Time is a fickle thing, exciting philosophers and physicists alike. Some are trying to understand how it works and how to use it, others are more interested in its impact on the personality. Time is an amusing and mysterious concept, one that allows creative minds to explore the unexplained using it, concoct interesting scenarios centered around it, and research even the infinitesimally possible applications of its disturbance in their works.
So we gathered a list of anime series and movies that try to use the time creatively.
Some of the time travel series mix the concept of time travel with what we now call isekai, and Inuyasha was one of the first works like that. Being a shounen series with a female protagonist, released in 2000 with the manga that ran from 1996 to 2008, it's pretty iconic, and the concept of the main character, a heroine named Kagome Higurashi, traveling from modern Japan to the Sengoku period and meeting a demon Inuyasha and then embarking on a journey with him, felt fresh. Especially considering that it dealt with more mature and dark themes than previous works by this author, Rumiko Takahashi.
Summertime Render
A mix of mystery and sci-fi, this show first appears as some regular slice-of-life story about a person who's in the process of growing up and finding his place in the world — because there was a moment when he already lost everything. The concept of time travel in this one focuses on a time loop that ends with the death of Ajiro Shinpei, the main character, who tries to solve the mystery of his adoptive sister's death. What makes it special is that Shinpei uses the loop smartly, and the loop conditions are quite harsh, which creates a lot of tension.
If you ask someone about an anime with time travel, they'll likely name Steins;Gate. It's the most popular work based on this premise, and for a reason. In this show, the concept of time travel — or, rather, of sending messages to the past — is used to avoid mistakes. Scientists who accidentally found a way to communicate with their past selves end up catching the attention of some interesting people and learn to deal with the consequences of their actions. The show mixes humor with sci-fi and thriller, unraveling the mystery in a very tasteful way and showing wonderful character development.
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
If you ever got the ability to go back in time, what would you do? This movie shows the most realistic approach to that. You won't become a vigilante or someone who'd start saving people, kitties, and the world daily; most likely you'd like to relive the best moments of your life once again, like, for example, a karaoke outing with friends where you can sing your soul away for more hours than you actually paid for due to being able to go back to the moment where you just go through the doors. The movie deals with this daily application of time travel, but then takes a serious turn, adds a bit of romance and a bit of sci-fi, and time travel feels organic and right here.
Orange
In this show, no humans are traveling through time but letters: the older version of Naho Takamiya, the heroine, sends messages to her current self that we witness. These messages are filled with regret, missed opportunities, and reminiscence about mistakes. The show's director previously worked on Steins;Gate, so the concept of time travel is familiar territory for him. But now it's applied to a shoujo heavily dipped in drama, offering a new outlook on the slice-of-life genre. Not the most creative, but certainly engaging.
Pure madness, this show is the one that has been created to fry your brains. The purposefully broken narrative, the insanity of the main character, Haruhi Suzumiya, who can bend reality on her whim, and that also includes time, and the overall madness that happens in the plot is what made this series one of the staples of the 2000s anime culture. The infinitely memeable show became a cult classic, and the way it explores the concepts of time travel and time loops and applies them to the cast of characters is one of the reasons it still stays relevant.
Erased
The shock of seeing someone die is what allows Satoru Fujinuma to be able to travel back in time so he can prevent the tragedy. Usually, it's just a few minutes; but after being wrongfully accused of murder he didn't do, he ends up traveling 18 years back, and starts unraveling the story that leads to his possible conviction. The show is engaging from the start and may feel lacking in the second part, as it sways a bit away from the events of the original manga, but overall it explores an interesting time travel concept.
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The time traveling concept used in this show is quite unique: its main characters can physically enter the moment captured in a photo and change it. They run an agency based on that ability, helping their clients to change the past — but they have to be careful and not to interfere too much, as their actions can change the future of the person who took the photo and, possibly, others. This action-packed show starts with clearly crafted mysteries and then gets more personal, diving deeper into the characters, but sometimes relies on cliffhangers too much, trying to shock the viewer. That doesn't diminish the overall interesting concept.
Tried and true concept done in a fun way.
Time is a fickle thing, exciting philosophers and physicists alike. Some are trying to understand how it works and how to use it, others are more interested in its impact on the personality. Time is an amusing and mysterious concept, one that allows creative minds to explore the unexplained using it, concoct interesting scenarios centered around it, and research even the infinitesimally possible applications of its disturbance in their works.
So we gathered a list of anime series and movies that try to use the time creatively.
Some of the time travel series mix the concept of time travel with what we now call isekai, and Inuyasha was one of the first works like that. Being a shounen series with a female protagonist, released in 2000 with the manga that ran from 1996 to 2008, it's pretty iconic, and the concept of the main character, a heroine named Kagome Higurashi, traveling from modern Japan to the Sengoku period and meeting a demon Inuyasha and then embarking on a journey with him, felt fresh. Especially considering that it dealt with more mature and dark themes than previous works by this author, Rumiko Takahashi.
Summertime Render
A mix of mystery and sci-fi, this show first appears as some regular slice-of-life story about a person who's in the process of growing up and finding his place in the world — because there was a moment when he already lost everything. The concept of time travel in this one focuses on a time loop that ends with the death of Ajiro Shinpei, the main character, who tries to solve the mystery of his adoptive sister's death. What makes it special is that Shinpei uses the loop smartly, and the loop conditions are quite harsh, which creates a lot of tension.
If you ask someone about an anime with time travel, they'll likely name Steins;Gate. It's the most popular work based on this premise, and for a reason. In this show, the concept of time travel — or, rather, of sending messages to the past — is used to avoid mistakes. Scientists who accidentally found a way to communicate with their past selves end up catching the attention of some interesting people and learn to deal with the consequences of their actions. The show mixes humor with sci-fi and thriller, unraveling the mystery in a very tasteful way and showing wonderful character development.
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
If you ever got the ability to go back in time, what would you do? This movie shows the most realistic approach to that. You won't become a vigilante or someone who'd start saving people, kitties, and the world daily; most likely you'd like to relive the best moments of your life once again, like, for example, a karaoke outing with friends where you can sing your soul away for more hours than you actually paid for due to being able to go back to the moment where you just go through the doors. The movie deals with this daily application of time travel, but then takes a serious turn, adds a bit of romance and a bit of sci-fi, and time travel feels organic and right here.
Orange
In this show, no humans are traveling through time but letters: the older version of Naho Takamiya, the heroine, sends messages to her current self that we witness. These messages are filled with regret, missed opportunities, and reminiscence about mistakes. The show's director previously worked on Steins;Gate, so the concept of time travel is familiar territory for him. But now it's applied to a shoujo heavily dipped in drama, offering a new outlook on the slice-of-life genre. Not the most creative, but certainly engaging.
Pure madness, this show is the one that has been created to fry your brains. The purposefully broken narrative, the insanity of the main character, Haruhi Suzumiya, who can bend reality on her whim, and that also includes time, and the overall madness that happens in the plot is what made this series one of the staples of the 2000s anime culture. The infinitely memeable show became a cult classic, and the way it explores the concepts of time travel and time loops and applies them to the cast of characters is one of the reasons it still stays relevant.
Erased
The shock of seeing someone die is what allows Satoru Fujinuma to be able to travel back in time so he can prevent the tragedy. Usually, it's just a few minutes; but after being wrongfully accused of murder he didn't do, he ends up traveling 18 years back, and starts unraveling the story that leads to his possible conviction. The show is engaging from the start and may feel lacking in the second part, as it sways a bit away from the events of the original manga, but overall it explores an interesting time travel concept.
Link Click
The time traveling concept used in this show is quite unique: its main characters can physically enter the moment captured in a photo and change it. They run an agency based on that ability, helping their clients to change the past — but they have to be careful and not to interfere too much, as their actions can change the future of the person who took the photo and, possibly, others. This action-packed show starts with clearly crafted mysteries and then gets more personal, diving deeper into the characters, but sometimes relies on cliffhangers too much, trying to shock the viewer. That doesn't diminish the overall interesting concept.
