The Girl Who Leapt Through Time Review

This Japanese animation has a fantastical premise - high-school heroine Makoto can jump back in time to avert disaster or embarrassment, or get a second chance at passing an exam - but goes for subtle character studies rather than large-scale effects. The film plays the time-looping games of Groundhog Day, but it’s also a sweet, credible study of a girl who wants to turn back the clock on her relationships with two boys who are starting to think more about romance than baseball. It has few fireworks, but still sticks in the mind, and is a definite upgrade from Digimon: The Movie for director Mamoru Hosoda.