The Little Girl Who Conquered Time

『時をかける少女』
Toki o Kakeru Shoujo

Adapting sci-fi author Yasutaka Tsutsui’s famous 1967 novel-of-the-same-name, The Little Girl Who Conquered Time cast Tomoyo Harada in her feature film debut, launching the Kadokawa pop idol into superstardom. After suffering a fainting spell in her school’s laboratory, 16-year-old Kazuko Yoshiyama (Harada) begins to experience a strange phenomenon throughout her daily life—temporal leaps backward and forward in time—disorienting her as she relives moments time and time again, as days past return to present. Lost in a sea of time, Kazuko’s desperate pleas to exist in the present are answered, amidst the swell of FX wizardry, musical overtures and, most of all, the anchor of young love. Lyrical, romantic and longing, Obayashi’s second Onomichi film is a genuine expression of the filmmaker’s reflections on the poetic transcendence of love—cast across the stars for a young girl who lives in tomorrow.

Dir. Nobuhiko Obayashi, 1983, DCP, 104 min., color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Tomoyo Harada, Ryoichi Takayanagi, Toshinori Omi.

Part of Obayashi ’80s: The Onomichi Trilogy & Kadokawa Years
February 7—14, 2025

Image: © 1983 Kadokawa Corp.

Japan Society’s 120th anniversary initiatives and related programs are generously supported by Champion Sponsor, MUFG Bank, Ltd.

Japan Society programs are supported by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

Film programs are generously supported by ORIX Corporation USA, public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, Anime NYC and Yen Press. Endowment support is provided by the Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Endowment Fund and The John and Miyoko Davey Endowment Fund. Additional season support is provided by The Globus Family, George P. Hirose, David Toberisky, Joseph Rajaratnam and Dharshini Iolanthe Sivakumaran, and Film Circle members.

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