Toki o kakeru shôjo

Ok, this might be a guilty pleasure, but damn do I enjoy these Japanese teen romances. This is somewhat of a sequel to both 1983 live action movie by Nobuhiko Ôbayashi of Hausu fame and 2006 anime version. Sci-Fi aspect is very soft, but nostalgia and sadness filled romance works well. If only I could forget those wacky special effects and dude from the future character I would rate this film even higher. Lead actress is really charming.

I thought that this was just yet another adaptation of the great story The Girl Who Leapt Through Time little did I know that this was actually a sequel story and a worthy one at that. The acting is very good and the theme while slightly different are also similar.

Overly melodramatic, cliche and cheesy, but enjoyably so. It may not live up to Hosoda's excellent anime, but this is a very different film. Despite having a slightly overlong runtime for a film that in reality doesn't have too much substance, as well as an amusingly awful time travel sequence, the sheer likability of the central characters wins through. Overall it's simply a fun and charming piece of soft sci-fi romance that is hard not to like, and Rissa Naka is excellent in the lead role.

I watched this by accident (I thought I was going to watch the 2006 film) but I enjoyed it a lot anyway. The sci-fi part isn't believable but it's not trying to be and it's not central anyway. What is left is a romance a bit cliche but beautifully shot and acted.

Entertainment: 3.5/4. Spirit: 1/3. Sustainability: 0.5/3