Reviewed by Jen: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time by Yasutaka Tsutsui.

Product details:
Publisher: Alma Books Ltd.
Release date: May 25th 2011.
Paperback, 200 pages.
Rating: 2 out of 5.
Source: Received from publisher for review.
Reviewed by : Jen

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.

After the success of Paprika, Hell, The Maid and Salmonella Men on Planet Porno, this is the fifth work by one of the greatest and most acclaimed living Japanese writers to be translated in English, displaying all the author’s dry humour and relish for the absurd.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is an English translation of the original book by famed Japanese Sci-fi writer Yasutaka Tsutsui.   Since it’s release in 1967 the story has been adapted into a movie and manga book of the same name.  Given the popularity of both the film and the book many YA fans were eagerly anticipating the release of the English translation of the original story.  Unfortunately, the filmmakers took great liberties with the plot and the manga book is based on the film rather than the original story written by Tsutsui.  Due to the constraints of when the piece was written and the translation from Japanese to English The Girl Who Leapt Through Time fails to stand on it’s own as a novel that will appeal to a wide variety of readers. 

To begin with, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is actually a short story rather than a complete novel.  Also included in this edition is a translation of another Tsutsui short story, The Stuff that Nightmares are Made of.  Each story is written in a very stark prose that does nothing to guide the reader into a visualization of the story.  In fact, the writing and the plot lines come across as very generic and unimaginative, while the characters are completely flat. Both stories seem more appropriate for an elementary basal reader than as a stand alone YA novel.  The situations and dialog between the characters is dated.  The Girl Who Leapt Through Time deals with the idea of teleportation becoming a reality by the year 2660.  Teleportation was a popular topic in science fiction during the 1960’s, but now the idea is almost prosaic given the advancement of technology.  In The Stuff that Nightmares are Made of the main characters younger brother is terrorized by his mother who threatens to “cut his weenie off” if he continues to play with girls.  The point of the story is to face and overcome your fears, yet it is done in a way that seems more absurd than realistic. 

Overall I chose to give The Girl Who Leapt Through Time 2 out of 5 stars.  I do not see today’s YA audience relating to these stories at all.  Rather than promoting this book as a YA title I feel that it is written more at an upper elementary level.  Appropriate for a 4^th or 5^th grader rather than a teen or adult reader.  Also, fans of the movie and manga will be disappointed in this book.  The flair and visualization that have made those so popular is clearly missing from the original work.