Overview: Adapting sci-fi author Yasutaka Tsutsui’s famous 1967 novel, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time cast Tomoyo Harada in her feature film debut, launching the Kadokawa pop idol into superstardom. After suffering a fainting spell in her school’s laboratory, 16-year-old Kazuko Yoshiyama (Harada) begins to experience a strange phenomenon throughout her daily life—temporal leaps backward and forward in time—disorienting her as she relives moments time and time again, as days past return to present.

Lost in a sea of time, Kazuko’s desperate plead to exist in the present are answered, amidst the swell of FX wizardry, musical overtures and, most of all, the anchor of young love. Lyrical, romantic and longing, Obayashi’s film is a genuine expression of the filmmaker’s reflections on the poetic transcendence of love—cast across the stars for a young girl who lives in tomorrow.

4K UHD Blu-ray Verdict: In my humble opinion, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time - an imaginative story about a girl who accidentally becomes able to go back in time to replay her day’s events with a simple leap (it’s never made explicit, but it seems the harder she leaps, the further she goes back in time, but you never know) - is basically a shojo style anime (although done here in real life, latterly in anime) where the girl takes center stage and faces tough questions about growing up.

Of course, these tough questions are given a new spin because not only can she literally avoid answering them but change what she says once she says it. The film is so well done, however, and it is a pleasure to report that it never becomes even remotely obtuse and is easily followed from beginning to end.

The scenery is absolutely gorgeous, so if you find yourself staring endlessly at the backgrounds, you’re not alone. Nature is on full display in this film and the characters that inhabit it never seem far from a stream or flock of birds in their acting gracefulness.

Sunlight glinting off of signposts, fields saturated in pastel greens, and the cozy warmth of indoor nesting play a large part in setting the mood. Character portrayals are detailed but not distracting, with all the main characters having expressive unique faces that don’t veer off into the same-old same-old acting extremes. The sound is also a huge factor in the film, as it should, with subtle and highly effective nuances scattered lovingly throughout.

I have a feeling this will become one of my most watched films of this ilk for it also has a gentle sense of humor about itself, whilst the emotional notes ring very true when brought forth. You find yourself caught up in a world where reality isn’t exactly what it should be, but the stakes aren’t all that high in the larger universal context. Thus, what you end up with is a story about relationships, ethics, communication, and the inevitability of making mistakes.

In closing, the story is set in the beautiful town of Onomichi which is also the birthplace of the film’s director Nobuhiko Obayashi. Obayashi made several movies in this town where the town becomes an integral part of the movie. And trust me when I say that this truly beautiful classic Japanese town scape of Onomichi makes this film worth seeing; along with the interesting twist in the story’s plot that I can honestly say I never saw coming. [S.H.]

Bonus Features:
4K Transfer & Restoration + HDR
Audio Commentary by Obayashi Scholar Alex Pratt
A Movie: Obayashi’s Cinematic Life - Visual essay by Max Robinson
Now and Then, Here and There: Onomichi Pt. 2 - Visual essay by Alex Pratt
A Conversation with Nobuhiko Obayashi (2015) Japan Society NY
Director Nobuhiko Obayashi Archival Interview
The Tomoyo Harada Story
Toki O Kakeru Shojo music video
Theatrical Trailers
New improved English subtitles
New Slipcase art design by Sam Smith
Reversible sleeve with original Japanese poster art
First Pressing includes repro 24-page Japanese booklet

Official Movie Trailer

www.88-films.myshopify.com