The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

Motoko is the ordinary school girl. She is no Einstein, but also not stupid. She is no super carpenter, but also not bad with her hands. She gets average grades in exams, sometimes good, sometimes bad. She’s living with the normal family, it all seems to be a good thing. Until one day, something out of the ordinary happens.

“The Girl Who Leapt Through Time” – Theatrical Poster

And this something is not just “out of the ordinary”, it would border on the impossible. Yet, it happened. It is just around 4 PM that afternoon when Motoko is riding home on her bike. It’s downhill, so no need to waste energy and pedal. However, there’s a train crossing at the end of the downhill-streak. Just before the crossing, her brakes break – she is left with no mechanism to slow down her bike – and faces the inevitable as she sees the barriers of the crossing coming down. She hits the barrier, and – so it seems – the train has gotten her good.

It is in that moment that she discovers that apparently she possesses the power to travel back in time when she suddenly finds herself on the ground, having run into an elderly lady – and the clock is showing a time just before her fatal moment. The bike is with her on the ground.

As this causes questions, she is seeking advise from her aunt, who then, much to the surprise of Motoko, admits that many girls have been “Time-Leaping” before.

So she uses her new power to do things over and over… but does not realize what implications her actions have on herself, and others.

Not for Motoko, and not for you.

She is now puzzled about why she has this ability, and is about to undertake a life-changing journey, and about to find out the truth behind some things.

Another great story well told, I absolutely enjoyed this one. Don’t think about the scientific implications of time travel for a while, okay? It is a beautiful story nonetheless, I recommend it to anyone

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
Genre: Drama, Romance, Science fiction, Slice of life
Director: Mamoru Hosoda
Original Release Date: July 15, 2006