Anime Review: Girl Who Leapt Through Time, The

Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Theaka Toki Wo Kakeru ShojoWritten by WarpshadowRating very good/ excellent

Perhaps the thing that surprised me the most when I read about this movie is that I had no idea who the director was although this movie is on par with the stuff that say Miyazaki or Kon makes.

The life of Makoto Kano is a pretty normal one although on this particular day she is having a run of bad luck. This includes hitting her arm on a small walnut like object when she fell in the science room. However that couldn�t compare with the ride home when her bicycle brakes went out while she was on a hill leading to train tracks. At the moment she was to be hit by the train Makoto found herself on the hill with someone she had passed before. After something thinking and some chatting with her aunt Makoto realized that she had gained the ability to leap through time.

The girl who leapt through time is a combination of several elements that combine into a solid movie. First of all the characters the main character especially are well rounded and human rather than relying on oversimplified character traits. The movie also balances the dramatic and philosophical well allowing for good portions of each without dragging the movie down into a pit of hand wringing or navel gazing. The animation is truly worthy of being called movie quality with beautiful backgrounds although the rest of the movie isn�t half bad looking either. In short this movie is one of those rare classics that perhaps not only anime fans will enjoy.