Girl Who Leapt Through Time, The (Toki o kakeru shôjo) (Blu-ray) (2006)

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General		Extras
Category	Anime	Main Menu Audio & Animation Storyboard Comparisons-Full feature w/ commentary Interviews-Crew Featurette-2 Music Video Trailer
Rating
Year Of Production	2006
Running Time	98:18
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered Dual Disc Set	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Language Select Then Ads Then Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Mamoru Hosoda
Studio Distributor	Kadokawa Shoten Madman Entertainment	Starring	Riisa Naka Takuya Ishida Mitsutaka Itakura Ayami Kakiuchi Mitsuki Tanimura Sachie Hara Yuki Sekido
Case	Standard Blu-ray
RPI	$39.95	Music	Kiyoshi Yoshida Shigeru Nishiyama Theresa MacFarlane

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 Japanese DTS HD Master Audio 5.1
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.85:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	1080p
Original Aspect Ratio	1.85:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English for the Hearing Impaired	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

     My family and I are big fans of the works of Hayao Miyazaki and the Studio Ghibli team, so we were keen to take a look at this non-Ghibli Japanese anime which was made by three ex-Ghibli staffers. It has been available for a couple of years on DVD which was previously reviewed on this site by TrevorD here . It has now been released on Blu-ray by Madman locally in a 2 disc set, including the feature on Blu-ray and an extras disc on DVD (which is the same second disc as the previous DVD version). In terms of a direct comparison to the previous version, obviously this edition has the main feature in 1080p and with DTS HD-MA sound which is a big step up, however the main feature audio commentary on the previous version has gone missing.

     The film itself is a lyrical, wistful and atmospheric story about a teenage girl, Makoto, who after a fall discovers that she has the ability to travel through time. Initially, this skill rescues her from being run down by a train however she soon starts using it for more mundane things like beating her little sister to a pudding and trying to set her male friend, Kousuke, up with girls. Her meddling starts things going wrong and soon she is in trouble and needs to work out how to fix it before her power to time leap disappears. The process of time leaping also seems to deepen and confuse her relationship with her other male friend, Chiaki.

     One thing which struck me about this film is that the museum in which Makoto's Aunt works restoring paintings is an exact animated replica of the Tokyo National Museum in the suburb of Ueno. I visited the museum in question on a visit to Tokyo and was surprised to note that the museum in the film was based on it.

     Besides this item of trivia, this is a lovely film with a real feeling of summer romance to it and an undercurrent of drama. These feelings are heightened by some lovely music including some solo piano and the haziness of the animation, which gives it a unique style. It is probably best suited to a teenage girl audience, however my pre-teen sons enjoyed it very much despite it's slow pace compared to other animated films. My only criticism would be that the ending is a little abrupt and hard to fathom which has led to a plethora of internet theories. An enjoyable and romantic Japanese animated film. Recommended.

Video

     The video quality is excellent and seems to be a significant improvement on what was a very good DVD transfer based on screen shots. The feature is presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio which is the original aspect ratio. It is 1080p native widescreen encoded in the AVC codec.

     The picture was clear and sharp throughout only restricted from looking as good as other animated Blu-rays by its hazy & slightly out of focus style and lack of detail which can be seen in computer generated animation. The colour was lovely with the beautiful summery shades bursting from the screen, again only limited by the style of the source material. There were no noticeable artefacts.

     There are subtitles in English for the Hearing Impaired which are based on the original Japanese dialogue rather than the English dub which is somewhat changed. There are also captions which are burned-in.

     There is no noticeable layer change during the program.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     The audio quality is excellent. I would guess this would be a huge step up from the DVD audio. This Blu-ray contains two audio options, an English DTS HD-MA 5.1 soundtrack and a Japanese DTS HD-MA 5.1 soundtrack. Besides the language being spoken there is little difference between the tracks. Both are marvellous with lots of surround effects which although subtle are a big part of the film's ambience. Dialogue was clear and easy to hear at all times. The score by Kiyoshi Yoshida is sweet and dramatic with some lovely piano pieces. The surround speakers were used regularly for many ambient sounds, voices, crickets (a really important part of the ambience) and especially during the time travel sequences. The subwoofer is also used supporting music and the time travel sequences.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

     The Blu-ray disc contains no extras. The second disc is a DVD which is the same as the second DVD in the previous DVD release. The text below comes from Trevor's original review.

Menu

     The menu included music and motion.

Direction Profile- A Talk with Director Mamoru Hosoda (34.24)

     Anyone with a serious interest in the art of animation would be well advised to watch this interview. Director Hosada analyses several key scenes from the film and shows how through use of camera angle and anime narrative conventions he created tension and substance. Although he finds the word "poetry" too cheesy, the director uses imagery and judicious pauses to create something logical but not too clinical.

Main Feature with Storyboard

     Ever wondered what it would be like to watch an entire animated film alongside the storyboards? Here is your chance! A fascinating feature for budding animators this may be a bit dry for the target audience. The director is able to relate many fascinating details about the animation process including the individual animators who worked on certain scenes with their own distinctive styles and techniques.

Premiere Event in Tokyo (13.46)

     The Japanese voice actors, director Hosada and the writer of the original story gather on stage for a presentation of the film to an eager audience. The cast are asked to introduce themselves and answer some questions from the moderator. The obvious question - what would you do if you could time leap? - receives a few standard (World Peace) answers but the boys are refreshingly candid. One would like to go back to be a better soccer player!

Behind the Scenes : Premiere Event (9.40)

     Behind veils of cigarette smoke the director and his cast nervously prepare for the premiere.

Hanako Oku "Garnet" Music Video (5.19)

     According to her Wiki page Oku became a big star in Japan after doing the song (which features in the end titles) for the film. It is a moving piano ballad and though a might too twee for my ears fits the tone of the film perfectly.

Theatrical Trailer (1.48)

     A good introduction to the film with a special voice over by Riisa Naka.

Promo Clip (.32)

     A shortened version of the trailer.

    There are Blu-ray releases of this film in Taiwan and Japan, however I cannot get details of their contents. I would stick with the local edition.

    The extras are on a second DVD which is exactly the same as the second disc of the previous DVD version.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall