Toki o Kakeru Shōjo (1997 film)

Toki o Kakeru Shōjo
DVD cover
Directed byHaruki Kadokawa
Screenplay byRyōji Itō
Chiho Katsura
Haruki Kadokawa[1][2]
Based onThe Girl Who Leapt Through Time
by Yasutaka Tsutsui[1][2]
Produced by
  • Katsuhiko Aoki
  • Haruki Kadokawa
  • Mitsuru Kurosawa[1][2]
Starring
Narrated byTomoyo Harada[1][2]
CinematographySeizō Sengen[1][2]
Edited byNobutake Kamiya[1][2]
Music by
Production
companies
  • Kadokawa Haruki Corporation
  • Central Arts
  • Tri-Arts[1][2]
Distributed byThe Girl Who Leapt Through Time Screening Committee[1][2]
Release date
  • 8 November 1997 (1997-11-08) (Japan)
[1][2]
Running time
106 minutes[1][2]
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese
Budget¥130 million[3]

Toki o Kakeru Shōjo (時をかける少女; lit. The Girl Who Runs Through Time)[1][2] is a 1997 Japanese science fiction romance drama film directed by Haruki Kadokawa,[1][2] with a screenplay by Kadokawa, Ryōji Itō and Chiho Katsura.[1][2] It is the second live-action film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Yasutaka Tsutsui.[4] The film stars beginner actress Nana Nakamoto in the main role,[1][2] and is narrated by the previous adaptation's lead actress Tomoyo Harada.[1][2] Its story is set in 1965, the year of the novel's initial publication; to emphasize this, the film was shot in black and white.[1] The film poster was used as the new cover for the 1997 edition of the novel. Toki o Kakeru Shōjo was theatrically released on November 8, 1997, in Japan.[1][2]

Cast

Production

The film was in production for 12 days, and shot on location in Hida, Kōbōyama Kofun and Matsumoto Fukashi High School.[5] Kadokawa's parents' house in Ogikubo, Tokyo was used for the protagonist's home.[5]

A poem by Emily Dickinson plays an important role in the film's screenplay, despite not featuring in the original novel or the 1983 adaptation.[6] Screenwriters Itō and Katsura selected it as they thought the poem was a fitting metaphor for the story overall;[6] Kadokawa agreed to let them use it, as Kadokawa Shoten had published a collection of Dickinson's poems during his tenure at the company.[6]

Theme songs

The film includes two theme songs: "Yume no Naka de ~We are not alone, forever~"[2] and "Toki no Canzone", the latter being a remake of the 1983 film's self-titled theme song. Both were written and sung by Yumi Matsutoya. The latter song's lyrics were changed to reference the Dickinson poem used in this adaptation.[6]

Release

Toki o Kakeru Shōjo was theatrically released on November 8, 1997, in Japan.[1] It was given a limited release in 7 theaters.[7] Prior to its release, home video rights were sold to Bandai Visual for ¥30 million,[7] and 40,000 advance tickets were purchased (equivalent to approx. ¥60 million).[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (1997)". allcinema.net. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (1997)". kinenote.com. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  3. ^ Ito, Akihiko (6 March 2025). Complete Edition: The Last Kadokawa Haruki. Kawade Shobō Shinsha. p. 247. ISBN 9784309421766.
  4. ^ "TokiKake 1997 film on the SF Movie Data Bank" (in Japanese).
  5. ^ a b Ito, Akihiko (6 March 2025). Complete Edition: The Last Kadokawa Haruki. Kawade Shobō Shinsha. p. 247-248. ISBN 9784309421766.
  6. ^ a b c d Ito, Akihiko (6 March 2025). Complete Edition: The Last Kadokawa Haruki. Kawade Shobō Shinsha. p. 250. ISBN 9784309421766.
  7. ^ a b c Ito, Akihiko (6 March 2025). Complete Edition: The Last Kadokawa Haruki. Kawade Shobō Shinsha. p. 250-251. ISBN 9784309421766.