A warm, bittersweet time-travel coming-of-age story with real emotional payoff. It starts playful and breezy, then quietly turns into something more moving about regret, timing, and the people you almost lose.
When 17-year-old Makoto Konno gains the ability to 'leap' backwards through time, she immediately sets about improving her grades and preventing personal mishaps. However, she soon realises that changing the past isn't as simple as it seems, and eventually, will have to rely on her new powers to shape the future of herself and her friends.
Director
Mamoru Hosoda
Cast
Riisa Naka, Takuya Ishida, Mitsutaka Itakura
Curator Review
Verdict
A warm, bittersweet time-travel coming-of-age story with real emotional payoff. It starts playful and breezy, then quietly turns into something more moving about regret, timing, and the people you almost lose.
Best for
fans of thoughtful anime
viewers who like time-travel stories with heart over hard sci-fi rules
coming-of-age drama fans
people who enjoy bittersweet romance
audiences looking for a short, emotionally satisfying watch
Skip if
you want intricate, logic-heavy time-travel mechanics
you prefer action-driven fantasy
you dislike teen-centered stories
you want a purely comedic tone
Overview
Mamoru Hosoda turns a simple premise into a tender meditation on growing up. The film is playful at first, using time leaps for small pleasures and everyday fixes, but that lightness gradually gives way to something more poignant about consequence and emotional honesty.
Worth noting
What makes it work is its balance of charm and melancholy. Makoto is impulsive, funny, and deeply relatable, and the film understands how adolescence often feels like having one more chance to get everything right. Beneath the fantasy is a very human story about friendship, missed timing, and learning that not every problem can be solved by rewinding.
Bottom line
The animation is clean and expressive, with a strong sense of momentum and atmosphere. It’s an easy recommendation for viewers who like their science fiction soft, character-driven, and quietly devastating.
Top Letterboxd reviews
russman (3.5★) · 2148 likes
And people wonder how I can log so many films in a day
👽 Zara 👽 (4.5★) · 1490 likes
i came here for fun time travel shenanigans and i'm feeling so fucking sad rn what the fuCK
James (Schaffrillas) (3★) · 1418 likes
Oh no this girl hit her head leaping multiple times and has a concussion, now she thinks she's a time traveller
•lily• (5★) · 1057 likes
Going to jump out of my window to see if i can go back in time wish me luck
Siân (4★) · 876 likes
Makoto is the hero I need because the first thing she used time travel for was to eat pudding
Themes
time travel, coming of age, regret, friendship, first love, consequences, adolescence, memory
Topics
anime, time travel, coming-of-age, bittersweet, romance, drama, fantasy, youth, emotional