Time Traveller : The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
Tuesday, June 7, 20114:30 PM
 |
| [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.)
 |
| The picture that unlocked Akari's mother's memories. |
 |
| 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!
 |
| 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.
 |
| Hahaha. Imagine meeting your father like this. |
 |
| Naturally, your reaction will be something like hers :D |
 |
| 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...
 |
| So then he left... |
 |
| 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. |
 |
| This was when Ryota said goodbye and left her the film. I cried here too. |
 |
| 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: ★★★
© StylejamLabels: movie, review, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
Vanilla Salt
Sunday, May 30, 20108:04 PM
Well, anyway, it's rather late so I'd probably make this post kinda short, or at least, I'm gonna try anyway. Anytime now, my father might shout his head off telling us, his kids, to go the hell up in the bedroom and get some satisfying sleep. The things is, in this house, there are no super duper irritating instructions to follow. The most of the strictness my parents would exhibit was to scare the living hell out of us into getting to sleep a bit early (Usually ten o'clock, but I rarely fall asleep at that exact time. My twilight signal would be at twelve in the early morning.) and eating at the right time (usually when they realized we haven't eaten yet and my dad hastens to cook us some yummy food).
Okay. Awhile ago, we went
to the mall to watch some movies in the cinema. I was actually intending to watch the "Nightmare on Elm Street" and get some really hardcore scare with my brother (And get to hide behind the popcorn box as the slashing and the killings start; which means, as you know, BLOOD, BLOOD and more BLOOD!!!) . I called the cinemas and asked if the movie was still showing since I've seen the theatrical poster with the "Now Showing" tag for some time now and I feel that's like for a really long time now.Turns out it's not showing anymore and the movie premiere has long since ended. With spirits crushed and the enthusiasm all gone, I decided to just stay at home and doodle all over the house, maybe have a go in editing my site yet again and read "The Long Road Home" by Danielle Steel, which was introduced to me by my good friend Rona. Lucky for me, and after no luck of finding it in bookstores that I could harass, I finally found it at the BookSale store in Harrison Plaza.
The place was a little run down and as I said before looks "derelict and abandoned" but since a Shakeys restaurant existed somewhere in the middle of all the closed boutiques and the rubble of banners pinned on white cardboards (not to mention the lack of breathable air conditioning and century old escalators), it passed my standards just by some points. The funny thing is , when I go near BookSale, I usually turn into a ravaging beast and as soon as I'm unleashed in the rows and rows of books and the old, musty smell of books starts emanating from the books haphazardly stacked on the floor. I just can't help myself, and for all you know, I've managed to engaged myself in a serious manhunt, tumbling over low containers and sniffing on the packed boxes at the far corner of the store, in search for a book that I know, or at least, a book by an author I adore or an oldie book I've read about in the teen archives in Wikipedia.
You could never imagine, the feeling of success and fulfillment when you finally lay your hands on the binding of the book that you've been looking for after rumpling your hair from inserting my head in low shelves and hunching over, not to mention moving huge, I mean HUGE, stacks of books piled high on the highest shelves looking at the binding for the name V.C Andrews and ignoring the rest.
So in the end, I conceded and chose to go to the mall with my mom and my brother to watch "Shrek 4: Forever After". Actually, we're supposed to go to my father's hometown for this day. But since our driver, Kuya Delbs, has something to do (take up the home owner's car and drive my Prince Charming home in Cavite after his 24 hour internal shift), my father decided to cancel the trip (much to my disappointment) since no one would drive. For the record, my mother suggested that she could drive us but in mysterious reasons, he refused. I think it's just a bout of the "Man Paranoia". Man paranoia is when men feel inferior to women when women do things that the they can't do, especially when they usually are the ones to do these things. In the case of my father, since he doesn't really know (or does have an inkling on driving) how to drive, he doesn't want to look "under" or inferior to my mom when we arrive at his hometown. It seems rubbish and irrational to me.
Oh well. Then, when we arrived at the mall, I instantly rocked over to KFC to buy my usual alternative for popcorn, which was their FRIES. I love their fries. It's like heaven sent. I can't get enough of it, so I asked my mom to order me two buckets and a chewy cheese for my brother, though when the movie was on the roll, he didn't really eat it, but just munched on one since it was my mom who hogged it all up (yeah, which means my brother totally stole one and half part of from my bucket of fries. Talk about agony.
Without having any clue that Shrek 4 was showing in 3d (and apparently neither was my mom), there was added fees for the tickets (about P 250) and my mom was a bit reluctant to hand over some cash since she didn't really care for the 3d part. 3d meant goggles and I'm not really that enthusiastic in hearing about 3d goggles again since I have my glasses already and the prospect of watching a movie in double glasses and the goggles already falling off from my nose as I stuffed more fries on my mouth absentmindedly. So for the most part of the movie, I actually had to hold up the goggles above my glasses, with it digging in my nose bridge, it's absolutely irritating and fussy.
For the most part, I must admit that the expensive ticket fee was worth it since the movie was really touching and cool. It had a lot of lessons to teach us and I almost cried when Shrek found out that he's in danger of losing his kids, Fiona, his friendship with Donkey, and Puss while holding the ogre style teddy bear his daughter Felicia left with him when he walked out of the birthday party of his children. And the point that he finally (and fully) realized how his family and friends really meant to him. It's what we feel sometimes, when we feel that everything is redundant, and boring, and simple, and plain. That sometimes, we get tired from the way our lives go and we would gladly wish for another chance at a different and interesting life. But no. There is more to our lives than we actually know of. It just needs a chance of discovery, for us to discover the rest of the wonderful things that it actually contains. We just need to look closer and do it with enthusiasm.Do you know what line really touched me there? Or, for that matter which lines? I love the part when Shrek and Fiona were quarreling with each other after Fiona's activist (from Rumpelstiltskin's rule in Far Far Away) group got captured by the Pied Piper's dancing frenzy with his music. And all Shrek wanted was for Fiona to kiss him because according from what he (with the initial help of Donkey, only he spelled true love's kiss wrong, funny guy *tsk tsk tsk*) figured out as a loophole in the contract, only true love's kiss would break the contract's impending effect (which is, he'll disappear, since Rumple edited the day when he was born, don't know how he managed to stop Shrek from being born).
And then, Fiona said to Shrek when Shrek told her that he was her "true love's kiss", "Then, where were you when I needed you?". That really struck something within me. It's something personal and it's something about my dramas in life. You probably don't want to know that; it's boring, and really cheesy. Now, forget about it. It's hard to explain anyway. Then, I also loved that part when Shrek said to Fiona, " You used to believe in Fairy Tales, in Happily Ever After and that someone would finally save you from the tower where you cried yourself to sleep every night." That also has some link with how my life is and you probably don't want to know that either.
And yeah, there was also the funny part when Donkey run with the carriage and stupidly plunged all of them in a deep cliff or ravine and they all fell in the water down below. Donkey and Puss were wet and while Donkey was licking himself dry, Puss tried to lick his fur too, but obviously, he can't because of his big tummy (a result of Fiona's incessant pampering and spoiling, feeding him God knows what) and he can't reach his backside and he looked at Donkey weirdly. Then, he said to Donkey, "Uh... Donkey? Can I borrow your tongue?" elegantly and pleasantly (as if he just asked him to pass over the plate of meatloaf) and Donkey was like, "WHAT? *infinite pause and a no-no look at Puss* UH UH. No hair.". And was like hahaha and my brother was like punching me in arms in laughter. And then "All By Myself" starts playing in the background and Puss starts his huge puppy eyes pity tactic and Donkey said to him, "I don't care how big your eyes play. It's not going down." and Puss was still continuing with his puppy look, then, Donkey finally gave in with "AWT, all right!" Huge gulps of air and then prepared to lick Puss' fur but cut short with Shrek and Fiona's squabble.
I'm so DRAINED. Just look at Puss' face. And weight. Nice one. I hope I don't look that fat. And it's horrifyingly fistfuls of laughter, the way Puss slides down the rope, and he's like dragging as he does it because of his weight. I just heart Donkey and Puss! Oh yeah, and Fergus, Farkle and Felicia! The Kids! They look like little cute angel ogres. Though angels and ogres doesn't really fit at all in real life. Nah uh.
Puss doing the puppy eyes again. Love it.
The kids, with Shrek feeling gloomy about not being able to carry on his terrifying streak as an Ogre way back when he didn't know Fiona. That's it guys, I hope that wasn't long.
Be posting soon.
LOVELOTZ,
Blessie Anne
Labels: cats, cinema, funny, horror, movie
