THE GIRL WHO LEAPT THROUGH TIME (1983)
Label: Cult Epics
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 104 Minutes 7 Seconds
Audio: Japanese DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo, 5.1 Surround with Optional English Subtitles
Video: HDR10 2160p Ultra HD Widescreen (1.85:1), 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: Nobuhiko Obayashi
Cast: Tomoyo Harada, Ryoichi Takayanagi, Toshinori Omi
Nobuhiko Obayashi's The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (1983), based on Yasutaka Tsutsui's famous 1967 novel, which has also been turned into an anime in 2002, stars pop sensation Tomoyo Harada (The Island Closest To Heaven) in her feature film debut. She portrays 16-year old highschooler Kazuko Yoshiyama, whom after suffering a fainting spell in her school's laboratory after smelling lavender scented vapors, begins to experience a strange phenomenon, disorienting temporal leaps both backward and forward in time, reliving certain moments, and attempting to change situations involving involving her friends Kazuo (Ryōichi Takayanagi, His Motorbike, Her Island) and Goro (Toshinori Omi, I Are You, You Am Me).
It's a heartfelt and transcendent bit of sci-f-/fantasy teen-romance with expressionistic lensing, dazzling special effects and a gorgeous a score. Tomoyo Harada's performance is wonderful, her expressive eyes conveying an almost impossible innocence, as she struggles to understand the temporal disorientation she is experiencing, and trying to navigate new found feeling of love. It's not quite as visually experimental as School in the Crosshairs but still has plenty of the director's signature visual film language with freeze-frames and interesting use of film exposures and screen wipes, aspect ratio changes to denote the shifting realities, and the artful manipulation of color, it's an inventive and gorgeous looking flick to be sure, creating that wondeerful sense of whimsical fantasy, but with a highly emotional core.
Audio/Video: The Girls Who Leapt Through Time (1983) makes the leap into 4K Ultra HD from Cult Epics, presenting the film in 2160p UHD framed in 1.85:1 widescreen, with HDR10 WGC color-grade. It's a gorgeous restoration, the 4K resolution offers fine resolved detail and texture throughout. The source is in pristine shape, nary a speckle to distract the eyes. Additionally the HDR10 color-grade is delightful, vibrant but restrained, skin tones are warm and natural looking, primaries shine with suffuse colors, the green of trees look terrific, the blacks are deep, and contrast looks terrific.
Audio comes by way of Japanese DTS-HD MA 2.0 stereo or 5.1 surround, with newly improved optional English subtitles. The tracks are clean and well balanced, sounding clean without any age-related hiss or distortion. Dialogue sounds natural and well-defined, and the gorgeous, dreamy score by Masataka Matsutoya and disorienting sound design elements sound terrific in both 2.0 and the remixed 5.1 iterations, with the surround track spreading the score and sound design elements into the surrounds.
This is very well-stocked edition from Cult Epics, we start off with an Audio Commentary by Obayashi Scholar Alex Pratt who does excellent exploring the film's themes and visual style, the director's career, noting the cast and crew, and talking about Japanese cinema of this era. Additionally we get a 24-min A Movie: Obayashi’s Cinematic Life - Visual essay by Max Robinson; 17-min Now and Then, Here and There: Onomichi Pt. 2 - Visual essay by Alex Pratt; 20-min A Conversation with Nobuhiko Obayashi (2015) Japan Society NY; 25-min Director Nobuhiko Obayashi Archival Interview; 11-min The Tomoyo Harada Story; and the 3-min Toki O Kakeru Shojo "Toki O Kakeru Shojo" Music Video. Disc extras are buttoned-up with a selection of Nobuhiko Obayashi Theatrical Trailers.
The 2-disc UHD/Blu-ray set arrives in a black keepcase with Reversible Wrap featuring the original Japanese Poster Art and a new illustration by Sam Smith. The first-pressing also includes a Slipcover with the same Sam Smith artwork, plus a 24-Page Reproduction of the Original Japanese Press Book.
Special Features:
- 4K Transfer & Restoration + HDR
- 4K Transfer & Restoration + HDR
- Audio Commentary by Obayashi Scholar Alex Pratt
- A Movie: Obayashi’s Cinematic Life - Visual essay by Max Robinson (24 min) +
- Now and Then, Here and There: Onomichi Pt. 2 - Visual essay by Alex Pratt (17 min) +
- A Conversation with Nobuhiko Obayashi (2015) Japan Society NY (20:15) +
- Director Nobuhiko Obayashi Archival Interview (25 min) +
- The Tomoyo Harada Story (11 min) +
- Toki O Kakeru Shojo music video (3 min) +
- Nobuhiko Obayashi Theatrical Trailers: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, His Motorbike Her Island, School in the Crosshairs, and The Island Closest to Heaven +
- New Slipcase art design by Sam Smith
- Reversible sleeve with original Japanese Poster Art and design by Sam Smith
+ Extras exclusive to the Blu-ray disc
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