Lately, it seems that live action adaptations are being planned right and left. While many of the projects have been met with dubious skepticism, anime fans will be interested in knowing that a live action retelling of the 2006  animated film,“The Girl Who Leapt Through Time,  is currently set for release in March 2010 with the teaser trailer available online.

Watch live action trailer here:

The 2006 original (trailer below) was considered a continuation to Yasutaka Tsutsui’s 1972 novel about a young girl, Kazuko, who discovers her ability to time travel. The character of Makoto Konno was introduced as the niece of the novel’s protagonist, and the film followed her own specific adventures with time travel. Upon it’s release, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time was praised for its whimsical premise and emotional depth. Even though it was released less than 5 years ago, the film seems ripe for an adaptation of its own.

Trailer for original anime version:

The lovely Riisa Naka

The story has been reimaged to follow a new character named Akari (played by the voice of Konno, Riisa Naka),who is the daughter of the original novel’s protagonist. Her mother Kazuko has fallen into a coma after a car accident and Akari decides to makes the time travel leap back in order to find Kazuko’s lost love. It’s an interesting premise and I’m excited by the direct plot tie to Kazuko, especially because the original anime mainly focuses on Konno.

It’s also a good sign that the movie trailer seems to  matches the winsome quality of the anime. While the story definitely has potential for some emotional highs, it’s still too soon to gauge its possible success. Live action remakes have the difficult job of  recreating an already existing vision within a different medium. What is possible with a few lines in animation may not ever be recreated with the same effect on screen. The anime was visually soaring and while the movie trailer was full of well shot scenes, it‘s missing a vitality that was crucial to the anime‘s success. One thing that is certain is that with the influx of disappointing live action films being churned out by studios, ( I.e, Blood: The Last Vampire which really broke my heart) director Masaaki Taniguchi has his hands full in making sure his version lives up to the quality associated with the series.

Source: Nippon Cinema