Your Name [Film Review]

Your Name (Makoto Shinkai, 2016) is an anime film following Taki and Mitsuha as they find themselves switching places while they sleep through an unexplainable phenomenon. Mitsuha experiences life in the big city and Taki learns about the ancient traditions of Mitsuha’s small-town life. The pair begin to lead double lives and, without even meeting, begin to grow closer as they find out more about each other. As their lives intertwine further, what will happen to the string of fate tying them together?

With a worldwide box office total of $357,986,087, Your Name surpassed Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki, 2001) and became the highest grossing anime film of all time. And it certainly deserved this title. What starts off as a light-hearted romantic comedy film suddenly becomes a tragic, emotional journey for the two characters, working to change their fates. Makoto Shinkai has a way of twisting the emotions of the audience as they witness the characters’ fights to free themselves from the idea of their futures being set in stone. It is almost impossible to not cry at least once during this film. I recommend you have a tub of ice cream or two with you as you watch it!

While the narrative can seem a bit convoluted at times, it is easy to grasp and fall in love with. Its unique plot is refreshing and enjoyable, and I have not met a single person who has had a problem with this film (I’m friends with a lot of anime nerds, I’ve got quite a large sample size). The element of ‘twilight’ is introduced early on in the film to present an element of foreshadowing (for my favourite scene, actually!) and Shinkai played around with time to successfully create an effective plot twist.

Your Name‘s animation is just one example of the beauty of Japanese animation. While the character creations are pretty simplistic, they make room for the amazing settings that are sure to make one gaze in awe. The frequent shots of the night sky with the comet are absolutely breathtaking. The use of light in the animation is stunning, with a nice use of sun glares and shadows. The capturing and blocking of the sun is a frequent occurrence in this film, highlighting the effect of twilight and the gap between worlds and developing a theme of magical realism.

I’m glad that the characters are of more simple designs as it would be difficult to take in the wondrous setting alongside incredibly detailed characters and an emotionally complex narrative. It might all just be a bit too much. This design, however, is perfect.

I would recommend this film to pretty much everyone, whether they enjoy anime or not. For those who find typical anime series strange or childish, this film definitely breaks away from those stereotypes, both in themes and narrative. It is a universally enjoyable film. Now to convince my non-anime-loving friends to watch it!

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