Time Traveller : The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
Tuesday, June 7, 20114:30 PM
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| [opionator.wordpress.com] Time Traveler: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time movie poster |
Right. So I just finished watching this movie (literally) and before I start on this review let me just blow off steam. DAMMIT BLOGGER! I was able to come up with a whole bunch of paragraphs already and you choose to go bail on me by not saving it all up. Now I'm practically back to zero and I have to do this all over again. D*MN YOU. All right. I'm done.
This movie is actually a remake of the 2006 animated movie based on a novel of the same name. The actress who played Akari here is also the same one who voiced Akari in the animated film. As for the cast, the story basically revolved on the two main characters, Akari and Ryota. There were some revisions from the original, but I think the variations made all the difference in the film's general overview. Riisa Naka was great because she was able to project the right emotions that the character exudes at certain moments, may it be crying (which she was good at doing because her eyes went really red), being cute, or doing the things she planned to accomplish her mission. As for the male lead, Ryota, Akiyoshi Nakao was endearing indeed.
You know how he's not really on my handsome list and yet his demeanor and actions just make you fall in love with him gradually? He portrayed the character so... realistically that at the end of the movie, all you can do in knowing his imminent fate was to shed a tear for him. And though his character was far from perfect, it does make you wish that there are more guys like him in this world. That's about it. The other characters were not emphasized as strongly, just like the future guy, Akari's mom and dad and her mother's friend. This movie has such a few cast, but they were able to come across the emotions to the viewers and that's what affected me most by this movie.
Okay, I know I cry in almost every movie I check out (because I tend to relate every scene or word to my life and that just breaks me up all the time), even ones that isn't really very tear worthy ,but hey, can you blame me if I'm just a naturally teary person? At least I can appreciate a movie and able to communicate my reactions clearly. I'm a natural opinion predictor, although I'm a bit irrational at times. Yeah, I cried. There were moments in this movie that was just effing sad and painful that I can't help but shed a tear or two. I mean, those scenes were just hearbreakingly perfect and pitying that I can't take it. Great job screen writers, for choosing the writers path that I call it's-a-sad-ending-and-we-don't-want-to-take-the-cliche-route-and-anyway-this-is-much-more-realistic. That's fine by me because there won't always be a happy ending, but hey people get a grip.
Movies are made because people, once in awhile, seeks for entertainment especially since that's the thing that lacks the most in our devious lives. Girls especially, turn to romantic chick flicks with a dash comedy in order to face break-ups, depression and such because they know that these movies, no matter how painful at some part, would give them a happy ending, therefore reviving the hope inside them that thing would eventually turn out fine. But no. Why is it that most Japanese romance/slice of life films like this chooses to tear our heart apart and improve tissue sales in cinemas by forcibly opening our tear ducts? Why? Examples of such movies are Koizora (the Sky of Love) and I Give My First Love To You. In the end of these movies, they end the guy's life.
Do they have an aversion to guys in particular? Because none of the leading men in these movies lived. They all died. In sickness. But hey, this is just my crazy assumption. No insults intended. So yeah. Here's a brief overview of the story:
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time or in it's romanji title, Toki o Kakeru Shojo is about a girl named Akari Hasegawa who just passed her college entrance exam and is on her way to being a pharmacist, just like her mother who is a professor in the said university. Everything couldn't be better in Akari's life when her mom got into an accident. Her mother, upon receiving a photo (of her and a guy) from her friend, went into a schocked state and in passing through a pedestrian, she stumbles and recalls some memories of the guy in the picture and was hit by a car. She went in a coma, much to Akari's horror. Burdened by stress from constantly worrying for her mom, she hasn't slept and her mom's friend was starting to worry about her too. In the hospital's lobby, a commemoration of the Noroshima Bus accident was being aired in the television, but Akari barely heard a word of it and couldn't care less about it.
And when her mother finally woke up, she became catatonic and insisted on leaving the hospital to look for the guy in the picture. Fearing for her mother's health, Akari volunteered to do it. Her mother told her shakily that she can find him by taking the liquid stashed at her mom's drawer in the university laboratory. The liquid can transport the drinker to the past, provided that he has a set destination. It was discovered by her mother, and , according to her in the earlier part of the movie, reminds her of a lavander's fragrance. Upon taking it, Akari first had doubts regarding the liquid's effect and let out a laugh. But then, after a few seconds, she fell in a time warp. (This part is actually funny and my brother and I cracked up, but as I said, the movie is not a comedy.) She caught sight of a white bird and was trying to reach it's tail feather but failed in the process.
Upon waking up, she found herself in a dingy room with stuff strewn about messily on the floor. Beside her, on the other side of the table is a suspicious looking guy. Remembering how she met him and her purpose of returning to the year 1972, she panicks. To add more to her troubles, she find out that she landed on the wrong time, two years later than her intended date. From her starting point, she needs to find the guy that will be the key to her mother's recovery.
So that's it. Please do watch the movie. Also, here are some highlights: (WARNING: There are spoilers. So if you're wise, do me the favor of checking the film first and then going back here to read my commentaries.)
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| The picture that unlocked Akari's mother's memories. |
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| The Photgraph Guy |
His name is actually Ken. Apparently, he's from the future. Year 2698, to be exact. He was came to 1972 to test the time traveling liquid that they discovered in the future. Akari's mom accidentaly broke the vial containing the liquid and time traveled a bit herself. When he saw her, he fell in love with her and took the name Kazuo Fukamachi. But he knew he had to go back so he erased her memories. Now here's the part that striked me. She said that even if she forgets, her heart will never do. He then promised her that he will go back and see her in the someday in the future. So, I guess, HENCE Akari's time travel. And ahahaha. Young Ken looks like someone I know. And like. Hi R!
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| Gotetsu |
His nickname in 1972 was Gotetsu. Akari found out later on that his real name was Hasegawa Masamichi. So... connect connect guys. He's Akari's dad! Though, even in the end, they didn't bond or chatted with each other... SAD.
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| Hahaha. Imagine meeting your father like this. |
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| Naturally, your reaction will be something like hers :D |
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| Akari's mom and dad in 1972. They DO look good together. I wish they made up so Akari won't be so lonely. |
Oh, and read this. Hilarious. But it will really get you thinking though. Would love overcome age? Ya think?
So yeah. And then... Some more pictures of the scenes that I cried to and liked...
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| So then he left... |
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| I'm just going to insert this thing... but it's just funny because when I captured this, I thought, "Wow. This picture make this movie look like a horror film." Haha. |
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| This was when Ryota said goodbye and left her the film. I cried here too. |
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| Akari at the end of the movie. So it's up to you to decide if you're contented with how things went or you wanted a better ending. |
Enough spoilers. And I anyway, I need to go. So I do hope you watch this movie and support it. Spread the word people. It's great and it'd be a waste if it failed to touch other's as well.
Overall Rating: ★★★
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