wondrous and a little too hyper. Full Review

Phelim O'Neill
September 19, 2008
Phelim O'Neill, Guardian [UK]

The characters are entirely credible and likable, the simply drawn figures highly effective against the lush background artwork. Time travel has rarely seemed so joyous. Full Review

James Christopher
September 19, 2008
James Christopher, Times [UK]

It's a polished piece of whimsy. Creepy too in the way it promotes a homogenised picture of the future. Full Review

Daniel Etherington
September 19, 2008
Daniel Etherington, Film4

It's not quite up there with the best of Miyazaki's coming-of-age dramas featuring the likes of Kiki and Chihiro/Sen, but Hosada has proved himself after his Ghibli debacle. Great stuff. Full Review

David Jenkins
September 19, 2008
David Jenkins, Time Out

Superior animé caper comedy with wit, energy and mad invention to spare. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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    • Kosuke Yoshiyama: It's not that rare. Many girls do it at your age.
    • Chiaki Mamiya: Time Waits For No One
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