Makoto (Emily Hirst) is an average teenager who enjoys spending her free time with her two best friends, Chiaki (Andrew Francis) and Kousuke (Alex Zahara). However, she has a particularly unlucky day that includes failing a math test and setting a fire in a home economics class. Things go from bad to worse for her when the brakes on her bicycle fail and ends up nearly losing her life colliding with a train. But she is saved when she suddenly discovers that she has the power to perform "time leaps" or the ability to essentially "rewind" time. Confused at first by this newfound power, she starts to use it to solve minor things in her own life including acing her math test and extending her leisure time. But it is not long before she realizes that this power can be used to manipulate the lives of those around her.
As a person whose knowledge of anime films is pretty much non-existent outside of the works of Studio Ghibli, this film caught my eye with an interesting sounding premise which reminded me of one of my favorite movies: 1993's Groundhog Day. I was not disappointed. To start off with, the characters in this film are simply great. There are no tired tropes in play here but the characters come off as realistic and likable. It is easy to like a character like Makoto as you watch her go through her life and attempt to use time leaps to improve it and sympathize with her when things do not always go according to plan. Likewise, the other characters come off as well written and enjoyable to watch. The writing in this film is quite excellent as it explores the possibilities and consequences of Makoto's time leaps. The film manages to use its premise to find humor that results in some very funny scenes. But at the same time, there are serious moments that come off as very touching. The animation itself, while not the best I have seen in the anime style, does work well. Characters are animated fluidly enough that do seem to be alive, but also cartoony at times to emphasize the emotions at hand.
If there is one criticism I have of this movie is that it comes off as somewhat unevenly paced. There are some spots where the movie just seems to slow down at awkward points and it becomes a little frustrating. However, this is only a minor point.
This set includes three discs. There is a standard DVD of the feature film, a DVD with some bonus features, and a Blu-ray with the feature film, which looks excellent, two audio commentaries, and storyboards.
This is a thoroughly enjoyable film that is sure to be enjoyed by fans of anime or just people that like a funny and touching animated film.
This movie is a great watch, and is one of those movies you can watch over and over and still would love to watch it again. It is also a great flick to watch with your girlfriend/boyfriend and is suitable for most ages. Only down side i got out of this purchase was that it is set for region 2, i solely bought because of the amazing price, i set my region on my lap top to region 2 so its watchable. But if you're already in region 2, its a 5 out of 5 buy right now, great for any film/anime collector. The films theme is time travel, or as you can tell by the title, Time leaping.
This film contains such a broad spectrum of emotions. I actually had a copy of this a while ago but never got around to watching it properly; I just flicked through it to get the gist of it - only, I didn't get the gist of it at all. Each part of it is quite misleading to the over all feeling and flow of the story. Now, having watched it properly, I can see this.
When you start watching it, it's a lightly comic slice-of-life thing. You're introduced to the various characters, mainly the heroine Makoto, and it's easy to believe that the whole film will just be this nice, heart-warming school life drama. Without wanting to give too much away, this isn't the case and after a fairly long intro, the plot proper kicks in and you really start to appreciate the slow build-up and low-key presentation of the film so far; it really grounds the consequent sci-fi plot and helps it become the philosophical piece it is, rather than just a novel movie about a kid that can leap through time.
Much of the plot could have been brought about without the time travel element; for example, when Makoto learns of someone's feelings towards her but then leaps back to before the confession, the same effect could have been achieved by simply having her overhear the guy telling a friend that he likes her. The impressive thing is, though, the time travel never feels like a gimmick, never feels bolted on or superfluous to the plot. If she'd merely overheard and done nothing about it, it would have remained a simple drama; since she goes back to a time before the confession, something much more tragic and regrettable takes place.
This is just one of many leaps that Makoto makes to avoid things happening, some in the "oh no I burnt my toast!" magnitude, and others far more serious. Seeing her be flippant with her powers makes it all the more affecting when things get serious and she realises her powers aren't just a toy for her to play with. Like so many great anime films, it manages to be a powerful allegory and a potent drama at the same time, not sacrificing any quality for another.
The only faults I can think of are that, yes, it is a little slow to get started and this may put off some more impatient viewers. Really, don't be put off if you feel your interest lagging early on. Enjoy the light-hearted stuff for what it is and realise that it'll only add to the impact of the more serious stuff later. The second fault is similar to the first; it's a pacing issue. Once the plot has laid itself bare in front of you, when almost all the plot twists have, uh, twisted, the story slows right down and almost lets the tension and drama its created to this point slip away as it slightly flounders towards its climax. It's not a big deal, though, and to be honest, as long as your heart is still beating, you should be sufficiently adsorbed and enthralled by the end to not really care about a bit of bad pacing.
In case you're wondering, this is an anime that will appeal to all sorts of people, all genders, all ages, anime fans and people who still think of it as "those Chinese cartoons". The romance is very affecting without being tacky or self-important. It has positive messages but never gets anywhere near feeling preachy or pretentious. It effortlessly slides between comedy, drama, romance, sci-fi, philosophy, slice-of-life and, I guess, thriller, without you realising it's changing. Considering you can get it for just under the price of a packet of fags (at the time of this review), you'd literally be mad to miss it.
If your new to the anime community, this is one to watch. It is one of my favourites. The only complaint is it didn’t come with the cover like it is advertised.