Cinema review
Directed by Mamoru Hosoda
Starring the voices of Riisa Naka, Takuya Ishida, Mitsutaka Itakura, Ayami Kakiuchi
Release date 19 September 2008 (UK)

After an accident at a train crossing, schoolgirl Makoto discovers she has the ability to travel through time…

This Japanese Academy Award-winning slice of anime juggles time travel and teen romance to charming effect. It’s an adaptation of Yasutaka Tsutsui’s popular novel, which has been filmed four times before (most famously as the 1983 animation The Little Girl Who Conquered Time), and should appeal to fans of both Studio Ghibli and high school comedies.

After our likeable heroine Makoto discovers her talent, she doesn’t use it to the fix the world or do anything particularly monumental; in fact, she rarely ‘leaps’ more than a few hours. Rather, she uses time travel to ace her tests, get out of awkward situations (like one of her best friends unexpectedly asking her out) and sing non-stop karaoke. Eventually, of course, she learns how to use her gift to help those around her, but thankfully it never becomes bogged down in sentimentality.

The colourful animation is superb, boasting some achingly detailed backgrounds, but it’s the winning characters and often-hilarious story that will keep both adults and kids transfixed. It drags slightly towards the end and the twist perhaps over-complicates things, but this is a hugely entertaining movie. Matt McAllister

VERDICT: 8/10
An irresistible retelling of a much-loved tale.