The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (click for source)
by Aaron Nash
Comic adaptations from films are always a mixed bag, as the different forms of storytelling don’t always work with a certain story. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is interesting in the fact that the film it is based on is in itself based on a 1967 novel of the same name, meaning that this is essentially the third iteration of the story. It’s also interesting as it’s one of those instances when a successful Japanese animated film is turned into a manga/comic to allow a wider audience to experience the story (as well as making more money). The book follows the same basic story but, as usually happens, strips quite a few of the side elements to try to create a more streamlined piece.
Comic adaptations from films are always a mixed bag, as the different forms of storytelling don’t always work with a certain story. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is interesting in the fact that the film it is based on is in itself based on a 1967 novel of the same name, meaning that this is essentially the third iteration of the story. It’s also interesting as it’s one of those instances when a successful Japanese animated film is turned into a manga/comic to allow a wider audience to experience the story (as well as making more money). The book follows the same basic story but, as usually happens, strips quite a few of the side elements to try to create a more streamlined piece.
Click for source
The film is one of the most heart-wrenchingly beautiful pieces of fiction that I have had the pleasure of watching many times, leading me to wonder how or if the book would do it justice. I wondered how the raw and powerful emotion would translate to a static medium without the aid of music or audible vocal emotion. Now I’m not saying that books can’t have the same level of power as film, because they can and in some ways can achieve it on a far more intense level. This is usually down to the fact that we have been introduced to the story/characters through description and clever use of written language. When it comes to comics though, I find emotion translates far worse due to the fact that the description is generally no longer written, as we have fallen into the ‘show, don’t tell’ mentality of the more visual medium. It doesn’t mean that a comic can’t achieve the same draw of the heart, it just means that the writers and artists need to work closely and try much harder to try to evoke the same kind of level of power, as they have none of the liberties of sound and moving image.
They say that ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ and this is a statement that is generally true of stand-alone imagery, but when you have a book made up of hundreds of images it often becomes much harder to find the statement true. Most of the images, if stripped back, work as a kind of filler, easing the reader into new environments or allowing the reader to see character movement. There is the odd occasion where an image stands out above the rest and lingers in the mind long after you finish the story. This is how you know that they’ve achieved that level of power.
Throughout The Girl Who Leapt Through Time there are around six images that truly stand out with such emotional intensity that they hit the heart hard. Even though I knew what to expect of the story and I knew what was going to happen, I still found myself pulled left and right on an unexpected emotional rollercoaster ride. It’s amazing that fiction can manipulate one’s emotions in such a real way as to bring about true feelings and here they’ve achieved it. I found myself audibly gasping at numerous points during the story and can even say that I felt a tear welling in the corner of my eye.
For those who have never heard of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, it concerns Makoto Konno, a junior in high school whose life suddenly takes a turn for the peculiar when she comes across a device that allows her to ‘time leap’. This sets about a series of events that will change her past, present and future forever. At its heart it is a coming-of-age story about acceptance and love, but it is told in a truly interesting way.
Time travel is a plot device that is often used in science fiction as an easy way of telling a basic story in a slightly more interesting style. It’s hard to find a story that truly justifies the use of time travel as a story telling device, but this is one of those exceptions. Here the time travelling element is more a visual means of explaining how Konno’s mind is working and where she is in her mental state, rather than showing the effects on the much wider world. It does look at some of the external effects of her new found powers, but these are still shown within her tight unit of friends. With all that’s said and done, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a beautiful coming-of-age story that is told in a powerful yet very careful way.
They say that ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ and this is a statement that is generally true of stand-alone imagery, but when you have a book made up of hundreds of images it often becomes much harder to find the statement true. Most of the images, if stripped back, work as a kind of filler, easing the reader into new environments or allowing the reader to see character movement. There is the odd occasion where an image stands out above the rest and lingers in the mind long after you finish the story. This is how you know that they’ve achieved that level of power.
Throughout The Girl Who Leapt Through Time there are around six images that truly stand out with such emotional intensity that they hit the heart hard. Even though I knew what to expect of the story and I knew what was going to happen, I still found myself pulled left and right on an unexpected emotional rollercoaster ride. It’s amazing that fiction can manipulate one’s emotions in such a real way as to bring about true feelings and here they’ve achieved it. I found myself audibly gasping at numerous points during the story and can even say that I felt a tear welling in the corner of my eye.
For those who have never heard of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, it concerns Makoto Konno, a junior in high school whose life suddenly takes a turn for the peculiar when she comes across a device that allows her to ‘time leap’. This sets about a series of events that will change her past, present and future forever. At its heart it is a coming-of-age story about acceptance and love, but it is told in a truly interesting way.
Time travel is a plot device that is often used in science fiction as an easy way of telling a basic story in a slightly more interesting style. It’s hard to find a story that truly justifies the use of time travel as a story telling device, but this is one of those exceptions. Here the time travelling element is more a visual means of explaining how Konno’s mind is working and where she is in her mental state, rather than showing the effects on the much wider world. It does look at some of the external effects of her new found powers, but these are still shown within her tight unit of friends. With all that’s said and done, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a beautiful coming-of-age story that is told in a powerful yet very careful way.
Click for source
I don’t want to explain much more about the story itself as I don’t want to spoil it for any potential readers, but I can say that it is a story with very little in the way of action but lots of emotional drama that’s far deeper then it first seems. It’s a nice change from the usual comics that I tend to read and has more akin to fiction like the book Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami then anything superhero related.
The characters in the story may be few, but each has a deep personality that makes them truly individual. There are only four main characters in the story including Makoto Konno. Each of them work at pushing Konno on her path through the story and help her realise what she wants in life. Her friends Kousuke Tsuda and Chiaki Mamiya both show the contrasts of personality with one being more about studying while the other is more about fun. They work as a visual split in Konno’s mind. We also have Konno’s Auntie who acts as the voice of reason and is Konno’s main guide through the story. The writer has dialled back some of the other side characters in the story which I was a little sad about, as they further pushed emotional buttons in the film, but I guess it does mean that the story is far more streamlined with more focus on an end point. What we do have works brilliantly though and if I hadn’t seen the film I don’t think I’d have raised any of these gripes.
The art throughout is truly fantastic and helps the story flow forwards at a natural pace without ever rushing it. Some of the individual panel images contain so much in the way of emotion that it’s truly a remarkable feat. It’s amazing how an image of a completely fictitious character’s eyes can evoke so much and at the same time feel so real. The character design is just as brilliant, even if they are taken straight out of the film. Everyone is an individual, which makes the story easy to follow and means that the artwork never gets confusing. In the art department side of things there is very little, if anything at all, to fault.
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a remarkable story on almost every level, from base enjoyment all the way through to being an emotional rollercoaster. It really is a truly beautiful masterpiece of storytelling. A good story will take you on a journey, one that will make you forget about the real world until you’ve finished reading. This is one of those stories. How can something so entirely fictitious contain the ability to manipulate real emotions? It’s a question that can be applied to so many stories and to almost any visual or written medium, but it’s one that can never truly be answered. Why one person feels something while another doesn’t will always be one of those special subjective things that makes each one of us individual, and ultimately is one of the things that can be linked to what makes us human.
So how does the adaptation hold up to the film and is it a worthwhile read? I’d say that the manga holds up remarkably and works well by itself or as a companion piece to the film. It’s a story that really should be experienced in any of its various mediums. Whichever you choose you’re in for a treat. As an emotional rollercoaster I’d say that the film version may work slightly better due to the added emotional pull that sound can have, but to deny the book of any emotion would be to do it a massive injustice. I have not felt like this after reading a comic in a long time and would argue never to the level.
I’d highly recommend the book and/or film to everyone who doesn’t just look for action in their storytelling and who actually wants some truly raw feelings coming out of the words the characters say and the movement of the story. It’s a true masterpiece in any medium, and a story that deserves to be experienced by everyone.
The characters in the story may be few, but each has a deep personality that makes them truly individual. There are only four main characters in the story including Makoto Konno. Each of them work at pushing Konno on her path through the story and help her realise what she wants in life. Her friends Kousuke Tsuda and Chiaki Mamiya both show the contrasts of personality with one being more about studying while the other is more about fun. They work as a visual split in Konno’s mind. We also have Konno’s Auntie who acts as the voice of reason and is Konno’s main guide through the story. The writer has dialled back some of the other side characters in the story which I was a little sad about, as they further pushed emotional buttons in the film, but I guess it does mean that the story is far more streamlined with more focus on an end point. What we do have works brilliantly though and if I hadn’t seen the film I don’t think I’d have raised any of these gripes.
The art throughout is truly fantastic and helps the story flow forwards at a natural pace without ever rushing it. Some of the individual panel images contain so much in the way of emotion that it’s truly a remarkable feat. It’s amazing how an image of a completely fictitious character’s eyes can evoke so much and at the same time feel so real. The character design is just as brilliant, even if they are taken straight out of the film. Everyone is an individual, which makes the story easy to follow and means that the artwork never gets confusing. In the art department side of things there is very little, if anything at all, to fault.
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a remarkable story on almost every level, from base enjoyment all the way through to being an emotional rollercoaster. It really is a truly beautiful masterpiece of storytelling. A good story will take you on a journey, one that will make you forget about the real world until you’ve finished reading. This is one of those stories. How can something so entirely fictitious contain the ability to manipulate real emotions? It’s a question that can be applied to so many stories and to almost any visual or written medium, but it’s one that can never truly be answered. Why one person feels something while another doesn’t will always be one of those special subjective things that makes each one of us individual, and ultimately is one of the things that can be linked to what makes us human.
So how does the adaptation hold up to the film and is it a worthwhile read? I’d say that the manga holds up remarkably and works well by itself or as a companion piece to the film. It’s a story that really should be experienced in any of its various mediums. Whichever you choose you’re in for a treat. As an emotional rollercoaster I’d say that the film version may work slightly better due to the added emotional pull that sound can have, but to deny the book of any emotion would be to do it a massive injustice. I have not felt like this after reading a comic in a long time and would argue never to the level.
I’d highly recommend the book and/or film to everyone who doesn’t just look for action in their storytelling and who actually wants some truly raw feelings coming out of the words the characters say and the movement of the story. It’s a true masterpiece in any medium, and a story that deserves to be experienced by everyone.
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