Movie Review - Your Name/Kimi No Na Wa

When I first heard of Shinkai Makoto years ago, it was because of 5 Centimeters Per Second having been released at the time. When I watched it, it left me wanting more, made me reflect about life, and stole my tears as well as ripped my heart out. A love that never got to blossom due to drifting apart. I became his fan since then.

Now that Your Name has finally been released on DVD and Blu-ray in Japan since last month, my fiancé had gone ahead and got me the DVD at Mitsuwa in California while getting the Blu-ray for himself. This is actually my fourth time seeing it since the first two times, I was making a round trip on Delta Airlines in March and they had Your Name available as an in-flight movie before it was released in US theaters. How appropriate it was at the time since I was visiting my long distance fiancé and going back (so, you can imagine how deep my feelings were when I was watching it—the second time—on the flight back home to New York). The third time was watching it when it was released in US theaters this spring. So, the fourth time watching it (last night) is for my sake of refreshing my memory on details (and having an excuse to watch it again, of course).

And the movie worked its charm once more. Your Name still moves me as it did the first three times. A lot of emotional turmoil as usual. I laughed and I cried (more of the latter, especially once the movie was past its halfway mark) as intensely as I did the last three times and I was—and still am—deeply invested in both the characters and story.

Where do I even begin?

The animation is beautiful. Just like 5 Centimeters Per Second, the visuals sucked me in and had me fully immersed into the world Shinkai-sensei has created. Regardless of the screen size I've seen it on, the ambitious yet breathtaking art direction definitely shows. The modern fluidity and colorful aesthetics of it all made me feel like I was actually there.

The soundtrack matched up to it perfectly, whether it was the musical scores in the background or hearing Radwimps playing. I actually thought Radwimps was Bump of Chicken at first because of how similar their voices are, so that was a pleasant surprise. Their songs—whether in Japanese or English—moved my heart in a way most won't understand because they tell stories of a long distance relationship in different time periods and circumstances.

Which is what the story plot and emotional focus touches upon. Taki and Mitsuha's relationship is a long distance one, but not in the conventional sense that we know in the real world. While the body switching plot has been done before, nearly every trope of it has been subverted and the concept itself was inverted to make the subversions happen. Their relationship has its own definition and the twists that come along with it, something intangible but real like that of the fleeting comet in the star studded night sky. The story itself has well-crafted writing, transitional tonal shifts with music to match, and carefully placed symbolism.

Your Name is an endearing, beautiful story about growing up, identity, accepting yourself for who you are, looking beyond yourself, connection, change, and fate. It is a film about how we connect with people in unexpected ways and see them in a different light as a result. It leaves the viewer with perspective and self-reflection. With all of the plot twists and turns that take place, the story of Taki and Mitsuha has not become lost within, it's the heart of the story's puzzle and has the viewer in a tight, emotional grip from start to finish.