Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo

I finished the movie “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time” yesterday and didn’t think about leaving a review since it felt kinda blank to me at first. But then I couldn’t stop thinking about it, even while rewatching OHSHC.

The plot felt a bit plain-ish, and I’d say there were several holes in the narrative, which was unfortunate. Yet, the message behind the scenes stayed with me. That’s why yesterday night, I was reflecting on time (obviously), the thing of value, and the fleeting nature of first friendships, relationships, and eventual heartbreaks.

Time waits for no one, truly. Sometimes, it feels like a gift because all you ... want is for these long minutes to pass. Other times, it feels like a curse when all you desire is one more second with your loved ones, when you long to save someone, or when the clock ticking carries unbearable weight.

What we have is never enough, and we cannot have more. But as the movie conveys, the best we can do is live in the present, appreciating every moment, and face the surprises that fate has in store with courage.

This movie may not be perfect and far from a masterpiece (in my Universe), but its message lingers, leaving you with more than what meets the eye

I have mixed feelings with this movie because there were times where I felt like I was getting excited about the things that were happening in the plot twist that the movie has, but I feel like there was something that kept me from getting 100% excited.
I clearly got angry on several occasions with the main character wanting to turn back time on silly things, I mean I get it but why on that thing? In the end I like that she used one of her time leaping moments for something good. I like that the movie slowly explains to you until you understand ... that a time leap can negatively or positively affect someone.

I am honestly at a loss as to why this won so many awards and has such a high rating. This had a promising premise, but didn't match up at all to my expectations based on the ratings/reviews. My 16yo watched this with me and disliked it even more than I did, for the same reasons.

It started out well, with a feel similar to other good anime movies as far as the story buildup, the art, pacing, character introduction etc. But as soon as Makoto learned how to leap back in time at will, it started going downhill fast.

First and mainly, Makoto was just annoying ... throughout. I have watched lots of anime starring teens (which most anime does) and she is definitely the least mature protagonist for her age that I've seen. She was shallow, selfish, completely impulsive and basically acted like she was 12, maybe 13 at most, both in her choices and her mannerisms. Her peers were all far more mature than her and acted like their actual age.

At one point she repeatedly leaped back in time to simply avoid a slightly awkward conversation, which seemed very extreme, especially when it's revealed later on that she supposedly did actually want the direction this conversation would have taken her in her life -- which made her avoidance make even less sense. And even at the end she seemed to not have learned much, wouldn't say what was on her mind, and acted hurtfully immature AGAIN.

As for the plot, there were several plot threads that were left hanging, some things that contradicted each other, and various other things which made the overall story seem like the writers each threw their ideas into a hat and then pulled out a different random idea for each scene.

The visuals were really the only thing I can compliment. And I liked all the other characters, though none were super memorable, except one because he looks and dresses like Kyo Sohma and plays a very interesting role. But I wish I could time leap and get those 100 minutes back.