Kimi no Na wa.

A disappointment. Shinkai has never failed to not impress me. With characters as flat as cardboard and a story that could have been mastered by a five year old, Your name has positive ratings and that fact has baffled me to no end. I shall now proceed with my review, but I advise you to be cautious as my thoughts might offend you greatly. Story: An absolutely wonderful story (sarcasm) filled with so many plotholes and contradictions you might feel your head burst, not to mention the constant avoidance of explaining even the most bizarre occurances, leaving many to just say, "Well, it's magic!" Where shall I begin? 1) A huge meteorite is going past earth. A chunk of it breaks and hurtles towards Earth. If one takes basic science into consideration, this comet ought to have disintegrated upon entering the Earth's atmosphere, but it didn't and the movie left us cursing the japanese government merely because of the fact that it wont take a genius to at least be AWARE of a giant meteorite that can't be burned down (We're in the twenty first century. Are you implying that you have no sorts of telescopes to at least observe a comets size and determine whether it's gonna burn up or not?) can be a huge threat. Apparently, this comet can cause a body switching to occur. We have no explanation to why this happens, it's just because of magic. 2. Two people switch bodies with eachother and have not at least attempted to check their surroundings (Because body switching is not suspicious.) They continue disrupting eachothers lives while ignoring the possibilities and danger, as shown by the mere fact the boy does not even know where the girl lives for fucks sake (He needed to use his scetches to determine where she lived). No one tries to bother checking the year and none of them even notice the year by newspapers, articles, calenders or even fucking cellphones. 3. After the timetravel happens, we have a brief flash of Mitsuha remembering the comet that hit her. We have no explanation as to why she remembered all of a sudden but it just happened. Magic! ! ! 4. How can Taki and Mitsuha not even remember their names after they've met eachother before twilight? (the part where Mitsuha has to evacuate everybody and has gone to the ruins to find Taki.) I posted this on reddit a few hours ago and many comments refuted me and claimed that they were in a dreamlike state (I have realised never to share opinions on reddit, but that's another story.) However, we can clearly see that Taki has a perfect and detailed memory of Itomori, as shown in his drawings. Was remembering Mitsuha's name such a difficulty for him? Why? And why did he forget it on that exact moment? 5) When Mitsuha goes to the train at 2013, why hadn't she noticed the fact that Taki was younger? Considering that both had vivid memories (as displayed by Taki's art), why can't she at least not see that he's different? She was able to find him familiar at the end of the movie, despite having nearly all of her memories about him lost (She could not even remember his fucking name). For someone her age it would not be a huge feat to realise that something is wrong with her boyfriend. Speaking of boyfriends.... Characters So far the only things I can say about Mitsuha and Taki is that Taki is boyish and full of anger (I needed to know this by the waitress' remarks) while Mitsuha is girly and cares for everyone. You might argue that the movie had a limited screentime but that theory was refuted many times as displayed by Disney's Lion King, Mulan, Frozen and Miyazaki's Howl Moving castle (Though the only characters who I thought deserved the title of well round and interesting was the Witch and Calcifer.) The romance between them is quite forced as shown by the mere fact that none of them even know where they live. A body switching is not sufficient enough to cause such a deep attraction, and while the attraction would be understandable if both characters had amazing qualities that would make anyone love them, having a normal and boring past is not going to do much. Animation The art style was wonderful. The animation? Not so much. It starts of smooth and compelling and ends up so rigid in a matter of seconds that one would feel cheated just by looking at it. I appreciate the part where Mitsuha's mother is looking at her newborn but other than that not a single moment deserved a shoutout. The animation was average at best. Music: The music was not that great either. A generic soudtrack to be honest. I found it quite annoying that they placed a song in several crucial moments, like when Mitsuha is trying to evacuate everyone and a generic love songs pops up. Your character is on the verge of dying and the fate of everyone is in her hands, everyone in the movie theater is holding their breaths, what do you do? Pop a singer here. Atmosphere The moments between Taki and Mitsuha were awkward, and a bunch of unnecessary moments were stuffed in here and there. An example could include the part where Taki in Mitsuha's body is racing towards the cliff and the camera shows the back view of Mitsuha's skin as the skirt flies up and down. Not the best moment when you're trying to save everyone. Not to mention the sudden tantrum Taki had just because he forgot Mitsuha's name, or Mitsuha falling down while running towards her father's office (Note, this is the part where the meteorite is hurtling toward Earth) only to stare at her hand and sob as she forgets Takis name. I was extremely pissed when they build a lot of suspense for the final confrontation between Mitsuha and her father only to cut it off and forget about it. Enjoyment: It's quite a feat for such a simple movie to crush people's attention and cause such misconception. The explanation of what is going on is tossed here and there, leaving the viewer confused and baffled. It might be due to the contradiction, as shown above (Having vivid memories at one moment but then forgetting names at the other) or merely the language barrier but nevertheless I was not compelled to rewatch this monstrosity. I would have rated this movie a bit lower had I not been entertained for the 20 minutes after the first hour but the ending made me check my watch due to how slow it was. Speaking of slow, the movie has a habit of dragging on and on and when something does happen it feels so rushed one can bearly make out what they're saying. A 4/10 I shall now end this review with the generic statement almost every other reviewer has used once in their lifetime: Do not watch this.

With all of the praise this movie has gotten it's no surprise that it is fairly well done movie. Unlike some other movies that are all style and no substance this does have good writing as well as good art, but it isn't exactly a masterpiece either. The first half of the movie establishes the two main characters and their relationship with each other and because of the way it's set up explaining the second half would have to lead to spoilers. The story is done well and despite the short run time it does manage to tell a complete story. One hindrance the duration does impose is the lack of time to explain the two fantastic phenomena that the plot revolves around. The full story was unexpected given the beginning, but it would have been better as an ecchi comedy otherwise. As one would expect from a Makoto Shinkai film the art is amazing. The characters look beautiful, the backgrounds are detailed, and generally everything looks amazing. The detail of the scenery actually is important to the plot, but even if it weren't it would be just as spectacular. The voice actors do a very good job, which is important since the characters will switch roles every so often. The music is nice to listen to, but it isn't always all that fitting with the situation and sometimes it feels like there's a random AMV in the middle of the anime without much reason. The two main characters are both quite interesting. It's fun to see how they react to the situations they get into while in the other person's shoes. There is a line from one character that brings into question just how common their problem is and why no one else seems to know about it, but unfortunately the anime isn't long enough to give us answer to this. Although not everything makes complete sense, you don't have to turn your brain off to enjoy this. The second half is rather chaotic so the plot itself gives you enough to think about that you might not even notice the plot holes. This also isn't something that only a niche audience can enjoy so there's a pretty good chance you will like it. The incredible art adds to the enjoyment. Overall it's a pretty good film. The art was amazing and the rest didn't feel too far behind it. There were some problems, but they are all relatively easy to overlook. With all things considered it was a good watch.

Now before you say anything the show itself was stunning, the animation, the drawing it was beautiful. But when we are talking about the story it's just bad. The story is very confusing and it's missing something it just feels incomplete. While the story is very original but it could be much better if it had more explanation or a longer movie. The ending really felt incomplete and empty, most of the story is just useless to the ending. I think the way the story was made is way too complicated and and too complex if the studio stuck to something simpler the movie could had been better in a lot of way. Overall I think this movie is not worth watching for the story but the art is definitely a 10/10 QUICK REVIEW Story : 1/10 Characters: 7/10 Art : 10/10 Music : 9/10 Overall : 4/10 The story needs better

Taking ‘put yourself in someone else’s shoes’ to a whole new level, the latest film from director Makoto Shinkai (5cm per Second, Garden of Words) is a heartfelt exploration of empathy, love and loss. Kimi no Na wa (otherwise known as “Your Name”) revolves around two characters, Mitsuha and Taki, who are caught up in a strange phenomenon that allows them to see into each other’s lives. Mitsuha lives out in the countryside while Taki is a Tokyo resident, which means the pair have a window into places they’ve never seen or experienced before. The strange moments they both go through naturally lead to conflicts but eventually their situation evolves into something much more profound. It’s funny, sad, horrifying, uplifting and mesmerising all in equal doses. Kimi no Na wa will reward you the more blind you go into the film. It’s a fairly simple story, filled with common themes, but elevated into something very memorable. Shinkai has progressed beyond simply exploring concepts of love to actually writing interesting characters to express those ideas. By creating lead characters who have personalities that are actually integral to the story (Mitsuha especially so) Shinkai has managed to make something truly engaging, something that rewards you as a viewer. As a director he’s searched for ways to explore the boundaries around love but with Kimi no Na wa he’s infused enough life into the cast to make every emotional punch really hit home. There’s enough meaningful time dedicated to building thriving landscapes around both Mitsuha and Taki that Shinkai’s film doesn’t just look pretty, it is filled with wonder. Because of this he has delivered characters who manage to be equally captivating as the jaw dropping scenery they’re within – something I’m not accustomed to seeing from his films. The story of Kimi no Na wa certainly has its predictable moments but I’m happy to overlook them because the narrative is executed so well. There’s enough new complications added to the tale as it progresses to keep it interesting and there’s sufficient foreshadowing to make reveals incredibly satisfying. Shinkai manages to make full use of both Taki and Mitsuha’s social circles to develop their characters and make their plight something worth our time. That’s something many anime TV series struggle to do, even with plenty more runtime up their sleeve to work with. One of the most insufferable things watching any high school anime drama is how painfully overwrought things can get when it comes to characters expressing their feelings. While Kimi no Na wa comes close at times to overstepping the mark thankfully it manages to maintain a level of sensibility. The comedy and drama is balanced refreshingly well. There’s enough light hearted moments injected in patches throughout the movie to prevent it from becoming an over-emotional burden to sit through. It would be wrong to go so far as to call the handling of the drama ‘realistic’, but it’s wonderful to sit through something that doesn’t require the characters to inundate us constantly with how they’re feeling. Shinkai’s art, character actions and expressions all do that for us. Speaking of that art, you know it’s going to be good. You don’t need me to tell you that. There’s endless details to be found in the background art and the animation is fluid. The score is gorgeous and it feels like no expense was spared in the sound design. Now that Shinkai has crafted some memorable characters to be a part of all this lush and vivid scenery these art and sound assets don’t feel wasted. For once I feel like I’m watching one of his films where the characters and art have been treated with equal importance, instead of being unbalanced in favour of the latter. I was initially hesitant to the idea of people calling Makoto Shinkai the next Miyazaki but if he manages to continually craft wondrous adventures like Kimi no Na wa then I can get behind the notion. However, this will be hard to top. Some would, understandably, find Kimi no Na wa a little emotionally cumbersome and easy to predict where it may be going story-wise, but the film just clicked for me. Shinkai’s spin on young love is oozing with artistic flair and packed with stirring set pieces. It is an immensely satisfying watch from start to finish.

By no means is this a bad anime, however it is far from worthy of the number one spot on MAL. The story is well-written and one of the most well-structured anime I have seen in a while, however the story itself is quite lacking in that it doesn't show enough character development. The concepts that the director have instilled in the characters are very pronounced and admirable, however it is belief that others see this as true character development. Even at the end of this show, it felt that the characters themselves were rushed and were easily predictable, making them quite cheesy (though that seems to not be something the director focused on). All in all, it IS a movie; this does not, however, mean that it is better than anime series just because it can compact many ideas. Although the main concept of alternating lives is an intriguing one I haven't come across before, it does not make up for the rest of the story, which lacks in depth. It is good to watch as a simple, well-constructed movie, but it does not have all the characteristics required for the most astonishing and creative anime. Verdict sentence: Over-hype.

---- No Spoilers ---- When I was in middle school and high school, I was the boy that sat in the back corner of the classroom and observed everyone. I liked and hated everyone almost equally. Sure, I had a few crushes, but I didn't talk much and just dismissed them as a fantasy. A waste of my time. So when I watched 5 Centimeters per Second, it pissed me off. I hated the characters. I hated the story. I hated the lack of fluidity. When I read that the director, for what I then thought was a piece of trash, was named Makato Shinkai, I made it a point to never watch anything by him. Then I saw Garden of Words. As much as I hated 5 Centimeters per Second, I still acknowledged the insane attention to detail in the animation. Garden of Words was no exception, but the story completely caught me off guard. I wondered if such a work was by the same director. It was only later that I understood, and appreciated, the intention to the emotional ambiguity that is so prevalent in his early works. For those of you who watched Garden of Words, you will know that there is an emotional stance that is made. I think that was the scene where Makato Shinkai truly found his rhythm. Kimi no na Wa (Your Name) is a story that shouldn’t be relatable. Yet, it resounds deeply in all of us. It shouldn't make sense, yet the scene placements couldn't have been clearer. The characters should be despised, yet I find myself fascinated by them. When I finished watching, I just sat there dumbfounded. Needless to say, it was beautiful. Not a lot of movies or anime do that to me. In fact, the feelings I had were very similar to what I felt when I watched Spirited Away for the first time 10 years ago. Makato Shinkai was very deliberate in what scene he placed where in the story. Every dialogue, every frame, every detail has a meaning. There was not a single second that can be deleted from this movie without losing the meaning. EVERYTHING is calculated flawlessly. This reminds me of the scene in Bakuman when Shujin and Saiko decide to switch gears and do mainstream manga instead of cult manga. Mattorai said something very interesting, mangakas can make manga in two ways: at random - coming straight from the pen to paper in order to keep everything fresh and unpredictable, or calculated to such a high degree that every plot line seems to be unpredictable when it really isn't. As you can imagine, being calculated is unprecedentedly difficult, leaving a majority of the famous mangakas to write randomly without too much thought. If such is truly the case, then there is no way that Kimi no na Wa could be written without thinking it through and through - which leads to question how much of a genius Makato Shinkai truly is. It's been roughly 500 words and I haven't analyzed a single element of the movie yet, and in truth, I don't think I will. This movie is rare… unimaginably rare. Nothing like it will ever exist. I don't see any justice in reviewing something like that so early. There shouldn't be a debate on whether you should watch this movie or not. History will undoubtedly look at this as a classic. It's pretty apparent that I gave this review, if you can call it that, to much of a biased praise. I can write an analysis on the symbolism, the plot structure, the character duality, and so on and so forth, but I don't see the point in it. Giving such a winded explanation isn't proper at this time. 20 years from now, when people criticize future anime, they will most definitely quote scenes from this movie. An analysis to this movie will come, and without a second thought by some. But, I think that, for now, watching and appreciating is the best we can do.

what went wrong? everything is what i'd like to say. i never wanted to write a 'review' here, congrats ''your name'' for being that disappointing. it seems like all the effort went into making the movie as visually appealing as possible. other than that? you get nothing. tbh, the 'gorgeous' animation effect was only good in the first quarter or so. a summary would be; a bunch of hopeless clips put together in hopes of moving the audience with some arguably nice backgrounds and decent music which, unfortunately, failed in every aspect. there was nothing memorable from this except my frustration and the need to just get to the ending. the story could've been explained properly instead of forcing so many disastrous plot holes. their meeting, connection and love made no sense at all. honestly, they themselves made no sense, were they even real? they were created in such a way that they looked like cardboard cut outs to me. their nonexistence dialogue was boring and their interaction? lacking depth and emotions. i think i will just stop here before i waste more energy on this. this had the potential to be decent at least, but they chose to do it the other way. peace.

Kimi no Nawa is up there with the quality of work Studio Ghibli makes. It’s a journey in a world breathing with atmosphere, mystery, and visual wonder. A journey about growth and resilience in the face of overwhelming odds. A journey about human emotion that transcends space and time, as we watch our two protagonists struggle relentlessly against fate. A journey that might just be one of the most captivating anime movie experiences I've had in years. Director Makoto Shinkai’s artistry is something people tend to love or hate, but this film is solid proof to all of his disdainful critics that his movies were never “just eye candy”. They explore the nature of life and relationships in quiet ways rarely seen or discussed, which is why most of them are not fast-paced or action packed...and why they are so beautiful. But even if you’re not a fan of this kind of style with its major use of metaphorical imagery and mixture of subtle and explosive emotions, definitely give Kimi no Nawa a chance. This is by far his most ambitious, original movie in many ways. For instance, there’s an actual mystical element to the story apart from his previous films that are set purely on realism. The pacing is a lot faster and intense. There’s a surprising amount of humor in the script, making the chemistry between the characters more light-hearted and comically entertaining than expected. All of this is done through a narrative vision so emotional, so brilliantly realized, that I’m pretty sure everyone at the Anime Expo world premiere screening was tearing up, including me. Without spoiling, what mainly drives this film's story is the dynamics of our main characters’ relationship. The way these two interact is just so unique and lovable. The premise itself allows them to bond on a more personal level, far more intriguing than the usual teenage love story where boy meets girl, boy likes girl, boy gets girl. Eventually, you become so invested in their strange relationship, that when all the action goes down, it's no longer just suspenseful - it's almost heartbreaking. Editing and sound design play a HUGE role in this immersion. There’s rarely a single dull moment because of how gripping and emotionally driven the timing of every cut is. The sound design combined with a beautiful music score is outstanding - subtle and moving when creating atmosphere, powerful at times of dramatic conflict. In fact, the same can be said for pretty much all of the visual aesthetics - which if I haven't already mentioned, are amazing. This is a prime example of astonishingly jaw-dropping animation combined with powerful storytelling. Kimi no Nawa is not just any anime movie. It has the potential to be viewed and studied as art cinema. It’s so beautifully crafted and meticulously detailed, I feel like I didn’t even cover 80% of its greatness in this review. To do that, I would have to make a spoiler analysis review, and to do that, I would probably have to see the movie again, maybe a couple more times before I can fully appreciate this nearly flawless masterpiece. I know I sound like I’m fanboying, but I’m being fully honest here - if Director Makoto Shinkai keeps this kind of quality up, he is going to be an even bigger name in the anime industry for years to come. Remember Your Name long enough until it's available in your country, if you're not seeing it in Japan theaters. Because trust me, you're not going to forget it. 10/10

Kimi no Na wa, or Your Name, is a film directed by Shinkai Makoto who is often called the “next Miyazaki”. The movie itself is about destiny and fate, focusing on Mitsuha, a girl living in a small town, and Taki, a boy living in Tokyo. The two begin swapping bodies and the movie continues with, bringing in themes of time travel and love along with a large amount of tacky plot conveniences. Despite its obvious and many shortcomings, I believe that Kimi no Na wa is an anime everyone should consider watching at least once. Story (4/10) Kimi no Na wa is 1 hour 46 minutes long and I feel it was, in the first half, unnecessarily prolonged. The introduction of Kimi no Na wa, though it introduces vital components that become important later on, drags on for an extended period of time making this anime feel like a slice of life akin to the likes of K-On. This movie continues with its snail-like pacing until after the climax end and then suddenly the film feels very rushed as the pace rapidly picks up and leads to a less than satisfying conclusion (though it is a conclusion nonetheless). The beginning of the show is very disconnected from the actual plot of the show and, despite a few moments of foreshadowing, really avoids giving any hints as to what will happen later on in the movie when everything really goes downhill. In the second half of Kimi no Na wa, the movie feels a lot different in both theme and pacing when compared to the first half as the actual meat of the story is fed to the audience at a much more rapid pace. Even though certain points in the second half are just as slow as they were in the first half, the second half begins throwing large amounts of information at the audience that is all relevant to the plot. I began to feel that the first half of the film was meant to do nothing except introduce the simple characters that populated the world along with a few key things that you will miss as they feel irrelevant to the actual plot. The one thing I will commend Kimi no Na wa for doing is making it so the information is easily understood despite being thrown at the audience in large portions, allowing everyone to continue to understand most of what is occurring. In the second half of Kimi no Na wa, the movie also begins to throw new, plot convenient devices at the audience, such as time travel, and forces them to swallow these plot devices, making the story feel more and more forced. I don’t want to say to much on this topic as I’d like too refrain from spoiling as much of the show as possible, but I really do feel there were a lot of unnecessary and complicated themes thrown into the film for plot convenience that do nothing but hinder its value. The final thing I’d like to cover in this section of my review is how well the movie evokes numerous emotions from you. Though some might argue that these heart wrenching scenes are forced and pointless, I do feel they serve a purpose as they are successful at pulling the intended emotions from within you. I’ve heard that, while directing this film, Makoto had a board on which he would write what he wanted the audience to be feeling at certain points and I feel he nailed it. The presentation of these countless emotional scenes along with the stunning visuals and soundtrack evoke the intended emotions out of a majority of the audience and are able to continue doing so no matter how many times you watch the movie. Art/Animation (10/10) I feel that visually, Kimi no Na wa is one of the best anime I’ve seen to date. Its wonderful animations paired with its vivid colors and it's beautifully detailed backgrounds make it very aesthetically pleasing to the viewer and there’s really nothing negative I feel I can say about this aspect of the movie. Sounds (9/10) Though it’s not the best soundtrack I’ve ever heard, Kimi no Na wa’s music was still above that of the average animated movie. Almost any song can become extremely effective when placed at the right moment in the right anime and I feel this is something that Kimi no Na wa accomplished almost perfectly. Each song was perfectly inserted at the right moment and is heavily involved in the emotions you feel during the movie. Most of the major songs are also enjoyable to listen to outside of the movie and, in some cases, without any prior knowledge on it. Characters (3/10) The two main characters, Taki and Mitsuha act as most of us most likely would if we switched bodies. At first they believed it was a dream and once they realized it was reality they freaked out and began demanding the other not do certain things. Though these characters are written at a lower level than they should be considering the production value, they are still passable (even if barely) and I believe that, though their motives are weak, being a mostly distant feeling of love, they are still somewhat acceptable to the current teen population that this movie was trying to reach. However, aside from the passable main characters, the audience is also introduced to a vast array of side characters who are poorly written. Despite their friendship with the characters, they never seem to worry or recognize the vast difference in personality the two have and never question obvious actions that the character, had they been themselves, never would have done. These side characters are never really explored and almost nothing is learned about them except the fact they’re friends with the main protagonists. The motives for their actions are left to our imagination and they do some of these actions on a whim despite the substantial consequences that come with said actions. These side characters did, however, have plenty of opportunity to be developed. This includes Mitsuha’s father, the mayor, who has a poor relationship with his daughter and Katsuhiko Teshigawara (or Tessie) who makes a comment about how hard his life is in the movie. As I said before, Kimi no Na wa seems to want to focus on what seems like irrelevant information and never really develops the side characters, barred the audience from properly connecting with them. I will say, however, that the audience can connect to the main characters and said characters are able to elicit empathy from the audience. Enjoyment (10/10) Kimi no Na wa is something that I had the pleasure to see in theaters 3 times and it’s something I didn’t regret. Despite being boring and slow at points, the show manages to draw you in with its amazing music and visuals, making each moment memorable. It’s an anime that I have taken several different people to see in theaters and something I plan to show many more on my TV. This anime was very enjoyable despite obviously lacking in many departments and was something I was able to sit through multiple times despite not being able to sit through other movies that are, in a critical sense, better than this one. This movie keeps me coming back and it continues to make me feel what it wants me to feel like a puppet and that’s something I feel is much more important than any critical review of a show. Overall (7/10) Though critically I know and agree it’s not the best anime, Kimi no Na wa kept me coming back and kept me entertained. I understand why people might give it a 10/10 but unfortunately I just can’t while looking at this show critically without bias.

Seeing this movie so high, at the top ratings, made me incredibly curious about it, and I watched it with the highest expectations possible. So, overall, I can tell that I enjoyed it, and that it was as fun as it was emotional... HOWEVER, Kimi no Na wa, has its flaws: Let's start by briefly explaining what the plot is: SPOILERS AHEAD A boy and a girl, suddenly ( and I doubt it's ever explained why ), start switching bodies, each time they go to sleep. They also wake up with amnesia-like symptoms, not remembering what each other's names are. So, they start using diaries to contact each others when they switch, and living with this mysterious phenomenon. However, once they stop switching for a good while, the boy finds out that the girl died in a natural disaster ( in this case, a comet crashed onto her village, killing pretty much everyone ), three years prior to this supernatural phenomenon. The boy then, finds a way to switch bodies with her once again, and tries to change the past by warning everyone about the incoming catastrophe. Unfortunately, he fails, and the girl dies once again. The ending is quite odd. Both the protagonists find each others in their adulthood, and there the movie ends. So, I honestly can enjoy seeing the interesting experience of two individuals switching bodies, especially when they are both of different gender and live in completely different settings... However, I was not happy about how they simply went along with it, didn't question it, or simply have not figured out that they lived in different timelines. In this regard, I feel like the movie skips very important parts of storytelling, and stretches itself out in useless scenes that do not advance the story at all. The beginning itself is very confusing, and slow. The animation and effects are beautiful, but when it's about a movie and not an anime series with several episodes, there has to be more than godly animation to impress me. The sound was pretty good, but doesn't quite fit as I wish it would have. The main characters, just as the plot, concern themselves too much on romance, and almost never on drama, despite the situation and the circumstances would require them to. And also by the fact that these two haven't even actually spoke to one another. Their personalities are also very difficult to pinpoint. You may say that the side characters are actually written, or interpreted better. The ending made no sense, and it's unexplained as well, plus it is also a cliffhanger. Honestly, I can say that I enjoyed this movie a lot, but the ratings are absolutely overrating it. This is NOWHERE near the best between every anime series and movies! WAKE UP, PEOPLE! Anyway, despite its flaws, it was a really fun and kinda unique movie to watch. A good 7/10. I would give it an 8 if at least a few things would have been handled in a better way.

**SPOILERS AHEAD** Story: 6 Easily the weakest part of an amazing movie. Suspension of disbelief is mandatory: >Some characters could actually be removed and the story wouldn't change very much (Like, say, Tsutomu, Okudera, and Mitsuha's father). Taki and Mitsuha as characters were never developed enough to require so many characters anyway. >The concept of body swapping is never explained, and the rice wine scene not only complicates things, but also feels even more contrived. And we haven't gotten to the scene where they meet up. So much time wasted trying to figure that out. >How did they not check the date differences while in each other's bodies? It was very clear they still remembered who they really were, even if they didn't remember spending time in each other's bodies. The part where the messages delete themselves is even more ridiculous, and why does Taki keep a cord that a stranger throws out for him? >There's one part where Taki doesn't write his name in Mitsuha's hand, letting her forget him and nearly walk away from him at the ending. Honestly felt like a forced attempt at making the audience question if Shinkai was going to pull another 5 Centimeters. Wouldn't have worked perfectly either way (Still would've enjoyed it though). Art: 9.5 Not much to say, other than praise. Absolutely amazing art. The comet and the lake were honestly some of the most surreal and incredible things I've seen in anime. The only gripe I have is the character designs. It's difficult to describe how I feel, but to put it briefly, the characters do not feel endemic to the movie. If one were to take the characters and place them in a forgettable slice of life romcom, they wouldn't really be that out of place. Sound: 8 Music in this movie is not that memorable. However, some parts where the music played was absolutely spot on. The use of rock music doesn't take away from the movie at all. The voice acting was also spot on. Mitsuha's voice is strangely pleasant to listen to, and I hope she does more anime roles in the future. Characters: 7 Many characters that were in the film itself were almost completely unnecessary. Taki and Mitsuha's lives are glossed over, and the film had characters that led almost nowhere. Mitsuha is shown having problems with her father, but they never get resolved. Okudera and Tsutomu could've been removed from the movie and barely anything would've changed. Enjoyment: 10 And yet, despite all it's flaws, I greatly enjoyed it. I would still recommend this to people who are bored and looking for something to keep them for a while. Still, I can't help but feel as though this movie should've been an anime series. If they had put more emphasis on Taki and Mitsuha's backgrounds and took the time to explain the body swapping, this could've been a masterpiece.

Overall - 10/10 Kimi no Na wa is an aesthetically stunning and musically breathtaking masterpiece by director Makoto Shinkai which builds upon his previous works to deliver a film which is both fulfilling and thoroughly enjoyable. Watch it if you have not done so already. What Kimi no Na wa presents to the audience is the maturation of director Makoto Shinkai's work. Those familiar with Shinkai's previous works (for example Byousoku 5 Centimeter and Kotonoha no Niwa) should be accustomed to his tendencies of creating bittersweet and unresolved endings; love him or loathe him, Shinkai's latest work demonstrates a slight deviation from this usual style. While the finale of the film remains relatively open-ended, there are many more reasons to be optimistic for what comes after than compared to his previous works. MOVIE SPOILERS BELOW Story - 8/10 The premise of Taki and Mitsuha alternate days switching bodies is simple enough - that is until Makoto Shinkai throws in time travelling and alternate timelines. While the movie actually maintains a reasonably easy to follow timeline, however, digging deeper into the nitty-gritty reveals a couple of major plot holes which cannot be ignored while covering the film. The biggest plot hole being that once you consider that both Taki and Mitsuha were keeping diaries for their counterpart, even with suspension of belief, it becomes quite difficult to believe that the pair would not notice dates aligning, especially considering the 3 year gap. Beyond this major issue in the writing, the film is able to strike a balance between lighthearted and dramatic scenes, maximizing the impact upon the audience. What the movie succeeds incredibly well at is building up tension and engaging the audience. Themes of distance, time, inevitability return from Shinkai's previous works but are applied in a much more positive light which is a welcome change. On the whole, the plot of Kimi no Na wa is cohesive if a little cliched but represents a more optimistic outlook of the future from director Makoto Shinkai. Art - 10/10 Makoto Shinkai's art style has always been unique and in Kimi no Na wa, he has continued to refine and hone his technique from his previous works. The end result being a film that is absolutely incredible from a visual standpoint. Going as far as to say that this film represents the pinnacle of animation would not be too much of an overstatement. It is perhaps as photo realistic as an anime can get; many of the locations in the movie were directly replicated from real life with the utmost attention to detail. A meteorite has never looked so beautiful and deadly at the same time, the sense of scale of the meteorite's destruction stands out amongst the peaceful surroundings of the countryside and it is equally as awe-inspiring as it is bone-chilling. The contrast between the country-side and city as emphasized by the two montages that play during both Yumetourou and Zenzenzense definitely stands out with both sceneries being beautiful in its own way. When talking about Makoto Shinkai's art, the colour palate employed can never be overlooked. While depicting Tokyo, the skycrapers of glass and steel are punctuated in-between by more brighter colours, resulting in an electrifying and bustling atmosphere. The lush colours used for the countryside reflects it's more easy-going nature. During kataware doki, the orange glow unites the main protagonists in a heartwarming fashion before slowly fading to dark - reestablishing a sense of isolation and enforcing the loneliness of separation. All in all, absolutely top notch animation of the utmost quality. Music - 10/10 If this site would allow users to rate sections with scores exceeding 10/10, there would be nothing more deserving than the soundtrack Kimi no Na wa. After watching the movie, what remains with the audience above the story and visuals is the audio aspect and only by experiencing the full effect of the music in the cinema does this film justice. A masterpiece of a soundtrack crafted by Radwimps, while many point to Zenzenzense and Sparkle as the standout tracks (of which both of them are deserving of), the hidden gem Yumetourou goes unnoticed. Being the first track of the film, Yumetourou does an exemplary job at establishing the tone for the rest of the film, beginning from its quiet verses sung over the muted strumming of a guitar which builds into a cacophony of sound for the climax is what initially hooks the audience into the film. Futari no Ihen (Unusual Changes of Two) flows almost seamlessly into Zenzenzense, another highlight of the soundtrack with its unrelenting drum beat coupled with a catchy guitar riff makes the song into a hit. The climax of the film where Mitsuha runs to inform her father about the impending disaster is set to Sparkle, which opens with a simplistic piano figure sets a quaint backdrop against the looming danger of the meteorite. Progressively, more instruments join in, starting with percussion and eventually a full string section resulting in a piece that is befitting of the climax of such a stunning film. Even more impressively, what stands out from these fantastic tracks is the usage of silence in the film, most notably once Sparkle concludes; right before the meteorite crashes into the town, there is a brief moment of absolute silence, followed by the blast and rumble from the collision, the silence builds tension to a palpable level and is as important as the rest of the soundtrack. The character tracks are very befitting of their namesakes and accurately reflect the personalities and behaviors of the characters they are named after. The overall cohesiveness of the tracks alongside the handful of standout ones are reminiscent of concepts albums which is very fitting considering the soundtrack's role in the movie. Character - 7/10 Where the movie perhaps falls a little short lies in it's character development. Whether be it due to constraints in time or simply poor writing, there seems to be a distinct lack of any significant character development over the course of the film, that is not to say that development is always necessary. What Kimi no Na wa offers is a bunch of vibrant personalities who remain true to their initial image to the end. Beyond that however, there seems to be little reason for the audience to empathize with this cast of characters. While Taki serves as an acceptable main protagonist with Mitsuha being his counterpart, the film makes it difficult to truly relate to them and oftentimes, their actions seem to be counterproductive, and it is this friction between the pair that makes it so difficult for the audience to grow attached to them. At points, it is almost as if Shinkai had shoe-horned in the romance aspect just to appease a certain group of fans as at no point in the movie, did it truly feel that the Taki and Mitsuha were really growing closer as individuals. Of course Taki's decision to write "suki da" on Mitsuha's hand is bemusing and out of place given his actions so far but it is equally if not more frustrating to find out that Mitsuha was going to do a similar thing. Many conflicts in the film could have been resolved easily if the characters were just able to rationally consider their options at any given point. With suspension of belief, it is possible to imagine that perhaps those around them had forgotten about the events around the time Taki and Mitsuha switched bodies, but it is goes beyond suspension of belief to imagine that all traces and impacts of the body switch has disappeared. The lack of character progression and slightly questionable decision making on behalf of the main cast results in an average score for this section. Enjoyment - 10/10 Even with it's fair share of plot holes and head-scratching moments, I definitely thoroughly enjoyed watching Kimi no Na wa. Given the chance to watch it in the cinema again, I would pounce on that opportunity without hesitation. …

Probably my first review. I might have written one before, but I'm not a pro at this but I'll do my best to convince you to watch this movie because you share good things that make you feel warm inside to other people so they may feel warm inside. I was able to watch the World Premiere of this movie at Anime Expo July 3, 2016. I have to say it was truly an amazing movie. There might be some spoilers-but not intentional-in this so read at your own risk. I'm rating this a 9 because I tend to suspend my disbelief to the fullest due to my personal bias for Shinkai films. There are unanswered questions and whatnot, but I don't care about that. Just know that it isn't perfect and that there are kinks but for the somewhat realistic review of this movie, I will not be giving it a perfect score across the board as much as I'd love to. Story: This movie is probably at the top of my list, if not very close to the top, of my favorite movies. The story was nothing like I personally had ever seen but still had Shinkai's generic boy-meet-girl plot. A city boy and country girl are connected through time because of this comet that comes every 1000 years or so and they end up trying to meet. They one day wake up in each others bodies, without knowing anything about the other and end up exploring and falling in love(?). Art: If any regular tv anime was able to produce at this quality, I'd be watching everything just for the art. Shinkai sets a whole new standard in animation and cinematography. I'm a fan of scenery and with Shinkai's creations, it's impossible for me to rate it anything under 10. As with any Shinkai movie, he adds another depth to his art. His well-crafted CG animations are so high-quality and well thought out so that everything just looks as breathtaking as possible. It's almost as if he has broken through the dimension of animation and entered reality-just an exaggeration but you get the point. Even if you have your eyes fixated on the focal point of each screen you can't help but notice the details he puts in the background. I was able to purchase Shinkai's art book regarding '5cm per second' at AX also, and it truly was one purchase i won't regret. Each scene is just so wonderfully crafted to capture the emotions and keep it flowing through the scenes to come. Sound: Shinkai employs one of his favorite bands-RADWIMPS-to create a soundtrack for him. They had the script I believe about a year and a half ( not really sure) beforehand to be able to create the compliment to his masterpiece. The soundtrack was wonderful. I had no complaints about anything other than the fact that I have to wait for it to come out. RADWIMPS definitely delivered a high-quality score that is able to capture the feelings of the moments and put it out. The score also was able to flow with the direction of the plot and characters that it felt so natural for a song to come out. The voice acting in this was also amazing. The actors did a wonderful job, especially the voice of Mitsuha, Mone Kamishiraishi. Her voice was beautiful and I definitely felt the emotions behind her voice in particular scenes which I grew more attached to after finding out that she's still new to voice acting. The male lead's voice actor Ryunosuke Kamiki is more experience and therefore was also able to fulfill the role fully. Their voices were wonderful and fit the characters to which they were assigned. Character: ( I suck at this so you can skip this part. then again I'm a noob when it comes to writing reviews.) Given that this is a movie, their developments early on aren't too complex. It becomes established they are simple teenagers in their respective niches in the population, but somehow as the story progresses we are given more and more complexity to their character but not the depth you'd see in a television series. The story definitely played a big role in developing them. The side characters just are there, the typical discovery-help protagonist-gone type of deal. Not too much on the side characters, a few moments here and there which helps the side characters feel like a natural part of the characterization of the two leads. Enjoyment: I have to say I was not bored a single moment of this movie. Maybe it's because I'm such a fan for Makoto Shinkai films or that I was able to attend the world premiere at my first Anime Expo, but this movie kept me on the edge of my seat. I was interested in the movie and there were some cringe worthy moments but not without a few gags here and there. It was a well-crafted movie to keep you entertained but isn't enough you make you watch this over and over and over again. It's one of those gems you watch again every blue moon. You watch it when it's nearly faded in your memory so that you may experience a wonderful movie once more. It's also a romance genre film, and I'm a fan for romance so this also allowed me to stay interested. Overall: If you like HD pictures, scenery, romance, science and anime, this movie is worth watching. Some may not agree with the ratings and that's totally fine- to each his own. But as for my 2cents, this is a well crafted movie filled with stunning graphics and scenes driven by a romance plot centered around two teenagers from different worlds connected by some cosmic event filled with a wonderful soundtrack. I would recommend this to you if you like any of the aforementioned categories above. I've already been bugging my friends to go watch this as soon as it becomes available.

This is my first review, so bear with me as I try to flesh out how I feel about this movie in simple terms. To start off, I went into this movie with very high expectations. Perhaps it is because I heard so many great reviews about it. Everyone I knew, even friends who generally don't watch anime, ranted and raved about how this was one of the best films they'd ever seen. This exact same thing happened to me when I listened to everyone's reviews of Frozen-- I finished the movie feeling disappointed. Your Name did not fail to leave a bitter taste in my mouth by the end. I think it has taught me to take opinions with a grain of salt. It's always better to go in with low expectations and leave satisfied than the other way around. STORY: The story was, to put it frankly, boring. It wasn't anything special, and I honestly expected it to be amazing with the way everyone was going on about it. Substance is one of the most important parts of a story, and Your Name truly lacked in that department. Maybe it's just the cynic in me that is completely tired of all these rehashed love stories, but I cannot be convinced that the plot was anything new or exciting. ART: I've seen Shinkai's work throughout the years, and the scenery was always the most well done. At least the movie had this much going for it. The animation of the people has improved vastly from some of his earlier works, too. I was pleasantly surprised by this. The art isn't the most impressive I've ever seen, although I do congratulate Shinkai on setting a trend for using a stupid amount of light sources and gradients. You cannot deny that many animations have tried to look like Your Name since its success. SOUND: The sound was lovely. I can't argue with RADWIMPS being an obviously good choice for any sort of slice of life setting. Their music fit well with the theme of the movie. CHARACTER: Haha. This got me even more than the story, in the sense that the poor character writing was a major part of why the story was so bad. I don't have much to say about this other than he was a boy, she was a girl. Can I make it any more obvious? Enjoyment: I had a really hard time enjoying this film because of the lack of good story line and decent character development. I didn't find it fun, or exciting, or even sad (as hard as they tried to force me to be). I only wished for it to be over soon so I could go do something more productive with my time. In conclusion, I don't know y'all lol. I'm old and tired of seeing the same 5 heterosexual love stories portrayed in the media as "compelling" and "inspiring." They're not. They're boring. No amount of gradient laden art could save me from feeling so disconnected from the characters, and the story in general. I can't say I hated it, because I know there are many people who would fight me on that, but I didn't like it either? I suppose I just don't care. It was overrated, and not my cup of tea. If someone were to ask me if I recommended it, I would answer simply with, "it's worth watching if you go in with no expectations."

How do I describe the greatest piece of media to ever grace my lowly existence? Well, let’s start with what’s immediately obvious about Kimi no Na wa, because just the surface layer of this masterpiece is enough to impress even the most cynical of critics. Without getting into spoilers, I’ll sum up the plot as convoluted and poorly paced. The sloppiness in storytelling really touched me and added an immeasurable amount of weight to the gorgeous animation. That’s right, the rumors were correct. This movie is beautiful. The sheer amount of lens flares present during the runtime shone brightly on my soul and illuminated what life really is about. If I had a body pillow for every time the rays of the sun were enhanced to unsightly levels in the post-production of this movie, I’d have my own cotton harem. Besides the presentation being obviously exceptional, the writing takes spotlight at the same time and plays like a symphony to accompany the art on screen. Both protagonists are incredibly complex and distinctive, as is typical of Makoto Shinkai’s films. In fact, I was so dazzled by the natural characterization that I can’t even remember the personalities or features of either the girl or the boy! How incredible is it that the title of the film, ‘Your Name’, would tie in so seamlessly with how I can’t remember their names? It’s like I’m constantly finding new masterful brushstrokes in this Mona Lisa of an anime. In the end, this movie’s message poignantly shaped how I think. Previous to my first viewing (of dozens), I would have thought that if I got switched into the body of a random person consistently over weeks, I should probably figure out her location relative to mine or at least try to call my number. But now that I’ve watched Kimi no Na wa, I know that in order to advance the suspense in the plot I should just partake in such classic antics as living her life for her and groping her boobies! How else would the movie sell well to the widest audience possible? All I can say is, thank you Makoto Shinkai. You’ve given meaning to my life, and I’ll forever cherish this gift of enlightenment. Overall 10/10, but actually 7/10 because on my eleventh rewatch I realized that it was supposed to be a romance.

Everyone says that this is a great anime. Strongly disagree sadly, visuals and sounds are excellent yes, but personally I didn't enjoy the natural disaster based plot. The main protagonists personality was unclear, a mix of traits that don't fit together or make sense.The fact that they forget in the whole thing makes it unbearably boring for me. Romance is supposedly the key point and even though romance is my favorite genre, didn't enjoy this one at all. Bad ending as well because romance didn't go anywhere,I wasn't even convinced that they love each other to be honest Just all in all worse than average. PS. Still salty about watching this. 6 weeks later. My detailed scores are the following: Story: 3 Art: 10 Sound: 9 Character: 3 Enjoyment: 3

[7.0/10] _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ So I finally got around to watching Your Name and it was a pleasantly surprising movie. It didn't intrigue me much from the trailer. While the idea seemed at least sort of interesting, these kinds of teen romances haven't ever been an object of enthusiasm from me. They often feel overly naive and cloying. I can't control my own cynicism, can I? Your Name surprised me in two ways. One, it provided a fairly hefty twist midway through which thankfully wasn't spoiled in the trailer. Two, its focus on romance was less abrasive than I expected. I was pleased with how little the focus got in the way with the story that was actually interesting to me, which both serves as a criticism and a compliment. The objective of Shinkai was to create a romance, but the romance he was creating wasn't that interesting. Ethereal connections rarely peak my interest. That being said, the story around the romance was much tighter. A refreshing dose of like-able secondary characters, at least from one side, provided an added bonus. Inject some beautiful animation and serviceable voice acting and you get a product that feels both easily like-able but also oddly detached from any emotional core. Regardless, it was a good, yet somewhat unremarkable movie. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ [Chemistry Class] The story of Mitsuha, a seventeen year old girl born in the countryside; who's sick of the countryside, wishes to be an attractive boy living in Tokyo. Enter Taki, an attractive seventeen year old boy living in Tokyo. Her wish gets granted, inexplicably, and she switches bodies with this boy for a day. Obvious hi-jinx ensues and they keep switching bodies until one day they don't. This entire concept takes place within around forty minutes and while it is nice, compact, and tidy. It never actually resonated with me. There were a few visual gags here and there, mostly played towards the girls expense, but they really didn't craft a solid, cosmic relationship between the two. Don't get me wrong, it is very difficult to create chemistry between two characters that never met. However, that is what Shinkai set out to do and unfortunately, he didn't succeed. This tight summary and introduction to these characters was decently interesting but, as I said, it lacked any emotional attachment. I never felt as though they were bonding with one another through stepping into each others shoes. Perhaps this served to bring the story into its more dramatic second act, however, the total lack of dramatic storytelling felt at ends with the romance that the viewer needs to believe in. What i'm trying to say is that they learned nothing about one another. I suppose that's the point. To create a cosmic connection. However, I don't believe it. Maybe i'm just a victim of my own bias and interest in different kinds of stories, but the whole "fate brought us together" is such a unbearable cliche to me. This is my cynicism talking, but you can't just form a connection through vague metaphors about time. The story itself, though, was very well structured. While the connection between characters was never intriguingly romantic, the connection they had to their environments and the narrative that weaved through them was most definitely interesting. Especially come the second act where your notions about the story are completely derailed in the best way possible. Suddenly I cared, not about the two protagonists, but about the concept of the story. While Mitsuha's side of the narrative was better, as she had more developed secondary characters that played a significantly more important role in the story. Taki's side felt extremely barren in comparison. The secondaries never felt lively or engaging and hardly had any fun interactions with one another. This even permeates to Taki himself. A character is only as good as the characters he or she bounce off of, if that is what the writing requires. So the lack of decently realized secondaries really drags his character down as well. Since Mitsuha's side was more prominent, the story never felt meandering. When Taki eventually dominated the scene by himself, it was more compelling since he wasn't in need of bouncing off the lifeless corpses that were the side characters in his story. I'll speak about the concept of scenery later. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ [Sound and Visuals] What can I say. This film is beautifully animated. Was there ever a doubt? The designs are slick, the landscapes are gorgeous, and everything is perfect and easy on the eyes. Apart from one moment towards the second half of the second arc where you are taken through some pretty surreal and awesome imagery, the movie never really flexes the animated muscles. It's a beautiful film to look at, but it never makes a statement about that. If I had to point out a minor complaint it's that there was a lot of noticeable CGI utilized in various scenes. Particularly the vehicles moving around the highway. Especially in shots that are closer, it becomes a bit too clear that they are totally computer generated. In other words, the compositing could've used some work. However, other moments where blatant CG was composited within the image were smooth and easy on the eyes. What a lot of viewers don't realize is just how much CG is being used in animation now a-days. Even this kind of cell-shaded animation utilizes fully rendered CG landscapes with some well-placed cell-shading to make it look like what you'd expect from two dimensions. This allows the director, in this case Shinkai, to do more complicated shots without the need of painstakingly redrawing certain frames and images. For example, there is a panorama early on in the movie and it was completely rendered, thankfully, very well made and virtually unnoticeable. Great compositing mixed with slightly below-average compositing occasionally detracts from a few of these more atmospheric scenes. However, it never makes a big enough impact to ruin any of them. In fact, you don't even see many cars on the highway. It's fine. The directing, as well, is serviceable. A few dazzling and creative segments intertwined with less-inspired imagery dominated the film. Some moments I can't help but admire the shot composition, other moments are kind of boring. I wish directors played around with dialogue a bit more in general, since a lot of the dialogue here rarely actually looks interesting apart from maybe the scenery in the background elevating it. The sound is good. Again, some great sound effects mixed in with music that I personally don't really care for. I think there was one moment later on in the film that felt completely dissonant in terms of the song being played and the events happening. The people are in a panic but there is this up-beat pop-song in the background. It was jarring and completely unnecessary. Your Name also included a series-like opening introduction which felt unnatural and baffling. Even the montage, while the smallest offender here, still didn't work that well. Sonically, it wasn't bad, it just had a hard time fitting in. The sound effects themselves, such as the rain pouring down and Shinkai's fetish for opening (and closing) doors all sound great. The music itself could use some work. It felt as though the producers got a few people to write this music and they just had to shoehorn it into the film somehow. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ [Place Over People] Towards the third act of the movie, I began realizing something kind of strange happening. I started to realize that I care more about the land than I do the people inhabiting it. I personally can't tell if this was intenti…

I went into watching this movie expecting a masterpiece but I was left kind of underwhelmed at the end. My review will focus more on the flaws of this movie because this movie has been praised many different ways and nothing can be said that hasn't been said before. Don't get me wrong this movie was really enjoyable. Animation, visuals and soundtrack are amazing and top notch. Story was good as well. But there are some issues with the execution of the story. In the beginning there is a problem with story-telling like some events critical to the plot occurring off-screen then being told about in third person the next day. Its always better to show, not tell. Because of this for the first 30-40 minutes, at times, there were some pacing issues where the plot seemed to drag. The plot seemed unfocused at times where important plot points are put aside in favor of side stories. This kind of story-telling would have been fine if it were a 12-episode anime but for a 106 min movie every second counts especially when you are dealing with 2 stories that could have been 2 separate movies. The main characters' relationship was somewhat under-developed. First there is some body swapping with accompanying comedy and then there is some hint of mutual appreciation and care. Then a montage happens and then we are literally told "they like each other, so root for them". For a movie that relies heavily on romance to drive its plot there needed to be some significant development of romance early on. So it could act as an effective catalyst for the last half of film. There were also some major tonal shifts at times from standard rom-com to straight up tragedy but this was somewhat necessary to keep the movie enjoyable without being too heavy handed. Before watching it I was kind of pissed about this movie not being nominated for an Oscar. But after watching it I get why it didn't get nominated. Overall this movie is really good and enjoyable but don't expect it to be a masterpiece.

Let me start off by saying this is a movie that is heavily "supernatural" driven. While other shows may contain supernatural elements, they fail to lay out the foundation of those very elements until it is convenient; in other words, they usually wait to explain until the very end. However, with Your Name, it was laid out from the very beginning. By doing so, it marks a consistency and gives itself time to explore its world while not leaving you in the dark about the paranormal that is at play. This was one of the movie's essential strong points. From the starting point, a comet was able to be seen by people from many places - two in particular. While the heavily populated city life brings up this sense of individuality and independence, the more community-based counterpart has a motif of connectivity and unity. Understandably, the contrasts of living in an exciting city or serene countryside - reinforced by the undeniably attractive visuals - is enticing to any eye. One could argue that anime, a form of art, is intended to make you feel, or make you think, or simply to be enjoyed. Although, one should also ask themselves what the perspective really is when viewing someone's story. Every good story should have a purpose, and every purpose should be supported by its story. Makoto Shinkai's works are similar in the sense that they are on an emotional spectrum with a sensitive side rather than a philosophical one more grounded to reality. You could debate about whether an anime is "realistic" or not, but then you would lose sight of the point. Kimi no Na wa ends up fabricating an interesting spin on the theory of time travel by implementing a supernatural twist of body switching along with it. However, by creating a reason that triggers these two elements, it manages to combine them both. The body switching aspect playfully reveals the lives of our two main characters, the adventurous Mitsuha Miyamizu and the diligent Taki Tachibana. Mitsuha lives a more traditional and spiritual life while Taki lives a more modern and covetous lifestyle. While being in each other's bodies, they learn the little details about each other and grow to understand or respect one another's viewpoint. They, quite noticeably, influence and grow as individuals despite the unconventional role of communication or interaction. The prevalent theme of being connected is both shown from a direct and indirect position; from a straightforward supernatural approach to a much more broader concept of the "universe" in an intangible, spiritual sense. This theme is particularly supported by the comet itself that is present from start to finish. While the themes were certainly consistent, Kimi no Na wa's message is made evident by the "divide" in time and polarity of differences. Overall, Your Name has an unyielding story right down to the title. Although it may not be on the realistic side, it is certainly an interesting and engaging experience that manages to deliver its overarching message of looking at the bigger picture.

I’ll be honest when I say that I never really wanted to watch Kimi no Na wa. There was always too much hype around it and it wasn’t until about a year later that I finally decided that I should pick it up. In particular, I was feeling bitter and sore about how this anime managed to jump to 1st place on MAL in scores, besting my favorite anime, FMA:B, for several months when it was first released. I thought to myself, “How could there be ANY anime that could even compare to FMA:B?” In fact, I was appalled by the fact that this wasn’t even a TV series anime - Kimi no Na wa is just a single movie. I had my doubts. Can there really be sufficient character and plot development in a mere 1 hour and 46 minutes of screen time? Can a story which is centered around the cheesiest anime trope - a high school romance - really be any good? I am glad to say however, that I was pleasantly surprised at how Makoto Shinkai managed to deliver so much, so succinctly, in this anime. The plot is surprisingly delightful - it wasn’t perfect, for sure, but it was interesting enough to keep you sitting through that without feeling one bit bored. The characters were really as rich as they could be for an anime movie and I would gladly welcome spin-offs to grant deeper insight into their backstories. But this anime impressed me the most with its jaw-dropping, stunning visuals and of course an amazing, beautiful musical score to go along with it. To put it in the voice of the main cast, Kimi no Na Wa was absolutely… “Nothing more, nothing less than a beautiful view.” - Mitsuha and Taki TL;DR Story: 9/10 Art: 10/10 Sound: 10/10 Character: 10/10 Enjoyment: 10/10 Overall: 10/10 What’s Good? + Very interesting and believable plot twist + Excellent cinematography, animation and art + Beautiful background music and great rock music themes + Great lyrical composition + Strong emotional response and drama + Great thematic development What’s Bad? - Rather forced resolution - Minor, small plot holes that can honestly be overlooked Who should watch? = EVERYONE = Yes, I really think everyone should watch this show Art: 10/10 I have to start with the BEST thing about this anime, which is the entire aesthetic that Makoto Shinkai has impressively weaved into this anime. If I had to use one word to describe the type of aesthetic you see, it is “photorealism.” By this, I don’t mean that the images look real, I mean that the images you see are more real than reality, they are in a sense, hyper-real. So real that you basically feel like you are dreaming as you are watching the movie. The colors used in the anime are excessively vibrant, as if an amateur photographer adjusted the vibrance meter in Adobe Lightroom up a notch too high. Everything is way too beautiful, so much so that it feels like a fantasy, which fits exactly with the entire plot of the anime. As a photographer myself, I want to call attention to the enormous amount of frame-by-frame detail that Shinkai has put into his animated timelapse sequences of real-life Tokyo and (not-so) real-life Itomori which is based on Hida prefecture. Those shots were simply mind-blowing, and it looked exactly like how it would have felt like shooting those timelapses in person, on site, in the real world. It takes a ton of effort to draw each timelapse frame by hand and it was very obvious that Shinkai based his animation out of an actual timelapse that was taken onsite, down to the movement of the cloud shadows across the scene and the little jittering caused by the wind when it sways leaves and other elements in the scene. Although the lens flares throughout the anime could be seen as distracting, I thought they were placed perfectly. They completely added to the entire dream-like vibe that you get from the anime and really honed in on what the Comet Tiamat represented - a shooting star - something that makes wishes come true. The art was just mesmerizing as if a dream. In fact, I would go so far as to say that if you removed every character from the anime and screen ONLY the background shots for an entire 1 hour 46 minutes, I would still be so encapsulated by the scenes and would still have to stay to watch all of it. There are so many scenes where you see tiny characters enveloped in a huge, beautiful landscape, whether it is the mountains, or the landscape or the cityscapes. It is as if Shinkai were telling us that the anime is really not so much about the characters but so much more about the places that we visit that brings us, and the characters, to life. Sound: 10/10 Of course, if I talk about the visuals, I definitely can’t forget the amazing music that is playing in the background as all of this is going on. RADWIMPS really did an amazing job on the rock music scores and those songs (Dream Lantern, Nandemonaiya, Sparkle and Zenzenzense) are still stuck in my head an entire month after a first watched the anime. All of those songs are amazing and are seriously fighting for a spot on my anime playlist. Aside from RADWIMPS though, the rest of the background music was also top-notch. I recently had a listen to the entire soundtrack of the anime again on their own, without any visuals, and I could still feel all of the scenes and emotions come back to me even though I was merely listening to the backing tracks. That is pure testament to the emotive power that the musical scores of Kimi no Na wa bring to the table and is something that you really do not want to miss out on. Enjoyment: 10/10 Comedy Most the entirety of the first half of the anime were full of funny parts that naturally occur as the result of the male-female body switching phenomenon. There were some obvious tropes in the anime, such as Taki constantly touching Mitsuha’s boobs and Mitsuha getting embarrassed about having to use the bathroom as a male, but there were also moments of ingenuity and creativity. Although most international fans might not catch it, there was a scene when Mitsuha (in Taki’s body) was using the wrong “I” pronouns (“watashi”, “watakushi”, “boku” before finally saying “ore”), much to discomfort of Tsukasa and Shinta. Mitsuha also had these little thought bubbles that popped up to show her inner thoughts, which I thought was really entertaining to see. I also really enjoyed Taki and Mitsuha’s little quarreling with each other through their diary entries as they complained about each other’s inappropriate behavior. (+3 for comedy) Drama The second half of the anime was basically full of drama and emotion, beginning with the moment of the plot twist. The music played a huge role in this and the anime really hit hard when it needed to. Taki’s sense of despair, Mitsuha’s frantic running, an impending comet that would spell doom for the both of them, and yet the little glimmer of hope that seems to always rest on the horizon like the setting sun during twilight (or Kataware-doki) - all of these were played up really well and very believably, so much that I was really taken for a ride with unexpected turns of the story. (+3 for drama) Pacing The pacing for this anime was incredibly smooth. There were no parts were I was overly bored and no parts where I felt was overly rushed. Everything was executed perfectly - from the little moments where the camera lingered on Taki to emphasize the depth of emotion, to the points where the anime really skips chunks of the plot that was really not necessary to show and could be easily inferred. I felt like Shinkai had a really clear sense and direction of what he wanted to show and what he wanted to omit, and I felt like he hit home all the right spots where it mattered and managed to trim all the parts that didn’t. (+3 for pacing) I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it! (+1 for no filler episodes, duh) Story: 9/10 Thematically, the story is excellent. It really doesn’t have much of that romance bit that it looks like it should have, but it has a lot to say about remembering the past and preserving the p…