"Toki O Kakeru Shojo" (or Tokikake) is probably the most adapted modern short story in Japanese Literature. As of date, there have been seven different versions of the Tsutsui Yasutaka story in both TV and movies -- the NHK drama "Time Traveler ('72) with Shimada Junko; the '83 movie with Harada Tomoyo; the Fuji TV Drama special ('84) with Minamino Yoko; the Fuji TV Drama special ('94) with Uchida Yuki; the '97 movie with Nakamoto Nana; the TBS TV special ('02) with Abe Natsumi and most recently the Madhouse anime project ('06) with the voice talent of Hara Sachie. The Harada Tomoyo movie was the first big screen adaptation of the story and was a smash hit for the Kadokawa Publishing Company in 1983. This most likely had more to do with the popularity of teen idol star Harada Tomoyo than the story itself, which revolved around a chemical accident which gives a high school girl the ability to "conquer time" and time travel back and forth within her past and future. Tomoyo's heroine, Yoshiyama Kazuko, typifies the "Kadokawa Heroine" - cute as a button, courageous, genteel, yet strong and smart. Director Obayashi Nobuhiko (House, Nerawareta Gakuen) brings his unique visual flair to the film but the story's loopy premise is a bit hard to swallow as is the snail's pacing of the film. The film's theme song (sung by Tomoyo) while a hit for her at the time has often been lambasted by critics who thought Tomoyo's off-key singing was torture. Thankfully her acting abilities were far superior and made the film bearable. A cute film for idol fanatics but definitely not for everyone.

Tomoyo Harada is an average student in high school. She has an old friend Toshinori Omi who goes to the same school, and Ryoichi Takayanagi who is also her classmate, but is not quite the old friend she thinks he is. One day after a routine cleaning of the school's chem lab, she starts to experience a time warp in her life where she experiences the same event multiple times. Quite by accident, she is getting drawn into the plan that came from the future. She soon discovers why she is experiencing the time warp. The story is set in the beautiful town of Onomichi which is also the birth place of the film's director Nobuhiko Obayashi. Obayashi made several movies in this town where the town becomes an integral part of the movie. The beautiful classic Japanese town scape of Onomichi makes this movie worth seeing along with the interesting twist in the story's plot.

This movie moves often at a languid pace, but I recommend it because it does tell a decent story about Kazuko (Tomoyo Harada), a 16 year old schoolgirl who finds herself in a strange time warp after fainting in a chemical lab at school. She has two friends, but it seems to be Fukamachi (Ryoichi Takayanagi) whom she likes. Pay attention from the beginning and you'll get the gist of the film, which has a sweetness that is genuine. I'm sure if you're a teen you'll like this more, as it is about the awakening of love. Tomoyo Harada, who has gone on to a fairly interesting career as an actress, is very good in this role. In a small role is legend Takako Irie, in what had to be her last appearance in film. The reason it is not rated higher is the slow pace, but I like its sentiment and its simple message of first love. I'm sure there were tears shed by many watching the film due to its sentimentality, but its not a sad film. Very good cinematography. If you like drama, you'll like this.