"It's just a what-if fantasy, isn't it?"

Rating: 7/10 (7 April 2018)

This anime film had an interesting premise with it's fantasy, time-travel concept, and in a way I was reminded of the 1980 Christopher Reeve/Jane Seymour movie, "Somewhere in Time". It starts out a little more complicated because it leaves the viewer somewhat confused until the characters themselves reveal what's going on, perhaps even more so through the dialog of their friends questioning the behavior of the principals. I will concede that the picture is rendered beautifully and the animation is exquisite. However the tenor of the film is geared in my estimation to a younger viewing audience, as so many anime films appear to be. That's not a negative, it's just that senior citizens like myself relate very little if at all to the characters in the story. However I found myself thinking that the same basic premise of the story would provide an exceptional opportunity for a live action film. I think the story would be easier to follow if the viewer could relate to live actors in real locations, as the animated nature of the picture tends to take one outside the boundaries of real life situations. Even so, I was entertained by the picture once I figured out what was going on with the body swapping and time dissonance. It's not hard to understand why this would have a wide appeal to a much younger audience.