2) The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006)
For People Who Like: Groundhog Day (1993), The Time Travelers Wife (2009), About Time (2013)
Yasutaka Tsutsui’s science fiction novel The Girl Who Leapt Through Time was first published in 1967, but has since developed a life of its own through numerous live action and animated adaptations, which have all enjoyed varying degrees of success. One of the most popular versions of this classic story is Mamoru Hosoda’s recent anime, which follows the same outline, but stars the niece of the novel’s original protagonist in the title role.
While this may all sound confusing at first, the actual film itself is a simple coming-of-age drama for the most part, following a girl called Makoto Konno who discovers she has the ability to travel through time. Initially, Makoto uses these time leaps frivolously to avoid being late for class and to even relive one single karaoke session for hours on end, but she soon realizes that her powers can adversely affect the lives of others, so she begins to use her ability to help others.
There are no grand schemes to change the universe or evil antagonists hell-bent on hurting Makoto and her loved ones in The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. This refreshing approach to sci-fi anime more closely resembles young adult fiction than the typical stories people may associate with anime, drawing in a different type of audience than one would perhaps expect. Director Hosoda’s simple direction and stunning animation create an engaging and surprisingly realistic teenage story which should appeal to a range of viewers reluctant to give anime a chance.