Your Name

Anime films, thanks to Studio Ghbili, are on the fast track to becoming the new Disney. Movies from visionaries such as Hayao Miyazaki and Hiroyuki Morita place magic and mysticism within a reality just close enough to resemble our own, making complicated themes such as death, senility, sickness, and the like accessible and less frightening for children. Whilst Your Name is not a Studio Ghibli movie, it has managed to surpass many of the studio’s highest grossing films including Princess Mononoke and Howl’s Moving Castle. On top of this, it’s a thing of beauty to know that the original undubbed version is that one that you can go and see in cinemas; proof that cinema with its power to communicate themes and stories universally is beyond the jurisdiction of the language barrier. 

Your Name follows adolescent city boy, Taki (Ryunosuke Kamiki), and country girl, Mitsuha (Mone Kamishiraishi) who, though they’ve never met, are connected by the fact that they switch bodies when they dream. At first, the experience is strange and a bit of a novelty, but as the two get to know each other, love blossoms between them and Taki decides to find and meet Mitsuha for real. However, in his attempts to find her, he discovers a terrible truth that will take a miracle to overcome and bring them together. 

The body-swapping story is timeless. Wether it be between fighting family members a la Freaky Friday or complete gender swapping the trope is an instant classic for the character journey. The idea of opposites attracting and bringing out the best in each other is a theme that carries this beautiful film. It’s not just the difference in landscapes that make Taki and Mitsuha so different; their families, societies, and everything else that shapes one’s personality is like chalk and cheese and, for a good portion of the movie they start to impact on each other’s lives and bring out the best in each other’s characters. It’s lovely to watch. 

But of course this novel body-swapping story, which is peppered with funny little moments of sexual naughtiness as well as highly humorous moments of conflicting opinions, quickly loses that cheekiness and romantic fun when the mystical time-travel element is thrown in. Not wanting to give anything away, the dramatic reveal of the barrier that keeps Taki and Mitsuha apart almost falls into the realm of thriller and it’s here suddenly, halfway through the film, that the writing team really starts hammering away with the real work. The drama just rises and rises until one cannot entertain the thought of enduring more before the sought-after romance prevails and the film comes to a close. So, whilst the pace of the film is a little unbalanced, the story is definitely charming and captivating… increasingly so. 

And then there is the animation, which is just gorgeous! Everything from the colour to the lighting to the camera angles to just the general artistry of the animators is flawless and impossible to tear your eyes away from! It is really no wonder that this film has done so well; grossing more than $100 million at the Japanese box-office, selling 7.7 million movie tickets and holding the No.1 spot at the box-office for the past few months! 

Starring Ryunosuke Kamiki, Mone Kamishiraishi, Ryo Nartia, Aoi Yuki, Nobunaga Shimazaki, Kanon Tani, Masaki Terasoma, Sayaka Ohara, Kazuhiko Inoue, Chafurin, and Kana Hanazawa. 

Rating: PG.