The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (1983) - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (1983)



Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


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Movie
A huge fan of the 2006 anime of the same title, I only vaguely have seen bits and pieces of the 1983 live-action film that was the first attempt at bringing Yasutaka Tsutsui’s 1967 sci-fi novel of the same name to the silver screen over the years. Mostly clips online or bits and pieces from old fan subs from waaaaaaaaaaaaay back in the day (think late 90s, early 2000s when IRC was still king). So when I saw that Cult Epics was releasing a 4K UHD combo pack of the 1983 film so shortly after Shout! Studios' animated 4K re-release, I was more than intrigued and reached out to them to try and acquire a copy for this review.

The anime is notoriously the most popular variant of the story out there, but it is actually less a direct adaptation of the original 1967 novel, but rather a loose adaptation and sequel rolled into one, taking place decades later and with a completely different protagonist (though it is heavily implied that her auntie in the anime is actually the protagonist of the novel, and the protagonist in the live action film as well). This particular take is a direct adaptation of the novel, effectively making our heroine the aunt of Makoto from the anime. A bit convoluted, as both stories share the EXACT same name, but think of this live action take as a loose prequel to the anime, and things fall into place a bit easier.

Though the novel has been adapted into various forms (multiple TV shows, a mini series, the anime, a stage production, and some tangential works), this was the very first attempt at bringing Tsutsui’s book into a feature film. Much like the anime that we all know and love, the live action revolves around a young girl named Kazuko (pop star Tomoyo Harada) who has an accident in chemistry class, and subsequently starts to experience “time slips”. At first, she thinks it’s just her and that her newfound abilities are just for fun, prompting her to ace a school test because she’s already experienced it, save a classmate from a falling roof tile, and ultimately start to just have fun with her newfound powers.

Simultaneously, she begins to fall for the enigmatic Kazuo Fukamachi, though his stoic nature initially pushes her away. But as her powers and use of the powers progress, all lines start to lead back to Fukamachi. And the young girl is forced to contend with the fact that there is more at stake than simply bouncing back and forth through time for her own amusement.

As is the case with the anime, it’s best to leave the final act twist silent until you’ve seen it. And strangely, it mimics the anime a bit TOO much for my own personal tastes. To be fair, it’s more like the anime tried to make a direct sequel to the original story and use said story's ideas for the endings, but I digress. Mostly due to the fact that I saw the anime first, and it is the “correct” version in my own head canon.

Comparing the two films side by side is wild, as they’re two completely different mediums and time periods, yet share so many similarities. I love Obayashi as a director, and I love that this is part of the famous Onomichi trilogy (a trilogy about women involved in sci-fi stories, all taking place in the city of Onomichi), but the 1983 film is objectively a messy film. It uses a lot of the cheesy 1980s effects, which were dated even by 80s standards (it felt more like effects you’d see in Bedknobs and Broomsticks from the 60s, rather than stuff we’d experience in 1980s films), but the flashiness and cheesiness of it make the film almost a little endearing. Obayashi’s live-action attempt is much more like a teen soap opera, with overacting coming from everyone, including Harada, and heavy-handed plot devices that almost force it down your throat.

That being said, there are distinct cultural morays and first that The Girl Who Leapt Through Time connects to. It was an iconic film of the 80s in Japanese culture, being the 3rd highest-grossing film of 1983, and it happens to be Obayashi’s most poignant anti-war work to date. Even though he hides it among all of the sci-fi and time travel tropes. And while I’m not exactly familiar with all of his works, I find it to be his most personable and intimate film to date as well. Comparing it to the anime is a harshly shocking juxtaposition, as both directors use wildly different takes on the source material to flesh out similar stories. I find this 1983 live-action take to be more of a curiosity of the time compared to the anime, but I did enjoy this first-time watch more than I expected after hearing how many of my fellow anime fans hated this one.




Rating:

Not Rated by the MPAA




4K Video: Video:

Cult Epics presents the 1983 film with a brand new 4K restoration sourced from the OCN, and with the HDR grading highly elevates it from every source that I’ve ever seen clipped. The one time I saw pieces of the DVD 20 years ago, I remember the film looking a mess, and this new 4K restoration (for both the 4K UHD disc and the included Blu-ray) looks incredibly different, and for the better at that. The film is not flashy. It’s not filled with gaudy colors, but rather precise and clean. The 1980s Japanese aesthetics lend towards dimmer primary shades, and heavier tones punctuated by superimposition of characters that look a BIT obvious. But still, colors are warm enough, and the golden brown tinge to facial details looks solid. Black levels are very good, but I did find the grain to be somewhat inconsistent, and the optical shots used for the special effects soften the picture a bit. But still, this is a MASSIVE improvement over what we had before, and probably the best the film will ever look in today’s market. It may not be a perfect film due to the source material, but my goodness, does it look better than my memory recalls in previous formats.









Audio:

Coming with both the theatrical 2.0 mix in DTS-HD MA and a modern 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix, I lean more towards the 5.1 mix. Don’t get me wrong. I usually love original mixes more than upmixes, but the 5.1 track feels a bit more natural in the way it’s expanded outwards. Surrounds are used very modestly, sticking to the 2.0 base and just pushing it outwards into the spatial surroundings. Dialog is still centered up front and impressively replicated, while bass and surround usage are soft and rather supplementary instead of drawing attention to themselves. Again, this is a low-budget 1983 film, so don’t go expecting Fast X, but the audio tracks do everything asked of them without question.














Extras:

• NEW Audio Commentary by Obayashi Scholar Alex Pratt
• NEW Now and Then, Here and There: Onomichi Pt. 2 - Visual essay by Alex Pratt
• NEW A Movie: Obayashi's Cinematic Life - Visual essay by Obayashi biographer Max Robinson
• A Conversation with Nobuhiko Obayashi (2015) Japan Society NY
• Director Nobuhiko Obayashi Archival Interview
• The Tomoyo Harada Story
• Toki O Kakeru Shojo music video
• Theatrical Trailers
• New, improved English subtitles
• Reversible sleeve with original Japanese poster art
• First pressing only: a reproduction of a 24-page original Japanese booklet

Final Score: ​

I find that The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is Nobuhiko Obayashi’s most accessible film to the general public, and probably his most emotionally impactful one as well. It’s just that it suffers from more plot holes, more cheesiness, and feels like it was taken from the 1960s rather than the 1980s. When compared to the anime, it will seem so weirdly familiar, yet so strangely foreign at the same time. Two completely different mediums on the same format, taken with wildly different points of view in the creative process. Should you buy this? I’m going to say that if you love the anime and are looking for more of the same, I would be very cautious. If you like Japanese dramas from the 20th century that tap into the same themes and messages of the anime, then definitely check it out. This is the very definition of a cult film and one that should be viewed from that perspective as well. The 4K UHD (and included Blu-ray) looks and sounds quite good, and with a healthy array of extras that add on to the international ones that have been available for quite some time. Being that this is the very first time that the 83 film has been out in HD (let alone UHD), this will be the one and only way to get it in the North American market outside of the VERY expensive Japanese release. And as such, fans of the film should be pleased with the package.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Tomoyo Harada, Ryoichi Takayanagi, Toshie Negishi, Toshinori Omi
Directed by: Nobuhiko Obayashi
Written by: Yasutaka Tsutsui, Wataru Kenmochi, Nobuhiko Obayashi
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 HEVC
Audio: Japanese: DTS-HD MA 5.1, Japanese DTS-HD MA 2.0
Subtitles: English
Studio: Cult Epics
Rated: NR
Runtime: 104 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: March 3rd, 2026

Recommendation: Niche cult watch