The first rule of time travel is don’t change anything. Anyone who has ever watched Star Trek, Doctor Who, Red Dwarf, or any one of a number of sci-fi shows will tell you that. Young Makoto had to learn that lesson the hard way in The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.

It looks like Makoto’s life is going to be a short one, ending when she is unable to stop her bike and falls onto a railroad track at the precise wrong time. But instead she somehow falls back in time. With a little help from an aunt, she learns she can travel back to earlier moments and change things for the better – for her. Makoto can sleep late and then go back in time so she is not late for school. She can go back and retake a test she failed to pass. Only changing her history in small ways can create problems for others, threaten the lives of friends, and cause her to lose a chance at love.

It’s a good story that is well told. The animation is kept simple, except for a few time traveling scenes. In all, it’s an enjoyable film.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is directed by Mamoru Hosoda, who also directed Summer Wars, The Boy and the Beast, and Mirai; the last two I wrote about here not to long ago. It certainly makes one look forward to his next film. As Hosoda seems to release one film every three years, his next feature should come in 2021.

I have been meaning to watch The Girl Who Leapt Through Time for quite a while. It was worth waiting to see.