This was another one that had sat on my to-watch list for absolutely ages but didn’t seem appealing enough for me to make time to watch. To be honest, it wasn’t all that great but isn’t bad either; for those of us who appreciate that sort of thing it has enough genuine drama to make it more than a film studies history lesson but it’s a bit dated and the sedate pace isn’t what viewers these days are accustomed to.
This is very much a product of its time: it features Tomoyo Harada, a screen idol of the early 80s who has since become a singer/songwriter with a pretty respectable back catalogue, albeit no longer as a household name. The director Nobuhiko Obayashi is another old industry regular that I’m not familiar with but he’s apparently notorious for his surreal style; any oddness present in this film isn’t excessive, but it’s interesting.
The special effects of the time leaping are probably the worst thing about it since they really do look like something from the 80s. Other aspects have aged better: Obayashi does some cool stuff with colour saturation, starting the opening scene off in black-and-white then bringing the full colour gradually into the video frame (screenie below). It’s an innovative little arthouse touch that I don’t recall seeing anywhere else but works well here. I thought MPC was playing up but the aspect ratio is indeed different at the beginning: I wonder if it was the inspiration for Shinbo in Bakemonogatari and other recent experimental types.
I’m assuming this movie was originally promoted using Harada’s appearance in the starring role, which is probably a point lost on us now. It was her feature-length debut too and I believe she earned a best-newcomer award or two for that; she took a bit of flak for her performance of the end theme but quite frankly I’ve heard a lot worse. Besides, her acting performance seemed to improve as the movie progressed and by the time the twist at the end appeared I was pretty impressed.
One aspect of the casting I did find familiar however was that of Ittoku Kishibe, who has since gone on to star in a lot of other stuff. I personally know him best from playing up his dependable father-figure role in the excellent Survive Style 5+, but the performance from his considerably younger self here was also worthy of a mention.
As slow as it is, this take on the Tokikake franchise is a pretty moving romantic drama. The love triangle and the coming-of-age aspects that helped make the 2006 animated version so enjoyable are also present here and the plot plays out slightly differently: it’s nothing major but there are just enough surprises for those of us who have seen the anime. The ending in particular is quite well done, especially if the foreshadowing succeeds in fooling you as it did with me.
I suspect this has slipped under a lot of people’s radar but I’d be interested to see whether it gains a resurgence in popularity in light of the new live-action sequel. The synopsis of the 2010 film suggests that the protagonist of the 1983 version is also an important character, albeit played by a different actress. Part of me wishes that Harada could be given a cameo in the new version, but maybe it really has been too long for the audience to appreciate such a subtle nod to its heritage.
Looking up the background to this film was therefore almost as interesting to me as actually watching the thing. For starters, it highlights how extensive the Tokikake franchise is as a whole: there’s the original novel penned by acclaimed SF writer Yasutaka Tsutsui (of Paprika fame), a TV drama from the 70s, this feature-length movie, a 1994 TV series, a 1997 feature film remake, another made-for-TV film in 2002 starring members of girl group Morning Musume, the 2006 anime movie and that live-action sequel earlier this year.
I really had no idea about most of these – it’s pretty fascinating to see how many famous names have been involved with it over the years. My experience with Japanese cinema is mostly limited to the past decade or two with the exception of the obligatory Akira Kurosawa thrown in, so it was a new experience to watch an old but not really old film (as in, it’s almost as old as I am).
I guess it’s also an earlyish example of the now-familiar practices of promoting a film off the back of a popular novel and casting a young and popular face for the protagonist. The task of being the poster girl for the movie, playing the lead role and singing the end theme (which, naturally, was released as a single) is therefore far from a new idea…here in Internet Land where memories are short it’s commonplace enough as topic for conversation, but I got a bit of a kick out of seeing how far back these ideas go.
Beyond that, there isn’t a great deal I can say about this film. A lot of the ideas and storylines are familiar ground for those of us familiar with the Hosoda version that I’ve blogged about before, and there isn’t an easy way to outline the differences without spoilers. For some reason, trying to write this post made my brain seize up so I’ll leave it here and move onto something else. My time off work is almost at an end so I guess I’d better enjoy the feeling of having get-up-and-go while it lasts.
I was surprised to learn there was nearly 30-year-old movie, but even more surprised that it was made not by a scamp type like Hosoda but by Nobuhiko Obayashi, a certified maniac. His debut House is without a doubt one of the most batshit insane pieces of cinema you will ever set your peepers on. Jodorowsky looks like Ron Howard in comparison. Trailer here, it’s actually available in the UK now.
I watched it for the fourth time a few months ago, and my recommendation FWIW is that it is a good idea to keep the time and circumstances in mind, rather than suspend awareness to focus “what it is on screen”. Not quite men in rubber monster suits, the tendency will be to instinctively view this through a campish lens, something that is a real waste for a moving plot and some fine performances. This is true even, as in my case, you were around to watch it back when it originally came out.
A word (several) about Harada Tomoyo and the whole multimedia kanpan idol thing. While the general idea had been around for a long time earlier (arguably since at least the 1930s), Kadokawa Haruki was unusual for then (and now) in the ratio between the amount of money he was willing to spend promoting them and their level of prior obscurity. And while the Swengali aspect of things is hard to avoid, he had an unusual ability of recognizing “long-term charisma” that went beyond technical skills in acting, singing, or even conventional notions of beauty. In essence, he followed his hunches and backed it up with big (his father’s) money. Tokikake 1983 came off the heels of the first of these attempts, Yakushimaru Hiroko’s vehicle, Akagawa Jiro’s “Sailor Suit and Machine Gun”, one of the most successful commercial films of the 1980s, and true to its title, genuine and intentional camp. This turned Yakushimaru into Japan’s #1 popular actress according to Kindai Eiga, even Kinema Jumpo, reader polls of the time. And she was a polished singer with a clear, precise voice. While this is not necessarily an advantage in the idol biz (actually, a disadvantage) it did trigger a lot of the invidious comparisons that made Harada (who at that time was always out of tune) look bad.
However, the reaction shows the strange and apparently paradoxical nature of the idol biz. It triggered a wave of “Tomoyo Kawaiisou” (poor Tomoyo; let’s protect her) reactions, which in turn formalized itself into various “boeitai” (bodyguard units), which is how the idol fans of the day – who were, unlike now, mostly her age – liked to style themselves. This kind of pattern repeated itself throughout the 1980s and was in some ways the defining aspect of 1980s fandom. The characteristics that lead to this desire to protect is, of course, the proper definition of “moe”. though this usage was not around then. So kimowota did not invent moe; they just carry it to the point of stalking, which was never the done thing for boeitai members, most of whom were equally lacking in social intelligence but at least had manners. Indeed, if you had to pick one event that was the “birthplace of moe”, for me the audience reaction to Tokikake 1983 would be it.
A few here and theres:
1983 Tokikake was produced by the same Kadokawa Shoten that is such a dominant force in manga and anime today. Haruki had a lot to do with moving the family business in that direction, but has had little direct involvement since his multiple drug arrests in the 1990s.
Yakushimaru Hiroko is still very active as an actress, although her singing career has not persisted – a little surprising since she had one of best voices of the legendary debut cohorts of 1981 and 82. If you’ve seen the ALWAYS Sanchome no Yuuhi films, Yakushimaru is the mom.
Harada can hold a tune very well nowadays, thank you (she’s had decades to practice), and is one of those celebrities that is officially designated a “very nice person” (which seems true, actually), which gets her gigs as representatives for NGOs, local outreach campaigns and stuff.
Only the 1983 and Hosoda Tokikake versions are worth watching, in my opinion. The new live action version that retains Naka Riisa as lead (actually very unusual in anime-live action transitions) will probably be the third given the team making it.
Obayashi Nobuhiko’s later films include the live-action version of Umezzu’s Drifting Classroom, to mixed results.
A great write-up yet again. How were you able to watch the film?
Speaking of Shinbo’s experimenting with aspect ratios, it must be coming from Hideaki Anno to him (see Love & Pop) since he seems to be using other Annoisms a lot as well. Where did Anno get the idea for that? No idea. Possibly from this film.
I’m almost loathe to say it so openly, but if you’re not averse to torrenting, there is a torrent available on bakabt.
http://www.bakabt.com/130254-toki-wo-kakeru-shoujo-the-girl-who-leapt-through-time-1983.html
Thanks. Much appreciated.
@toe-sun: that’s insane! I got the general idea that his directing style is eccentric, but that trailer for House is a mixture of Miike and Braindead-era Peter Jackson! “HAUSU!” 0_o
@skchai: wow, thanks for the insight! Much of this really was before my time, so info on the way things worked back then is really helpful.
@Oz: now you mention it, I can see a lot of the live-action ‘Anno-isms’ in this too…specifically the changing of aspect ratios in Love & Pop could well have been inspired by this. Anno was starting out in the industry during the mid 80s, so it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he saw this movie and it left a lasting impression on him.
@vucubcaquix: BakaBT does list a lot of already-licenced things and quite a bit of borderline-hentai, but I find batch torrents for good series/movies and OSTs on there too. It’s a really useful site if you have time to trawl through the RSS feeds!