Movie magic (Toki wo kakeru shojo)

(tags movie, theater, Kobe, anime)

Rarely do I get emotional with a movie as I did with this one: Toki wo Kakeru Shojo (時をかける少女, my trans: Time-leap Girl) is truly a masterpiece, right up there with any Miyazaki anime, or dare I say, surpasses them. At the end I was in joyful tears, just like those other middle age guys.

Here's a "time travelling" story that does its format and its genre justice. I love the theme that timeless messages can be erased so easily, while by-chance life changing events are in fact inevitable. The story itself was not predictable at all. A minor point but I think its worth mentioning is that it abstracts the usual time travel requires device theme. If you love anime, this is for you. Heck if you love a human experience story this is for you. If you are a total sci-fi pedant like me, you will try to ignore the minor holes that fly in the face of accepted "time-travel" theory as posited by Back to The Future, Star Trek, etc.

It turns out that this movie is the first (anime) adaptation of the 1965 novel by Yoshitaka Tsutsui (筒井康隆). Kadokawa Publishing did a reprint in 1976, but its of course out of stock. The movie has a new heroine, but the original heroine from the novel lends her charm as her aunt. My favorite line from her? (paraphrased) "Good thing you're not using it for something important."

So moved by the story I was about to order the following framed replicated portrait (時をかける少女 貞本義行複製原画), going for about 16000 yen. It was a limited edition deal with only 200 copies (at least from Chara-Ani, because actually you could have ordered it from Lawson or other convenience stores like that, last month, ouch). But as it shows, it's sold out already. That's what I get for watching the movie 3 weeks after release, heh.

Where are the goods for this movie? Are they sold out? According to the official blog, they had lots of stuff beforehand. But they weren't at 109 HAT Theaters at Kobe, dagnabit. I suppose I need to visit another movie theater. I'm on my way to Osaka to check out the goods. Heh.

I'll be watching for the DVD version, but according to Mr. Alvin, this movie was HD ready. Ugh, will I have to actually get with the HD DVD/Blueray wars?