So - in lieu of neglecting to get this started for awhile.
I'm starting fresh.
Instead - I bring you a review of " The Girl Who Leapt Through Time " ( the English dub ) .
Before we get started, please take a moment ( or 2:25 minutes ) to view the English dub trailer which can be found on youtube.
Our story focuses on 17 year old Makoto Konno, a seemingly normal girl who professes she's not dumb "by most standards". She goes to school, plays baseball with her best-friends, has a tendency for sleeping in, & oh yeah - she knows how to time-leap. Yes, that's correct. She's very much a normal teenager, that is until she unwittingly & unknowingly leaps through time for the first time in her school's science lab.
The rest of the movie centers on her various leaps through time and what she uses them for. It can be something as trivial as going back to eat that pudding she was looking forward to, sleeping in those extra few precious moments or in the rare instance, she will use it for someone else's greater good. For those of you considering watching this movie, I suggest you have a tissue ready. While it may be lighthearted and funny in the first half of the movie, the film does a subtle turn into more complex and emotional territories in the later half of the movie.
Also, please don't be put off by Makoto's sometimes whiny, sometimes petty character portrayal. I think it's safe to say that any other seventeen year old would act much as she would given the circumstances. However, Makoto isn't the only character that drives this movie. It's fair to say that Makoto's two best friends; Chiaki & Kousuke contribute tons of depth, it's a bit of give and take with these three. What one is lacking the other will make up for, be it maturity or emotional maturity and the willingness to sacrifice. Another key character is Makoto's 'Auntie Witch'; whose name is never given. Should you watch this movie, pay explicit attention to this character because what she says will later play a role in this movie.
Now let's address the musical score. Of course, a good majority of the music is composed by Kiyoshi Yoshida, also known for his work on an anime known as " Martian Successor Nadesico ". The majority of the music instills the subtle use of drums, with more note worthy piano & violins layered over them. The opening theme is an airy, almost nonchalant piece called ' Natsuzora ' which easily eases you into the film. This same piece is also used in closing the film with a little more embellishment of more violins to add to the tone that the movie left you with. Both are very fitting pieces. The official ending theme known as 'Garnet' is sung by Hanako Oku.
Overall, I'd say that this movie deserves all the praise I've given it. But if that's still not enough to convince you, consider that the year this film was released it received the grand prize for 'Animation of the Year'. Which means that this film is being rated on the same scale as the previous winners such as - Mononoke Hime ( Princess Mononoke ) , Spirited Away, & just this year Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea ( all by Studio Ghibli ) .
Having said all this, I leave you with this quote via Twitter from thebookpixie " OMG I'm starting to cry. no joke," which further proves that as I have stated, this film is just as likely to make you cry as Forest Gump or those last few moments that Sam & Frodo spoke on Mount Doom ( in the Lord of the Rings ) would have made you cry.
Disclaimer : ( All the thoughts in this review are mine & mine alone. Also - the refrences to other films or this film do not mean that I endorse or represent any of the companies who produced these mentioned films. Thank you. )
Length: 336 pgs. 
