Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo (The Girl Who Leapt Through Time) – San Francisco Screening

I’ll keep this entry short, but as a reminder to those around the San Francisco Bay Area, there will be a screening of Toki Wo Kakeru Shoujo at the Peace Plaza Center in San Francisco’s Japantown tomorrow, September 19, 2008. More details can be found on the CAAM website if you’re looking for the time and directions to get there.

Needless to say, I’ll be showing up unless inclement weather sets in because of how much I enjoyed the movie the first time I saw it on the smaller screen. AC over at the Nihon Review wrote a very good review praising this movie and I’d have to agree with his critique and analysis. The plot of the film is nothing too complicated, but it delivers an absolutely heartwarming experience with its focus on extraordinary ordinariness through a situation in which we all can identify with.

For people who have not seen the film and are within the immediate area, I really recommend going (weather-permitting because this is San Francisco after all). It might not have a complicated plot like Princess Mononoke or journey into the fantastic like Spirited Away did, but it is highly enjoyable and you are certain to come out of it with a warm and fuzzy feeling.

Update: Well, I’ve returned and the movie was just as good as I had remembered it. The down-to-earth nature of the movie is really what makes it charming and I was glad to see that the audience enjoyed the fine balance of comedy and drama that AC had mentioned which the movie did so well. If you haven’t seen it, I really recommend giving this movie a shot.

Of course, there were some misadventures on the way there (like missing the stop and having to backtrack), but it made for a decent way to spend an evening. I also had the misfortune of arriving 15 minutes before the movie started, and because of that, all of the seats were taken, which meant I was stuck leaning up against a planter for the entirety of the movie. Not that I minded too much since the movie was entertaining as to make time fly by really quickly, so there weren’t really any issues with standing/leaning there. An enjoyable experience overall, so no complaints.