The Girl Who Leapt Through Time: 2 Disc Edition – Cult Epics (UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Japan, 1983
Director: Nobuhiko Ôbayashi
Writer: Wataru Kenmotsu
Cast: Tomoyo Harada, Ryōichi Takayanagi, Toshinori Omi, Toshie Negishi, Ittoku Kishibe, Yukari Tsuda, Akiko Kitamura, Wakaba Irie, Takako Irie, Ken Uehara

Release Date: February 24th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 104 Minutes 7 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen, 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio Opening and Closing Scenes / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / HDR10
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Japanese, DTS-HD 5.1 Japanese
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region A (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: $49.95

"After suffering a fainting spell in her school's laboratory, 16-year-old Kazuko Yoshiyama (Harada) begins to experience a strange phenomenon throughout her daily life—temporal leaps backward and forward in time—disorienting her as she relives moments time and time again, as days past return to the present. Lost in a sea of time, Kazuko's desperate plea to exist in the present is answered amidst the swell of FX wizardry, musical overtures, and, most of all, the anchor of young love." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (4K UHD), 4.25/5 (Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "4K Transfer & Restoration + HDR."

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 61.2 GB

Feature: 59.1 GB

The source looks excellent; it is a noticeable improvement over Third Window Films' 2022 Blu-ray release. Also, this release presents the film in a 1.66:1 aspect ratio, while Third Window Films' release is in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio. Flesh tones and colors look correct; image clarity, contrast, and black levels are solid; and there are no issues with compression.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 46.1 GB

Feature: 26 GB

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Audio: 4.25/5 (Both Audio Tracks)

This release comes with two options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Japanese and a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in Japanese. Both audio tracks sound clean, clear, balanced, and robust when they should. That said, the 5.1 track does a good job opening up the original mono source. Included are removable English subtitles.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer for The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2 minute 43 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), Toki O Kakeru Shojo music video (3 minute 2 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), an archival featurette titled The Tomoyo Harada Story (10 minute 33 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with director Nobuhiko Ôbayashi (24 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an archival conversation from 2015 with Nobuhiko Ôbayashi at Japan Society NY (21 minutes 59 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English and Japanese with an English translator for the latter), a video essay by Alex Pratt titled Now and Then, Here and There: Onomichi Pt. 2 (16 minutes 28 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a video essay by Max G. Robinson titled A Movie: Ôbayashi’s Cinematic Life (23 minutes 29 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with non-removable English subtitles for Japanese film clips), an audio commentary with Nobuhiko Ôbayashi Scholar Alex Pratt, reversible cover art with original Japanese poster art, a slipcover (limited to the first pressing), and a reproduciton 24-page Japanese pressbook (limited to the first pressing).

Other extras include theatrical trailers for His Motorbike, Her Island (1 minute 32 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), School in the Crosshairs (1 minute 55 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), and The Island Closest to Heaven (1 minute 41 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with removable English subtitles).

Summary:

There are many elements in The Girl Who Leapt Through Time that mirror another Nobuhiko Ōbayashi film, School in the Crosshairs. Both films feature a female protagonist who has special powers—in the former's case, the ability to time travel, and in the latter's, telekinesis. Also, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is another Nobuhiko Ōbayashi film that was based on a novel.

Although The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is one of Nobuhiko Ōbayashi's more straightforward stories, it is far from conventional, especially in terms of its narrative. Notably when it comes to the visuals and overall aesthetic. Most notably, there is a pre-credits sequence and the opening credits, which are in black and white and have a different aspect ratio.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a film that was crafted as a vehicle for Tomoyo Harada (Early Spring Story) in the role of Kazuko, the girl who leaped through time. She delivers a pitch-perfect performance that captures her character's sense of wonder. That said, her performance overshadows the rest of the cast.

From a production standpoint, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a film that takes full advantage of its resources. The premise is well-executed, and the narrative does a great job propelling the story forward. That said, the special effects look dated and call attention to themselves. Ultimately, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a satisfying mix of melodrama and whimsy.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time gets a solid release from Cult Epics that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and informative extras. Highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer