The first issue that I can bring to attention is the animation. In a lot of shots characters and surfaces lack detail. This wouldn't be an issue if it was a matter of backgrounds (not everyone is Mappa, and thank God for it), but it's especially jarring when a single scene has the main character, Makoto, turning slowly in reaction to something and her shirt goes from a blank surface to a minimally-detailed texture in slow motion. I This applies to expressions that are as close to the camera as possible, too. You don't notice it as much when things are not in the focal of the shot and in motion [i]unless[/i] you're looking for it, but it is there.
The second issue is the plot itself. Makoto Konno is just your average Japanese high-schooler who one day discovers she has the ability to "leap" through time. Hijinks ensue until eventually everything comes to a head in a massive plot reveal that... amounts to very little. The ending is bittersweet, at best. The climax has a heart-wrenching event unfold and one of Makoto's friends ends up affected by her actions as a result. Well, that would be to say, everyone she interacts with during her leaps is affected, but the consequences for her friend are a lot more severe. Except when they're not, which they aren't, by the end.
I'm not particularly fond of time travel stories simply because they're a lazy plot device to overcome something that normally wouldn't be undone. Even Avengers Endgame fell short of giving us a satisfying time travel story because it required regressing Thanos to a character who was less introspective and far more self-involved, which in turn undermined his reasoning for all that he had done thus far. It also had a convenient excuse in stating that events being altered don't actually impact their timeline, but will affect others. So, why did Steve Rogers need to go back in time to restore everything back to its rightful place, then? Oh, right. Because plot said so.
My third issue with the story is that ultimately, there is only a small confrontation Makoto has in the end which amounts to her friend shrugging and saying "I goofed, sorry about that," and then off-screening themselves until Deus Ex Machina rewards her with a chance to fix that one event. Which she does. Which leads to a bittersweet ending. With all of our questions unanswered.
The film is ultimately "fine" as-is even with its animation problems and plot issues being the biggest offenses. I can see a bit of Re:Zero and Summertime Rendering in here, though I can't tell if either was influenced or it's a coincidence. I would say if you're already a fan of Mamoru Hosoda and missed this one somehow, check it out. Otherwise, I'm not sure I would recommend it when the aforementioned series already exist (and Summertime Rendering did the "limited leaps" concept a ton better besides).
