Status
Available
Call number
Collections
Publication
Alma Books Ltd (2011), epub, 200 pages
Description
One of Tsutsui's best-known and most popular works in his native Japan, The Girl Who Leapt through Time is the story of fifteen-year-old schoolgirl Kazuko, who accidentally discovers that she can leap back and forth in time. In her quest to uncover the identity of the mysterious figure that she believes to be responsible for her paranormal abilities, she'll constantly have to push the boundaries of space and time, and challenge the notions of dream and reality.
User reviews
LibraryThing member jovemako
It was a cute read. I picked this up because I really loved the anime and manga adaptions of this. For me this was a quick read done within a couple of hours (it's only about 200 pages long, using a lower reading level print. I'd place it at 8th-9th grade reading.
Anyway, I did enjoy reading this
I've got a copy of his novel of Paprika on my reading list for later and I'm sure the I'll enjoy that one too.
Anyway, I did enjoy reading this
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story. Both stories had kind of a semi solid ending for both stories (since it's actually two stories- The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and The Stuff That Nightmares Are Made Of). I've got a copy of his novel of Paprika on my reading list for later and I'm sure the I'll enjoy that one too.
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LibraryThing member julietearjerky
I am an anime fan and although I've never seen the film, I was excited to read The Girl Who Leapt Through Time mainly because it was made into an anime movie. And of course, this was my first time reading Japanese literature so that added up to the excitement as well.
For starters, it was a short
The first story, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, is just your typical time travel story. It's about Kazuko, a third-year middle school student who accidentally acquired the ability to leap through time and space. Although other people would be delighted to discover they have such powers, Kazuko wasn't at all happy with it. She looked for the cause and wanted to get rid of these abilities because she did not want to be different. The plot is very simple and I think the only twist in the story is when Kazuko discovered where and from whom her ability to time travel came from, albeit indirectly. The pace is fast, not boring and I must say it's an okay read. I only wished the author did not make Kazuko and Kazuo's names sound so similar. It's a bit confusing sometimes.
The ending is a bit sad for me. I was looking for more. It was sad that Kazuko did not see that 'person from the future' again and that her memories of him were also erased. I would have wanted them to meet again, maybe when Kazuko's a bit older, you know, so they could be together. Although that's impossible, right? Because they live in different times. *sigh*
In the second story, The Stuff That Nightmares Are Made Of, is where my frustration started. I was like, "why did the story suddenly change?" I even thought that it's a continuation of Kazuko's story. But no, it was a totally different story. One I didn't really get. It's about Masako, a teenager who's afraid of heights and Prajna masks. She also has a younger brother who's a scaredy-cat, but Masako helped Yoshio conquer his fears so she thought she might as well conquer hers. There's not much conflict in this story. For a while I even thought it's horror. Until now I'm still not sure what it is, though. But I think what this story is trying to tell us is we all must at least try to face our fears. And that we should always be careful of the words we speak in front of children. We never know how they affect them.
I have some reservations about this book but I liked it still. If you're looking for a quick read that's still enjoyable, try this book. But if you want something a bit more complicated, this book is not for you.
For starters, it was a short
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and quick read. I could've finished it in one day if I didn't have other things to do. The book also consists of two stories, although I didn't know it at first. The first story, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, is just your typical time travel story. It's about Kazuko, a third-year middle school student who accidentally acquired the ability to leap through time and space. Although other people would be delighted to discover they have such powers, Kazuko wasn't at all happy with it. She looked for the cause and wanted to get rid of these abilities because she did not want to be different. The plot is very simple and I think the only twist in the story is when Kazuko discovered where and from whom her ability to time travel came from, albeit indirectly. The pace is fast, not boring and I must say it's an okay read. I only wished the author did not make Kazuko and Kazuo's names sound so similar. It's a bit confusing sometimes.
The ending is a bit sad for me. I was looking for more. It was sad that Kazuko did not see that 'person from the future' again and that her memories of him were also erased. I would have wanted them to meet again, maybe when Kazuko's a bit older, you know, so they could be together. Although that's impossible, right? Because they live in different times. *sigh*
In the second story, The Stuff That Nightmares Are Made Of, is where my frustration started. I was like, "why did the story suddenly change?" I even thought that it's a continuation of Kazuko's story. But no, it was a totally different story. One I didn't really get. It's about Masako, a teenager who's afraid of heights and Prajna masks. She also has a younger brother who's a scaredy-cat, but Masako helped Yoshio conquer his fears so she thought she might as well conquer hers. There's not much conflict in this story. For a while I even thought it's horror. Until now I'm still not sure what it is, though. But I think what this story is trying to tell us is we all must at least try to face our fears. And that we should always be careful of the words we speak in front of children. We never know how they affect them.
I have some reservations about this book but I liked it still. If you're looking for a quick read that's still enjoyable, try this book. But if you want something a bit more complicated, this book is not for you.
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LibraryThing member phoibee
I watched the anime film The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and found out that it was based on a book by Yasutaka Tsutsui. I looked everywhere to find this book but resulted to no avail. Fortunately, my friend Joy here in goodreads had an ebook and gave me a copy. Thank you :)
If you're an anime, manga
The story was about a girl named Kazuko who acquired a power of teleportation through time leap. She went to past and prevented accidents from happening but it caused more disastrous results to other people. She wanted to lose her power and learn about it. So she went back to past and meet someone who concocted it. To her surprise, it was someone she knew.
It has an extra story titled, "The Stuff that Nightmares are made of". It's like omake in mangas. :) It's about Masako facing her unusual phobia, finding out how it originate & how to overcome it.
The anime film was a sequel of this book but I still want to:
compare the book with the anime film
Beware: spoilers will pop once in a while
There are several adaptations but I think the anime film was the most popular one. Bucket of tears I've shed, it became one of my favorites.
Time waits for no one
I can't believe I'm going to say this but I really love how the movie did not become faithful to the book. Makoto experienced what her aunt went through (which this book was all about). They both had the same situation, two guy friends, acquisition of unexpected power & bittersweet endings but the anime film delve deeper in terms of responsibilty of the acquired power as Makoto used to time leap several times. The anime was more heart breaking because their memories weren't erased & Chiaki left her a promise.
And she said, "I’ll come running". But you know it will be impossible as Chiaki's from decades of future. :'(
Chiaki [anime] & Kazuo [book version] both wanted the slower & peaceful pace of the present life. However, Chiaki really wanted to stay & he can't do anything about it while Kazuo have to go back to his research as he said it was his main purpose in life.
LOL look at the crossover I saw:
If you're an anime, manga
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or Japanese drama enthusiast, you would agree with me that the story is a typical one. It's one of the stories with magic or supernatural things occur plus the erasing of memories with a hint of love story. What I love is the idea of how the future will look like & it makes the readers cherish the present.The story was about a girl named Kazuko who acquired a power of teleportation through time leap. She went to past and prevented accidents from happening but it caused more disastrous results to other people. She wanted to lose her power and learn about it. So she went back to past and meet someone who concocted it. To her surprise, it was someone she knew.
It has an extra story titled, "The Stuff that Nightmares are made of". It's like omake in mangas. :) It's about Masako facing her unusual phobia, finding out how it originate & how to overcome it.
The anime film was a sequel of this book but I still want to:
compare the book with the anime film
Beware: spoilers will pop once in a while
There are several adaptations but I think the anime film was the most popular one. Bucket of tears I've shed, it became one of my favorites.
Time waits for no one
I can't believe I'm going to say this but I really love how the movie did not become faithful to the book. Makoto experienced what her aunt went through (which this book was all about). They both had the same situation, two guy friends, acquisition of unexpected power & bittersweet endings but the anime film delve deeper in terms of responsibilty of the acquired power as Makoto used to time leap several times. The anime was more heart breaking because their memories weren't erased & Chiaki left her a promise.
And she said, "I’ll come running". But you know it will be impossible as Chiaki's from decades of future. :'(
Chiaki [anime] & Kazuo [book version] both wanted the slower & peaceful pace of the present life. However, Chiaki really wanted to stay & he can't do anything about it while Kazuo have to go back to his research as he said it was his main purpose in life.
LOL look at the crossover I saw:
Show Less
LibraryThing member PhoenixTerran
One of my favorite animated films is Mamoru Hosoda's 2006 The Girl Who Leapt Through Time which was inspired by Yasutaka Tsutsui's short novel The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, originally released in Japan in 1967. Tsutsui is an award-winning and extremely well-known author of Japanese science
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time was originally serialized between 1965 and 1966 before being collected in 1967. The titular girl, Kazuko, discovers that she has gained the ability to slip through time and space after fainting in her high school's science lab. Although the power has its advantages, it's not one that she wants. She wishes that her life would go back to normal and that her two closest friends and classmates, Goro and Kazuo, would be able to treat her in the same way that they always have. Initially Goro is skeptical of Kazuko's newfound ability, at least until she is able to offer him proof. The more laid back Kazuo on the other hand takes the whole situation in stride; at first he doesn't seem to be bothered by it at all. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a charming story, but I will admit that I largely prefer the anime's version of the tale. Many of the scenes are similar between the two, but the novel is much simpler and more direct. Even so, I can understand why Tsutsui's original has inspired so many other creators--it's imaginative science fiction with just the right touch of romance.
Whereas The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is science fiction, The Stuff That Nightmares Are Made Of leans more towards realistic psychological horror. The story follows Masako, a young woman who has started to avoid visiting her friend Bunichi's household, though she can't quite recall the reason why she has been staying away. After helping to dispel some of the fears of her younger brother--showing that his wild imaginings are rooted in real world happenings--she decides to face and investigate the causes of her own. Initially Bunichi teases Masako, but realizing that she really is frightened he agrees to accompany her on her mission, getting quite a scare in the process. Considering the short length of The Stuff That Nightmares Are Made Of, Tsutsui is able to incorporate an impressive number of story twists. Masako is an appealing lead--smart and clever, though perhaps a little reckless and with room to grow and mature. Her willingness to confront her fears and to improve herself is admirable, but it can also cause some problems for her and the people around her, too.
Although The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and The Stuff That Nightmares Are Made Of are two, unrelated stories, they do share some similarities. The protagonists are both intelligent, likeable young women, for one. Tsutsui's style has a subtle, understated humor to it and the writing is simple and straightforward, making both stories approachable for younger readers. Each of the tales has a bit of romance in addition to a quickly paced plot. (The entire volume can fairly easily be read in one or two sittings.) But what I found to be the most striking commonality and difference between The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and The Stuff That Nightmares Are Made Of was Tsutsui's use of and approach to the themes of memory and truth. Both are important elements in the two stories, but are handled oppositely: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time carries a sense of nostalgia over the loss of memory, the truth ultimately being hidden while in The Stuff That Nightmares Are Made Of it is only after a particular memory is regained that the truth is completely revealed.
Experiments in Manga
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fiction, though Western audiences are probably more familiar with the various anime and live-action adaptations of his works. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is one of Tsutsui's most beloved and popular stories. It has been the basis for several television series, films, and manga in addition to Hosoda's anime. The novel, translated by David Karashima, was released in English by UK-based publisher Alma Books in 2011. The English edition of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is based on the 2009 republication of the volume which collects Tsutsui's story The Stuff That Nightmares Are Made Of as well as The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.The Girl Who Leapt Through Time was originally serialized between 1965 and 1966 before being collected in 1967. The titular girl, Kazuko, discovers that she has gained the ability to slip through time and space after fainting in her high school's science lab. Although the power has its advantages, it's not one that she wants. She wishes that her life would go back to normal and that her two closest friends and classmates, Goro and Kazuo, would be able to treat her in the same way that they always have. Initially Goro is skeptical of Kazuko's newfound ability, at least until she is able to offer him proof. The more laid back Kazuo on the other hand takes the whole situation in stride; at first he doesn't seem to be bothered by it at all. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a charming story, but I will admit that I largely prefer the anime's version of the tale. Many of the scenes are similar between the two, but the novel is much simpler and more direct. Even so, I can understand why Tsutsui's original has inspired so many other creators--it's imaginative science fiction with just the right touch of romance.
Whereas The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is science fiction, The Stuff That Nightmares Are Made Of leans more towards realistic psychological horror. The story follows Masako, a young woman who has started to avoid visiting her friend Bunichi's household, though she can't quite recall the reason why she has been staying away. After helping to dispel some of the fears of her younger brother--showing that his wild imaginings are rooted in real world happenings--she decides to face and investigate the causes of her own. Initially Bunichi teases Masako, but realizing that she really is frightened he agrees to accompany her on her mission, getting quite a scare in the process. Considering the short length of The Stuff That Nightmares Are Made Of, Tsutsui is able to incorporate an impressive number of story twists. Masako is an appealing lead--smart and clever, though perhaps a little reckless and with room to grow and mature. Her willingness to confront her fears and to improve herself is admirable, but it can also cause some problems for her and the people around her, too.
Although The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and The Stuff That Nightmares Are Made Of are two, unrelated stories, they do share some similarities. The protagonists are both intelligent, likeable young women, for one. Tsutsui's style has a subtle, understated humor to it and the writing is simple and straightforward, making both stories approachable for younger readers. Each of the tales has a bit of romance in addition to a quickly paced plot. (The entire volume can fairly easily be read in one or two sittings.) But what I found to be the most striking commonality and difference between The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and The Stuff That Nightmares Are Made Of was Tsutsui's use of and approach to the themes of memory and truth. Both are important elements in the two stories, but are handled oppositely: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time carries a sense of nostalgia over the loss of memory, the truth ultimately being hidden while in The Stuff That Nightmares Are Made Of it is only after a particular memory is regained that the truth is completely revealed.
Experiments in Manga
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Language
Physical description
200 p.; 7.8 inches
ISBN
184688134X / 9781846881343
Local notes
Fifteen-year-old schoolgirl Kazuko accidentally discovers that she can leap back and forth in time.