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| 【ANIME】The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (時をかける少女) ANALYSIS
Saturday, May 9, 2015 • 9:51 AM •  9 comments  The girl who leapt through time--an anime movie with such an ambiguous ending you're left with so many unanswered questions.You literally sit there and scroll to the end because you think that there has to be more only to find the scrolling credits. I felt the same the first time I watched it, but after analyzing the movie, it becomes clear that the answer to what happens in the end was revealed throughout the film. This will be my first time writing a sort of "analysis" for an anime series/movie on my blog, so please bear with me. This is going to be simply one perspective of the ending, as there is room for multiple perspectives, however I hope you can see exactly how amazing this movie is through my explanation. So, the first time you watch the anime you see the undeniable evidence of romance throughout the movie. As a naive and free-spirited, Makoto avoids love confessions and confronting her problems in person. She acquires an ability where she is able to do this so she uses it to her advantage to avoid ever dealing with the problems, and in the end, after Chiaki explains who he is and uses his last time leap for her, she realizes she has one time leap left. She leaps back for him, to a time where he has one time leap left so that his dream of seeing this painting will come true. Makoto has fallen in love with Chiaki, and you can never forget their last words together. Makoto promises she will keep the painting safe for him in the future, and Chiaki says:
"I will be waiting for you in the future"
...while Makoto answers back with
"I will chase after you"
It seems like what will happen is that they will meet again in the future,
and it seems like a very powerful love story...but is it really? 
Now, like many others, the first time I saw the ending I was confused by many of the events in the movie. It seems like a happy ending, I mean Chiaki loves Makoto, and she likes him back. But, if you excepted this conclusion like I did, then you probably started questioning a few things. Can this really be all? There are so many unanswered questions. First of all, why did the aunt so easily accept Makoto's time leap incident and then pursue to give her advice? How was her story about her high school past connected to the plot? Why didn't Chiaki stay to see the painting restored? Why couldn't Chiaki have used a time travelling walnut to go to the future and get more since he claims they are easily attained in the future? What exactly does Makoto mean by the words "I will chase after you" in the end?
I will try to explain my view of these questions (along with many more questions). First and most importantly, though, I'd like to kind of give a premise of how I formed my view. I have to give credit to my sister because we both watched it together and she began questioning some parts of the movie. She was very skeptical of the "happy" ending and started raising the possibility that there was more to the ending. We both looked up the theory of "Chiaki being a con artist" or "art pimp" who uses woman's lives to restore the painting so he can get it in the future. Now, if you don't know this theory I will explain it, but I want to make it very clear that I do not accept this view completely. I'll explain our thoughts below, but I want you to look at these words.
No matter what you think happened at the end, you recognize the significance of these words. They are repeated throughout the movie whether on the board, or even sung in karaoke. I believe this is a very crucial center piece into solving what happens at the end, but for now, just keep these words at the back of your head.
I believe that a very important piece in solving the mystery surrounding the ending of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time lies in several parts of the movie, but the first one I will talk about is the connection to the aunt. If you remember in the movie, Makoto's aunt explains her high school story in the past about how she spent all her time waiting for a guy who never came back to find her. Her profession now is an art restorer, and she warns Makoto against doing the same as her. This is a big evidence for people who believe in the theory that Chiaki is a con artist who uses young girls and makes them fall in love with him, only to have them promise to dedicate their lives to restoring this painting that he really wants to bring back to the future. He robs girls of their lives, and in a way toys with their feelings to get what he wants. He is ,essentially, a con pick-up artist in that he can skillfully get girls to fall in love with him and this theory suggest that he is pretty much a villain. It sounds completely ridiculous to base it off only the connection with Makoto's aunt, but if you look at the movie there are many pieces of evidence that support this theory.
ONE it would explain exactly how the aunt is connected to the plot AND serves as a connection to Makoto's future. She has been through time leaping herself. It would also explain the aunt's role in all of this mystery because she doesn't just tell a story about her love disappearing for nothing. Sure, she uses it in a way to encourage Makoto to actively chase after love, but there are implications that it is more than that since there is this connection between the painting and her future if you look at the ending closely. Makoto promises Chiaki before he disappears that she will preserve the painting for him in the future. In the end, she suddenly is so sure of what career path she wants to take despite being conflicted about it throughout the movie. I mean, the teacher called Makoto into his office to discuss it with her and at that point she had no idea...but after learning the truth about Chiaki she suddenly knows. After falling in love with Chiaki and realizing how much she admires him, she suddenly knows. It is suggested that Makoto will supposedly take the same path as her aunt and become an art restorer. How else would she preserve the painting? Walk by it every day and make sure it's there? How else is she supposed to ensure that the painting will be there for Chiaki in the future.
SECOND reason Chiaki could be a con-artist is because of how he knew about the time traveling device being used...since the beginning. You'll probably remember the heart thumping scene when Chiaki calls Makoto and asks her "Are you time leaping?". It seems that he "figured it out" but he figured it out at such a strange point towards the end of her MANY uses of the time leap. It seems delayed...too delayed. If you remember, in the movie, when Makoto time travel she literally leaps.
She makes quite the entrance when she goes back in time.
She crashes into poles, get hit in the head randomly, and rolls into rooms. Now, sure, chiaki questions if she is time leaping at the end, but he knew all along that the walnut was used. Makoto saw someone enter the science room, and later on the person is confirmed to be Chiaki. Makoto asks her friend if she saw a person on the way to the class and it was Chiaki. So what does this mean? This means that for someone who questions how "Makoto suddenly was next to us then disappears" like in the karaoke room, he is acting awfully clueless for a person who is from the future. How could he have not known about this and then suddenly questions her at the end?
One conclusion can be made from this--Chiaki is not only a pick-up con artist, he's actually pretty much a genius who has perfectly constructed his plan to use Makoto. I can see people opposing this theory by saying that Chiaki might've known but he didn't see a reason to act on it in the beginning since she was using it for "idiotic" simple things instead of for evil. Yet, Chiaki "seemingly" likes her and he has actually SEEN the dangers of some of her time leaps. For example, the kid who was bullied because of the "fried tempura incident "who tried to harm Makoto with the fire extinguisher. Chiaki, seeing that, still allows it to happen and waits after she has used up her last time leap to confront her about it and tell her everything. He time leaped for her, tells his tragic story, and leaves her. It turns out that he leaves ONE time leap for her, and she chooses to use it for him. You fill in the pieces and figure out that maybe everything he said and did was part of a perfectly crafted plan to use her.*sarcasm* It is not as if he could have gone to the future and gotten more walnuts even though she supposedly used his back up one.
Perfect time to reveal the "truth" for Chiaki is near the end
You might be thinking "WHAT?! THEY'RE LOVE WASN'T REAL?!" If you're a romanticist like I am a bit of, then you will probably refuse this ending. This has to be like every shoujo anime where the girl is just being sprinkled and shower with happiness. Love has to be all sparkles and flowers. THE ENDING HAS TO BE CANNON! You can clearly feel my passion.When my sister and I were trying to discuss the movie I tried my best to find evidence that proved that Chiaki would never be a con-artist, but practically nothing serves as a defense to him. If you say that Chiaki's confession serves as a defense that he could not be a con-artist because he loves her. Well, then, let's all think back on all those times Makoto tried to avoid the situation of being asked out. Recall how eventually, it was Makoto's friend who started hanging out with him and how gradually he spent less time with Makoto. Sure, he still protected her and such, but you could see that gradually they drifted apart and it seemed like he drew closer to the friend and started caring about Makoto's friend. You start asking yourself if he REALLY loved Makoto.
So, there it is...but is it really all? My sister insisted that what "will happen" in the future is that Makoto will grow old, her profession will be an art restorer, and he will take the painting from her and by that time she will be near death . It is a tragic ending where she waits anxiously for him, but as the board says "time waits for no one". Even though she is waiting for him, time will not wait with her and her body will slowly be breaking down and before she knows it she's gone.
I could not accept this ending. It does not explain the other unanswered questions:
What did Makoto's last words mean?
Here is my conclusion-- Look back on the scene when Makoto's aunt observes that Makoto would not do what she did and wait. Makoto would chase after the guy and find him...yet in the end Makoto waits for him? No. She says that she will chase after him, but how could she do that if all she could do is wait?
Or...is it really all she could do though? There is one other possibility. If you recall, Makoto has a conversation with her friend and her friend asks her what she wants to be. This question comes up many times, and Makoto is very unsure throughout the movie. One particular time, though, her friend specifically asks her if she will pursue either liberal arts or sciences.
Liberal Arts OR Sciences?
For Makoto, this could mean she could pursue a field related to art (such as art history) and dedicate her life to Chiaki, or the other options could be...sciences? Time travel could only be discovered with science. Therefore, the other option and interpretation for what Makoto says when she confirms that she knows what she wants to do in the future, or when she tells Chiaki she will "chase after him" is to pursue the field of science. This way, she could actually, physically, chase after him.
If you think Chiaki is truly "evil" like the con-artist theory might suggest, you have to remember that he might be conning girls for the better of the future. Does it justify him using girls? No...but he has to be doing it for the good of the future where he describes as all there being is desperation. I mean, why else would he try so penitently to bring this painting into the future. The artist was able to create such a beautiful piece in a time of struggle, and in a way, the painting represents a way of finding hope. Chiaki needs it as a piece of helping the future. Maybe he isn't a bad person. Maybe he really does love Makoto even though his actions say otherwise.
The ending is left for you interpret which future she chose. There is still ambiguity and uncertainty of the future in the ending, but there is a laid foundation on what will perhaps happen.
I think the beauty of this movie is interpretation. This is just my interpretation.
How do you interpret the ending?
Click on the "View Comments" below and you will be redirected to comment. Please do, I'd love to hear your own thoughts ^_^ or even comments on my interpretation! Thank you so much for reading! Labels: analysis, ending, review, the girl who lept through time, thoughts, Toki o Kakeru Shojo, what happened, what happened at the end of the girl who leapt through time |
WARNING: Strong enthusiast of all things kawaii.
Name: Marie
9 Comments:
Well you seem to be on right path(although con-artist is not kinda happy ending)
And it actually suits as here time travelling can be done only in past (as chikai can only go to his present in his domain which is makotos future) so he being a con seems to be true
As he told her that the only thing he want is to see that drawing
Anyways your explanation was like something i wanted to read as i saw it today and i was brain storming about its end
Nice description
Thanks a lot (to you and your sister)��
Makoto and Chiaki are both young and restless, thus, it is justified that there real feelings can explode in both opposite ways, i.e. whether to hide it or confess it face to face. Young feelings and emotions can also change abruptly where in at first you may really hate a person then all of a sudden you realize that you love him... :-)
I believe that Chiaki is not a bad person or a con-artist who prey around with little girls. I believe that a person who loves art or paintings possessed a big heart to love and truly romantic. I believe Chiaki loves Makoto real enough and honest enough without flaws.
However, going through this movie and upon learning that Chiaki is a time traveller, it raises me to several thoughts.First of all, the back story of Makoto's aunt where she is waiting for the man she fell in love with during her younger years -- I think was also Chiaki. And since the aunt is an art restorer and Makoto is her niece thus the line of art restoration or something is in their line of blood. Thus I guess the story of Makoto will just be the same as her aunt. Chiaki is assuring himself that the painting will be well restored and preserved until the future, thus passing the responsibility of safekeeping the painting was and will be transferred from one generation to another in one bloodline of family line. Oh... this is sad this is really sad...
Really like your theory best one i read, So about the phrase ´´ Time waits for no one´´ what connection did it have with everything??
Here it goes. . .I had to split this into 2 entries:
part 1:
Hearing her Aunt Witch describe her past relationship had me instantly guess Chiaki and when it zoomed in on the picture it seemed like the Director really wanted to make this point obvious. Flash forward (backwards technically?) to the scene where Chiaka is finally standing in front of where the painting is going to be, he shows no concern that he won't get to see the painting (Symbol of hope - see below). This is a clue that he knows that it is going to be preserved. If Chiaki had already time leapt to Aunt Witch's youth, to set her path in life, then he may continuously do this until the painting is restored in his present day (FAR FUTURE). Obviously we can only see the current timeline, so we are not privy to Chiaki continuously time jumping every say 20 years to honeypot a girl into maintaining the integrity of the painting (Hope?).
Now we have the theme of love that is ever present during our narative. From the beginning of our story we see deception playing a large theme throughout the story. Kousuke seems to be the most straight forward character we meet and shows certainty about not wanting to date the younger girl who asks him out. This demonstrates the truth that we all have someone that picks our fancy, and in this case the girl is not 'the one'. However, in reality, often times relationships are a product of circumstance, and not your first obvious choice. This theme builds throughout the story as towards the end the younger girl is slowly drawn to him through circumstance. We see this same pattern develop when chiaki starts falling for Makotos female friend with the freckles. Finally we arrive front and center with Makoto losing her initial disinterest in a love affair with Chiaka, until circumstance makes her become obsessed with the notion. The Director visually represents her disinterest from his love by showing the two paths (choices) in the street sign that shows two paths she can travel down. She clearly takes the route that doesn't give them a happy ending. Finally during the parting scene we see Makoto revert to her original feelings and wait out Chiaki, who doesn't make a move in his last opportunity. This is where the timeline diverts from the original path where he left her off in the crowded street (at which point she is desperately trying to gain his affection). At that point she was still smitten with Chiaki, despite his abandoning of her, whereas now she has somehow grown more confident, and waits for him to say it. I know probably everyone did a double take when he doesn't tell her he loves her, instead throws out a line saying he'll be waiting for her. This comes full circle to the Hope theme established with the Painting! From this point on Makoto is a changed girl. She is determined, focused, and knows her future. Chiaki has infused Makoto with hope.
Part 2:
The Painting (hope): This is probably the most important theme in the entire movie, and is literally the crux of our narrative. Without the painting, there is no story, no reason for Chiaki to have ever come into this time. We know from Aunt Witch that the painting was created during a time of widespread calamity and destruction, being created in a struggle of pure hope. This movie is really a story about the rediscovery of hope (the painting), and the adversity it takes to deliver it. We know that the Aunt has had the same experience with Chiaki, or whatever name he went about at the time of their relationship, and is literally the future of what will come to pass for Mikoto. Calm, determined, focused, and filled with hope, that she will one day meet Chiaki in the future. Unfortunately for her, it will only be the painting that makes it there, but the embodiment of hope in the painting, will persevere throughout all time to greet him with her love.
(sad truth):
(This is where we get into time maths that pretty much ruin the actual story being told, since if the painting was there from the start (after being restored, is protected by Makoto and a slew of other women and arrives in the future intact), how would Chiaki ever know that he went back in time and had any of these experiences, so we all have to just swallow it with a large grain of salt, since the director clearly just sidesteps assumptions of time like this.)
In the end, don't be downtrodden that true love doesn't persevere, (we know Makoto established her true feelings for Chiaki as just a friend when she chose to take that different fork in the road.) Sometimes the best things in life can be the relationships with close friends we have growing up, that we'll hold in our hearts forever. These relationships often set our paths in life, and determine who we are today, more so than the people we have loved over the years. Makoto is left filled with hope and purpose, having nothing but warm memories of Chiaki, and their time together.
Everybody first read this:-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Girl_Who_Leapt_Through_Time
Thank you all so much for your thoughts! I never expected people to read let alone comment. I am the author of this post and thought my response is terribly delayed, I read them all and really enjoyed reading all your thoughts on the movie c:
Seems chiaki searching for painting watcher/ protector..... As he did to Makoto's aunt...as he told he Wana just see the painting
If i remember right, the aunt said that the person painted the picture is not known however the time it is painted is known. So if Chiaki really cared for the painting more than Makoto he could just leap back in time when the painting was made and just save it. Why would he bother for making girls fall for him and make complex plans. If you are going to ask how can he find the exact time, then he can just keep trying the x year and go back to his own time to re-charge then try some other year. That way the painting would not even need restoration. It would be fresh art!
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