In 2006, Japanese animator and director Mamoru Hosoda released The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (Toki o Kakeru Shōjo), a coming-of-age anime that has since become a staple of modern Japanese cinema. It was subtle and deep, balancing the line between the fantastical thrill of time travel and the melancholy of adolescence, change, and loss.

But what many fans of this beloved film do not know is that the version they know and love today only came to be after a huge creative risk: Hosoda abandoned the script after four complete revisions. Behind the film’s gentle visuals and resonant emotional cues lies a chaotic and uncertain production journey filled with self-doubt, ambition, and ultimately, reinvention.

Makoto Konno from The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. | Credit: Madhouse

The very idea of giving up on a script after multiple revisions is usually considered a worst-case scenario in the film industry. But for Hosoda,...